You may be wondering how to tell when plantains are bad. They are a common side dish and can be quite hard to peel. You can make them look fresher by carefully checking the color and peeling. Here are a few tips for ensuring that your plantains stay fresh. Make sure you buy the right variety and know the signs of spoiled plantains. Once you know how to tell when plantains are bad, you can avoid them and enjoy a delicious snack!
If you’re looking for ripe plantains, you should pay attention to the color of the peel. Plantains turn from a bright green color to a light yellow color in about ten days. If they are still green, you can keep them on the counter and wait for them to turn yellow. However, if you want to get ripe plantains, you need to peel them before consuming them. The plantains will rot if they aren’t eaten right away.
What are Plantains?
Plantains are a type of fruit in the genus Musa that doesn’t have any seeds. They are used in food all over the world. The fruit can be sweet when ready or salty when it’s not. Even though plantains look like bananas, they are more like potatoes and should be cooked before eating. Plantains are a versatile starch you can use in sweet or savory dishes.
How to Tell When Plantains are Bad?
It is easy to tell if plantain is fresh or not. When plantains go bad, it is easy to see what is wrong with them. Its taste, smell, and feel have all changed. Take care of a few important things to find out if your plantains are fresh or not:
- Check out how the plantains feel. If it seems softer than usual, that means it’s gone bad, and it means the plantains are no longer smooth and have gone bad. Throw them away right away.
- If the plantains have a bad smell, you shouldn’t use them.
- Check how the plantains taste. If they don’t taste like they usually do, you shouldn’t use them either.
How do Plantains and Bananas Compare?
Most bananas that can be eaten, like plantains, come from two species, Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana, and their hybrids. Most plantains, starchy bananas used for cooking, come from cultivars related to Musa balbisiana. Most sweet dessert bananas come from cultivars that are related to Musa acuminata. Here are some ways that bananas and plantains are the same and different:
Texture: When they are not ripe, both fruits are hard and dry, but when they are ripe, they are soft and creamy.
Size: Plantains are generally larger than bananas.
Peels: You can peel ripe bananas, called “dessert bananas,” with your hands, but the plantain skin is tougher. So, whether or not a plantain is ripe, you will need a knife to cut it open.
Nutritional value: Both are good sources of magnesium, potassium, fiber, and vitamin C.
Ripe Plantains vs. Unripe Plantains
In most grocery stores, you can find both ripe and unripe plantains. Whether you use green or, ripe plantain depends on the recipe and your taste. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Colour: Unripe plantains are green. As they get ripe, they start to turn yellow, then get spots of dark brown, and finally turn black before they go bad.
Texture: Green Plantains are tough, like roots. Ripe plantains are softer, and those with darker peels might not keep their shape when fried.
Flavor profile: Unripe plantains are savory and can be used to make mofongo, fried plantains mixed with other ingredients, and tostones (twice-fried and smashed plantains). On the other hand, plantains get sweeter as they age. Yellow plantains can be used to make fried plantain dishes like plátanos maduros or sweets like plantain bread (a play on banana bread).
Both kinds of plantains can be kept on your kitchen counter. If you need a green plantain to turn yellow quickly, put it in a paper bag and tie the top. When the fruit ripens, it gives off ethylene gas. A closed paper bag naturally traps this gas, which speeds up the process of ripening. If you don’t want to use ripe plantain right away, put it in the fridge for a few days. The outer skin will get darker, but the inside flesh will stay the same.
How Long do Plantains Last?
Plantains don’t stay around for very long, and they only last about half as long as bananas. Plantains can last longer if you store them the right way, and Plantains have different shelf lives. The green plantains that haven’t been cooked can stay at room temperature for a few weeks.
The ripe plantains can stay fresh at room temperature for almost ten days. If the plantains look dark brown, it’s best to use them as soon as possible because they only last three days at normal temperature.
If you put the plantains in the fridge, they will stay fresh for three weeks. The plantains stored in the freezer, on the other hand, can last for up to a year. Use them before this time if you can.
How to Store Plantains?
