Bananas are fat-free, cholesterol-free, sodium-free and a source of vitamin B-6, and are just 110 calories per serving. Select and store bananas properly for the highest quality. When focusing on quality, consider if you should choose organic over conventionally grown bananas to avoid pesticide exposure. If your bananas are overripe and of a lesser quality, other uses for them are available so you don't have to let your bananas go to waste.
Selecting
Choose firm bananas with a green to green yellow peel because a yellow banana is already ripe and spoils quicker. Do not choose bananas with a completely dark green peel because they might never ripen. Bananas with the sweetest taste have a yellow peel with specks of brown; bananas with green tips or little yellow color do not yet have their full flavor.
Storing
Store bananas at room temperature on a counter away from other ripe fruits, especially apples, other bananas and pears. These fruits produce ethylene gas, a ripening agent, that causes other fruits and vegetables to ripen quicker if they are exposed to the gas. Once ripened, place the bananas in the refrigerator to keep them for a few days longer. The cold temperature turns the peel to black, but it stops the inside fruit from ripening.
Organic
Bananas rank 30th on the Environmental Working Group's list of pesticides in produce. The list ranks fruits and vegetables -- first is the worst -- according to their pesticide contents. Pesticide residue amounts are determined by tests performed by the USDA Pesticide Testing Program. With bananas ranking 30 on the list, the EWG considers bananas a safer produce choice if you want to avoid ingesting pesticides. In fact, according to the organization, foods with peels you remove before eating such as bananas are less likely to contain pesticides.
Using Over-Ripe Bananas
Overripe bananas, while unappetizing to eat fresh, are acceptable to use in baking or to freeze. Before freezing, peel the bananas as the peel is difficult to remove when the banana is frozen. Take the banana out of the freezer and let it thaw before using it in baked goods or blend it when frozen for banana ice cream. Use mashed ripe bananas in baked goods such as breads, muffins, cakes, pancakes and cookies.
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