Table of Contents Show
Did you know that you can use frozen bananas for you smoothies, as well as fresh ones? After defrosting, you can add the fruit to smoothies and pastries. Young mothers like to freeze banana puree to save their time. The main thing is to do it correctly.
How to peel a frozen banana
- Collect everything you need to clean a banana: a cutting board, a sharp knife, and a frozen banana!
- After removing the banana from the freezer, let it thaw for 3-5 minutes. Banana will become a little softer, which will make it easier to cut it. It will also make it easier for you to touch the banana without freezing your fingers!
- Once the banana is thawed, cut off both ends. This will make it easier to remove the peel when the time comes.
- Take the remaining part of the banana and cut it in half. As in the previous step, this makes banana peeling safer and more manageable!
- Take each piece of banana in turn and make an incision along the entire length. Be sure to make an incision deep enough to cut the peel, but not so deep that it sticks into the banana.
- Finally, take the knife blade and carefully insert it between the banana and the peel. Slowly slide the knife down to remove the peel from the banana.
After all, you will get a soft peeled banana.
How to freeze bananas
If you have extra bananas left – you can freeze them. In the future, you can make smoothies, banana cakes or cupcakes, and other desserts from frozen bananas.
Tips for preparing and choosing bananas:
- Take only ripe or slightly overripe fruits.
- Green ones are not suitable, because they should ripen on the store shelves.
- If the peel has darkened a little, it will not affect the taste in any way.
- Before freezing, you should wash the bananas, wipe them and only then start peeling them.
- Prepare the freezer. Make room in the fruit or vegetable compartment, wash it and make sure that the temperature in the freezer drops to 17 degrees.
We start freezing:
- Freezing with a peel. This method is considered the simplest. It will allow you to preserve all the substances and taste qualities of the fruit. You should put the ripe fruits in bags, or foil.
- Freezing without a peel. You should peel and spread fruits out on a tray. Then send them to the freezer for an hour. After the bananas are frozen, they are sorted into several pieces in a package and sent for final freezing. The ideal option for such freezing is sealed containers.
- Freezing of banana puree. To do this, you will need a food processor or a blender, in extreme cases, you can use a mixer. Process the peeled bananas into mashed potatoes and arrange them into shapes. If the fruit is too ripe, you can mash it with a fork or a potato masher. As a result, you should get a homogeneous mass. To extend the shelf life, add lemon juice to the finished puree, at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 200 grams of puree.
- Freezing bananas in pieces. If there is no extra space in your freezer, then it is better to give preference to this method of freezing. Peel the bananas and cut them into identical rings. Try not to exceed 3 cm in thickness. Next, cover the tray or baking sheet with cling film, spread out the bananas, and send them to the freezer for 2 -2.5 hours.
How to defrost frozen bananas
For smoothies, you do not need to defrost pieces of frozen banana. They replace ice and cool the smoothie when mixed. But if you plan to use frozen bananas for baking, here are three easy ways to defrost them.
- Pour the number of bananas from the freezer bag into another airtight container (if you are defrosting banana puree, you can skip this step). Place the serving bag in a bowl and transfer it to the refrigerator. They will melt overnight and will be ready for use in the morning.
- Transfer the bananas into an airtight plastic bag (you do not need to do this for banana puree). Fill the bowl with 2/3 of warm water. Dip the bag into the water, and the chopped bananas or chopped bananas will melt after 5-7 minutes. It will take a little longer to cut the bananas in half, so you may need to drain the water from the bowl and pour warm water again.
- Place the bananas on a plate suitable for use in a microwave oven. You do not plan to cook bananas, so put them on for only 2 minutes using the “Defrost” setting. If your microwave does not have such an option, set the lowest mode instead. Do not try to reheat the banana puree in a plastic bag in the microwave, as the plastic may melt!
What can I use frozen bananas for?
You can find many applications for a frozen banana. The main thing is to choose the right freezing option for each case.
- Use in the preparation of baking.
- Add to smoothies and smoothies.
- Decorate desserts.
- Freeze the banana puree.
Half a cup of sliced bananas contains 9 g of fiber, 400 mg of potassium, and only 70 calories. Frozen banana peels turn dark brown or black, but the fruit inside retains its usual color.
Do Frozen Bananas Work for Baking?
Use thawed whole bananas for banana bread. Wash them first, and then mix them with sugar, eggs, milk, butter, flour, and baking soda to create a dough. Bake for about an hour at 375 degrees F in a greased pan until you can insert a toothpick or fork into the center of the loaf and it comes out clean.
Make banana muffins. Mix the melted and pureed bananas with eggs, sugar, baking powder, butter, vanilla, and flour. You can also add additional ingredients, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or crushed nuts. Pour the dough into a cake tin lined with cupcakes. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cupcake, and if it comes out clean, it will be done.
Bake vanilla from the banana pudding. Mix the mashed bananas with milk and vanilla, and then drop into the mixture of cream cheese, sugar, and eggs. Pour the mixture into a spring-shaped saucepan and set inside a roasting bowl partially filled with water to create a water bath. Cover the entire pan with foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F until the cheesecake appears, and only the center of it moves.
Smoothie with frozen bananas
Freezing bananas for cocktails require special preparation:
- For maximum flavor, choose bananas that are ripe or even overripe. Ripe and overripe are much sweeter and more fragrant than their immature counterparts, plus they are easier to digest.
- Peel and slice the bananas and arrange the slices in one layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment, leaving a small space between them.
- Place the baking tray in the freezer, making sure that it is securely fixed and aligned so that it does not fall off, even if the freezer door is open.
- Once the slices are thoroughly frozen, remove the baking tray from the freezer and transfer the frozen banana slices to freezer-safe bags or zippered containers.
- Immediately put the closed bags or containers back in the freezer.
Final thoughts
It is easy to freeze a banana. There are various ways, the main thing is to choose the right one. Bananas can then be thawed and added to dishes, pastries and decorate desserts with them.