Is a partially translucent banana safe to cook with?
I let my bananas get very ripe prior to making banana bread with them. This time one of the bananas had become translucent at the top towards the stem. See attached photo. Is this banana still safe to cook with? I would chop off the translucent part and bit use the remaining non-translucent banana for cooking.
Best Answer
The whole thing, including the translucent part is fine to cook with.
As they ripen, fruits convert their starches to sugar. Starch isn’t water soluble, but sugar is. So as ripening happens, the sugar dissolves into the moisture of the ripe banana, giving it that translucent appearance. Additionally, as bananas ripen they deploy enzymes to weaken their usually firm cell walls, so that is why bananas soften over time.
That’s also why super ripe bananas are actually much sweeter and great for cooking/baking. This banana looks great for banana bread to me!
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Quick Answer about "Is a partially translucent banana safe to cook with?"
The whole thing, including the translucent part is fine to cook with. As they ripen, fruits convert their starches to sugar. Starch isn't water soluble, but sugar is. So as ripening happens, the sugar dissolves into the moisture of the ripe banana, giving it that translucent appearance.How can you tell if a banana is bad for baking?
Louisiana Fresh states that bananas with black or moldy stems may not be safe. Also, make sure there are no soft spots. If the fruits have an unusual color, such as gray or dull yellow, they may have been stored improperly. A strange odor might be a sign of mold or spoilage, in which case you should discard the fruits.How do you know if a banana is bad?
To tell if a banana has gone bad, look for mold growing on the skin. Also, if there is liquid underneath the bananas, it's a sure sign that they have gone bad. The best way to see if a banana has gone bad is to unpeel it. If the flesh is a brown color and is very mushy, it has gone bad and should not be used.How do you know if a banana is bad for banana bread?
Sweet Home Digest also notes that bananas that have any kind of liquid or a mushy substance leaking out of them should be discarded. Again, don't think anything of black peels or brown spots, but do look for anything that raises red flags to your eyes and nose.Can overripe bananas make you sick?
"Bananas that have a musty smell, fruit flies, mold on the stems, or signs of rot and decay are no longer safe to eat," certified nutritionist Andrea Picincu wrote in an article for Livestrong. "An overripe banana that looks and smells fine, on the other hand, doesn't pose any health risks."How Does Temperature Affect a Banana's Ripening? : Banana Recipes
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: ROMAN ODINTSOV, Gustavo Fring, Mimi Moromisato, Gustavo Fring