Q: When you freeze bananas, should you peel them? What is the best way to defrost them and should them be drained?
_ Sue Ritter
A: If there is one cool thing about bananas, it's that they freeze wonderfully. And they keep just fine in the freezer for about three months. Freezing is a way to preserve bananas that have reached their ripeness peak or are close to overripe. Rather than tossing them because you can't eat them out of hand, freeze them to use in making quick breads, muffins and smoothies.
You can freeze them whole with the peel on or off. The outer peel will turn dark in the freezer, but won't affect the banana flesh. When ready to use, take them out of the freezer to defrost. It's best to put them in a bowl because some liquid will leach out.
When freezing bananas whole in the peel, all you need to do is put them in a freezer-quality plastic bag and freeze. Squeeze the air out, seal the bag, label and date.
To freeze whole peeled bananas, it's best to flash-freeze them. Put them on a tray and stick them in the freezer until they are almost frozen. Transfer them to a plastic bag. To have bananas ready to drop into smoothies, you can cut them into chunks or slices and flash-freeze on a tray. Because they are individually frozen, you can take out only what you need.
Mashed banana can also be frozen in bags or freezer-safe containers. Don't puree the bananas, just mash with a fork to keep some texture. For each cup of mashed banana, add one tablespoon of lemon juice or { teaspoon ascorbic acid to prevent browning. A medium banana will yield about { cup mashed.
Bananas that are just hitting the ripe stage are also ideal for freezing for a treat. Stick wooden skewers or craft sticks in one end and place bananas on a tray. Or cut them into chunks. Melt some chocolate. Dip whole, sliced or chunked bananas in the melted chocolate. If you like, you can sprinkle with chopped nuts or candy sprinkles. Place on a parchment-lined tray and freeze until solid.
Try today's recipes from our archives using mashed bananas. Mashed bananas are not just terrific in breads and other baked goods, try them in pancake batter.
