Recipes for freezing bananas in the freezer at home
Almost everyone knows about the advantages of bananas. They can always be found on vegetable layouts in supermarkets and markets. But these fruits are prone to rapid overripening, many housewives have a question how to increase the storage time? Can overripe bananas be frozen in the freezer? How to keep them fresh longer?
Why bananas are frozen
The question of freezing bananas during the winter will seem strange. Perhaps such measures are resorted to in those regions where these exotic fruits are not always available for sale.
Under normal conditions, this procedure will be an excellent way to process overripe fruits. Fresh fruit has a short shelf life and quickly loses its marketability. If you do not take special measures and leave it in a room with normal temperature, literally a day later, a ripe banana begins to deteriorate. To increase the storage period, the banana is frozen. The frozen product is used as one of the main components in the preparation of desserts and chilled cocktails.
Choosing and preparing bananas
Freezing is carried out with ripe or slightly overripe fruits. Green fruits are not suitable for freezing.
Before sending bananas to the freezer, be sure to wash them well.
This process is considered quite appropriate given that they have gone through lengthy transportation and repeated travel to supermarket shelves. Leave the washed fruits to dry completely.
Freezer preparation
To speed up the freezing process, one of the freezer compartments is prepared in advance, the lowest temperature zone is freed from the products previously placed for storage. Then turn on its function "Freezing" or adjust the knob of the temperature controller to set a lower temperature. During this time, the temperature inside the freezer will become lower, which helps to prevent unwanted heat from adding warm food.
How to freeze bananas at home
There are several recipes and methods used to freeze bananas. They use both peeled fruits and whole peels, also crushed into cubes or circles, in the form of mashed potatoes. Each of the methods has its own advantages.
With peel
Many are attracted by the low cost of this method. Fresh fruits are put in bags for freezing food and placed in the freezer.Each of them must indicate the date of the bookmark. Frozen fruits have a slightly dark skin, but this does not affect their taste, they remain the same, only slightly softer.
Before use, bananas are taken out to defrost, leaving them indoors at room temperature. They are cleaned as usual. These fruits are used for making smoothies, baked goods and as a filling in cereals.
Without peel
This is a pretty practical way to store overripe bananas. For this you need:
- free the prepared fruits from the peel;
- prepare them for pre-freezing. To do this, on a baking sheet, dish or other flat object covered with parchment or foil, place fruits at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other. Send them to the freezer for 60 minutes and let them freeze. The temperature in the refrigerator must be between -18 ° C and -22 ° C, it is advisable not to exceed these values. This process will prevent the fruits from sticking together;
- pour the frozen product into polyethylene bags, remove air from the inside as much as possible and close tightly.
Place prepared food in the freezer for further storage.
Banana puree
For grinding fruits, the most accessible and convenient kitchen unit is used, for example, a blender. After removing the peel, their pieces are placed in the bowl of the device and brought to a homogeneous mass. Some housewives grind them using a sieve with large holes, a potato grinder, and a fork.
To preserve the color and extend the shelf life, add lemon juice in a proportion of 1 tbsp. spoon: 1 cup puree. Place the cooked product in ice-freezing cells and leave in the freezer until it freezes completely (about 60 minutes).
The temperature inside the refrigerating appliance is set to -18 ° C. They take out the ready-made banana puree cubes from the cells and put them in bags or pans. Tie or close tightly and indicate the date of the bookmark.
Use paper and plastic cups to freeze banana puree. After spreading the prepared product, without adding a little to the upper edge of the cups, tighten with cling film.
Sliced bananas
Before sending the fruits to the freezer, they are cut into portions. The thickness is arbitrary. So that they are evenly frozen, the cutting is done in the same size.
These pieces are placed on a board or dish and sent to the freezer for 60-90 minutes. Frozen pieces are scattered into packages or containers, on which the date must be indicated. After removing air to the maximum, it is placed back into the chamber.
Banana ice cream
The dessert is prepared with ripe fruits, the skin of which is covered with black dots. The prepared fruit is peeled and cut into two halves by inserting a special ice cream stick or skewer into each. The dish with the chopped chocolate is placed in a water bath and kept until it is completely dissolved. Each banana blank is dipped in a warm mass and sent to freeze.
How to store frozen food
Frozen fruits are stored in special containers or plastic bags for freezing. Try not to violate the temperature regime from -18 ° to -22 °.
Storage periods
Peeled bananas are stored for 90 days, in the peel - 60 days.
To avoid missing the storage date, the homemade label indicates the date the fruit was put in the freezer.
How to defrost properly
To obtain a thawed product, it is left indoors at room temperature until completely thawed.
Adhering to the recommendations and tips mentioned above, it is easy to increase the shelf life of tropical fruits, as well as to enjoy their taste and aroma for a long time.
