| Pantry | Refrigerator | Freezer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole | 3-5 Days | 3-5 Days | 12 Months |
| Cut | - | 2-3 Days | 12 Months |
Plantains are a special family member of the banana. These are an essential part of several savory dishes. The popularity of plantains is much higher in the Caribbean countries and Western Africa. This low-in-sugar and starchy variety of the banana is unsuitable to be eaten in its raw form. Hence, it is required to cook plantains before serving them.
Shelf Life of Plantains:
Plantains get ripened at an average temperature. In addition to this, the assistance of ethylene gas can help in ripening this fruit. These can be kept safe and in their original condition for three weeks. In order to keep them safe from spoilage, keep the green fruit at room temperature while refrigerating the fruit, which is ripened more than half. A fantastic tip to use for the rapid ripening of plantains is to put them with and an apple in a paper bag. The ethylene gas released by the apple will speed up the process of ripening. Place this bag in a warm place, rather than a hot place. This will bring efficient maturation quickly.
Purchasing Plantains:
Purchase plantains as per your dish requirement. Fresh roasted and fried plantain can be directly served with salt. The recipe for which you are going to purchase the plantain is a key element when informing you of the right variety and type that you should buy from the market. Unripened plantains should be bought when you plan to make Mofongo or Tostones. For fresh corn soup, it is best to use plantain slices. If you want to get a plantain for eating purposes, then buy the Maduro plantains.
Storing Plantains:
Cooking and storing plantains is not a hard nut to crack. It is quite convenient to prepare this fruit. Some of the starch of this fruit gets converted to sugar and molds when you cook it. If you want to use it in food or serve it the next day, then consider preparing and storing it the night before. For storage of plantains, you can adopt one of these technologies. You may refrigerate this fruit for storage purposes. Other options are to wrap it or pack it in an airtight container. Make sure to bring them to room temperature before serving.
How to Handle Plantains:
The handling of plantains varies from that of a banana. This delightful and scrumptious starchy cousin of the banana differs from the banana regarding its peeling, too. The green colored unripe fruit needs the assistance of a paring knife for peeling purposes, while the ripened fruit, which has turned into brown or black color can be peeled easily into strips. All you need to do is cut off the end of the plantain. With the help of a paring knife, slice the skin and remove the peel of the plantain.
Cooking with Plantains:
If you have not used it in cooking yet, then give it a try to enjoy a brilliant experience. Your taste buds will surely enjoy this fruit. It is a cooking food item that can be used in sweet dishes, soups, drinks, curries, etc. Besides this, it is also used as dried flour which is given as a feed to babies. Plantains are a nutritious food for people of all ages.