When the fruit has a short shelf life, you have to be extra careful about how you store plantains. If you don’t store them well and in the right way, they will quickly go bad. If you have too many plantains to cook with and know, you can’t use them all simultaneously. You can freeze them. So, the best thing you can do is store them well.
This article will talk about some important ways to store plantains. Follow the steps below if you don’t know how to store plantains.
Store at Room Temperature
If your plantains are ripe, you can keep them at room temperature for a few days without worrying about them going bad. Plantains don’t lose their taste or texture when kept in direct sunlight, which is not true of some other fruits.
Plantains can stay fresh at room temperature for a few days. If you bought a bunch of plantains and want to use them in seven days, you can put them at room temperature without worrying about them going bad. You can put them in your kitchen pantry or on the counter.
Store in Refrigerator
Places that are cold keep fruits fresh for a while. The only thing that will help your fruits last longer is a refrigerator. The fridge is the best place for the fruits because it is cool and quiet. If you want the plantains to last longer, you can put them in the refrigerator. Plantains can be kept in the fridge for up to ten days. It depends on how good the plantains are as well. It’s best to use plantains that have been stored in the fridge within a week.
Store your plantains in a refrigerator for three weeks if you can’t eat the whole fruit. During this time, you can freeze them for up to a year. But it would help if you still used them before they went bad. Another way to tell when plantains are bad is by inspecting their texture. If they feel mushy, the plantains have gone bad. And if they smell or taste bad, you should discard them immediately.
Plantains keep better in the refrigerator than in the pantry. When ripe, they can last up to a week. However, the shelf life of plantains depends on their quality. Hence, if you’re buying them in the store, try to eat them within a week. You can also store them in the freezer for two to three weeks. And, once they’re ripe, make sure you peel them.
Store in the Freezer
If you want to keep the plantains for a long time, the best way is to put them in the freezer. Putting things in the freezer makes them last longer.
Can you Freeze Plantains?
Yes, the raw plantains can be frozen for months. If you bought too many plantains and didn’t know where to store them, the best place will be in the freezer. The plantains will last longer if they are frozen.
In a cold place, you can’t freeze the plantains as a whole. Before you put the plantains away, you will need to peel them. After peeling the plantains, cut them into pieces and put them in freezer bags or containers that won’t let air in. Plantains can stay good for a year if kept in the freezer at low temperatures.
Can you Eat Overripe Plantains?
Plantains that are too ripe can be used to make other tasty foods that will change how you look at them. If you like banana muffins or banana bread, you could swap the bananas for overripe plantains to make a tasty treat that everyone will love. With a potato masher, mash the ripe plantain in a bowl. The best time to eat plantain is mostly black with a little yellow and still a little bit firm to the touch, like a peach. Even though black plantains can still be eaten, they are too soft, making them hard to cook.
Can you Get Food Poisoning from Plantains?
Along with the way it feels, it’s not a very appealing food. But raw plantain is safe to eat, unlike some other starchy fruits grown in tropical areas. The Food and Agriculture Organization says it doesn’t have any harmful chemicals like cassava, which, if eaten raw, can make you sick from cyanide. But raw plantain is safe to eat, unlike some other starchy fruits grown in tropical areas. The Food and Agriculture Organization says it doesn’t have any harmful chemicals like cassava, which, if eaten raw, can make you sick from cyanide.
Conclusion
If your plantains are black or have dark spots on their skin, they are likely to be rotten. They are soft and dark spots, giving off a distinct ooze. They are also likely to contain insects. Moreover, they usually have cuts on their surface, making them an easy target for insects. If you’re unsure whether your plantains are green or rotten, it’s best to buy some from an ethnic grocery store.
While bananas are popular in tropical countries, plantains have lower sugar levels and a slightly sweeter taste than bananas. They can be eaten raw or cooked in different ways. During the ripening process, plantains can go from green to yellow and black, and the darker the plantain, the sweeter it is. If you can’t wait for the fruit to ripen, you can also store it in a paper bag to make it last longer.
