Freezing ripe bananas

oh, the banana mash may turn slightly darker in the freezer. nothing to worry about-just a slight oxidation process. ice is no problem either. just stir the banana as it thaws and add to your recipe. the ice is from the banana and stirs back into the solids with no problem. the flavor is retained.

i peel the bananas, cut out any bruised or overripe parts, mash them , measure the mash, divide into one cup portions (occasionally a 2 or 3 cup portion), into freezer bag or plastic yogurt cup. mark cup or bag with amount and freeze. then when i need a certain amount for a recipe i take out that number of bags or cups. while i mix the ingredients for the banana bread (or other recipe) the banana softens just enough to add. the peels go into the compost.

sounds time consuming but it is not. if only one banana left from a bunch, i have measured, put in a cup or bag and then added the next odd ripe banana right on top of the previous frozen banana. just have a label big enough to document the additional amounts each time so that you know what you have total when it's time to use that container of bananas.

I take the ripe bananas and peel them, cut them in half and then put them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and freeze them in the freezer. Then I put them in a freezer bag and take out what I need for smoothies, banana bread - have even done Bananas Foster. When I thaw them for banana bread I just take what I need; I like them this way for smoothies (add less ice - more banana flavor), and put them in the Foster when they were still slightly frozen so they didn't get too mushy.

Warning -- do not do what I did. After years of just putting a banana in the freezer, successfully, I put a small bunch in, in the plastic bag they were sold in, the kind with holes in it. The refrigerator is in our garage, and in the winter the temperatures go rouge and the freezer defrosts... So I ended up with sticky banana gum that got on other packages and left a layer on the bottom surface. So, lesson learned, yes in a freezer that's working correctly. And they're also great for smoothies.

Frozen bananas work best for making banana bread or banana beignets. The process of freezing breaks down the cell walls due to ice crystals being formed, which then automatically turns the banana into a pasty mush when defrosted. Do not peel the banana. the peel acts as a barrier to the fruit absorbing odors as well as minimizes any freezer burn and the fluids oozing out plus an over ripe banana tends to fall into pieces and the peel 'contains' it well. the peel will turn completely black & it may not look very pretty. The yellow & black peel does get a sheen of white frost nothing to worry about as far as the taste is concerned

You can freeze them in their skin, no wrapping necessary. Then, when its time to make the banana bread, you can defrost them in the microwave. snip off the top of the banana, and empty the banana and the banana juice into a bowl. I do it all the time and it works just as well as fresh bananas!