HOW TO SELECT THE BEST PRODUCE: BANANAS

Hello, I am here to show - with images - how to pick good bananas when shopping for produce.

General Info
Bananas are usually shown as yellow because they are ripe and ready for consumption when they are yellow. The color of an unripened banana is green, and the darker the color, the less ripe it is. Oxidation causes the bananas to ripen so you will see the bananas shift from shades of green to shades of yellow. If you plan on eating bananas at a later date, pick the green ones. If you want to eat a banana now, pick the yellow ones. Bananas will over-ripen and brown spots will indicate as such. The longer you wait on eating a banana, the less nutrients the banana will have. A green banana is the same as an over-ripened banana, nutrient-wise. Aim for yellow.

Selecting Bananas
Avoid bananas that have burn marks or scratch marks. The shell may show minimal bruising but the inside of the banana may actually be worse than it will lead you to believe. If you can see the inside of the banana through a hole, do not pick it up. The banana may have ripped during shipping or harvesting, exposing it to pesticides, insects, etc. Also avoid bananas that are dominantly brown and/or black. They have sat in the store past two weeks and are no longer considered fresh. Still edible, but it won't taste good.

When can I eat my Banana?
The earliest you can eat your banana is when half of the surface area is yellow. Also grasp the banana to see if it gives in to hand pressure. An unripened banana is as stiff as rubber and a ripe banana is soft and slightly mushy.The latest you eat a banana is when you see a few brown spots forming around it. Bananas are a bit of a gamble. You may see very few brown spots and decide to eat it tomorrow, only to see that half of it is already brown the next day. Personally, I wait until my bananas start turning yellow to eat them. I avoid brown spots altogether.

Anything else I should know about Bananas?
The temperature may affect the banana's ripening process. Through personal observation I have noticed that cold temperatures will lengthen the time the banana will show as green, but the inside will still be ripening. Do not only rely on the banana's color. Touch the banana and give it a smell. If you can smell it, it's ripe.

Bananas are sweetest when they are ripe.

Bananas contain potassium, which is a needed nutrient to alleviate muscle cramps. If you plan on playing Dance Dance Revolution, Pump It Up, or In The Groove for a long duration of time, take a banana or two as a snack to help reduce muscle fatigue. An avocado is a much better source of potassium as it contains at least twice the amount of a banana.


Here are a few pictures of an ideal banana.






The following fruits will be discussed in the coming weeks:

Pears
Watermelons
Apples

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This topic is endorsed by the development team of Super Monkey Ball.

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Forgot to mention the following:

DDR PLAYERS TAKE NOTE

Bananas are not only deliciously sweet, but they are an excellent source of potassium, a nutrient needed to minimize muscle cramps. A much better alternative of potassium is guacamole, but they don't taste as sweet as a banana.

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Would you be willing to provide a similar tutorial concerning the matter of pears?

Will do within the following week, when next I go grocery shopping.

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Wow, I don't know that bananas can do that. Okay, I think I will eat bananas often.

I got something to ask? Is the sweetness of a banana affected by how ripe the banana is?

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Yes it is. The banana is the most sweet when it is ripe and will start to lose its sweetness when over-ripening.

Through personal observation, I have noticed that temperature can affect the color of the bananas. I had purchased some dark green bananas during the winter and waited about three weeks for them to turn yellow. It does not take three weeks to turn yellow so I ate one. It was so sweet that it felt like I was eating diabetes. Despite the bananas being ripe, the outer layer did not represent it.

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I only have a tin of pineapple chunks in their own juice. What do I need to do?

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Oxidation causes fruit to spoil, so if the can of pineapples is unopened, it's perfectly fine and fresh until the expiration date shown on the can. If the can is opened, cover the can with a lid or a substitute and refrigerate it. If it is kept opened longer than a week without consumption, then it may be stale and lost its flavor and nutrients.

Personally, I avoid canned fruit since I think it's silly. They do have their benefits over fresh produce, with the main advantage being the shelf life. Go with whichever you find more convenient.

Edit: I was going to rip open an unripened banana to taste it out of curiosity, but the banana won't open by hand. So I'll have to wait until tomorrow to try that.

Tip: If the banana is as stiff as rubber, it is not ripe yet. Despite it feeling hard as rubber, it can still bruise so try to avoid bruising the banana.

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Sage yo.


Fucking sage. This is great, I have a team of gorillas yelling at me talking about the optimal state of banana ripening.

FUN FACT, if you place bananas near other fruit, the gases given off by the banana will cause the fruit to ripen faster. Also, placing a banana in a brown paper bag will help it ripen and fried green bananas are delicious yo (especially when srved with a dipping sauce made of oil, garlic, adobo, italian seasoning, and salt).

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Guys, we need to reopen the Food Thread.

Oh wait, mixed rice.

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Those bananas look good even if it's green.

I heard that frozen bananas are best used for banana breads.

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Well it Depends the Bananas and how ling it's out.

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Updated the 1st post with information mentioned in later posts for easy reading.

I also put up a list of fruits I will be going over in the coming weeks.

I'd like to put recipes as well, but those aren't really needed as the main discussion of this thread will be on how to select the best fruit of a batch.

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I notice you said you were going to post tips on choosing pears. If possible, I'd like you to address bosc pears specifically as I prefer their firm crispness over bartlett pears.


APPEND: Also, you forgot to mention that when transporting bananas, it is best to place them in the front seat of the car as opposed to in the trunk with the rest of the heavy groceries.

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For a second i really thought this was a joke.

But reading on i am very, very impressed at how this is not only a benefit for when you just feel like eating a banana, but also for this community as well.

Bravo, silent. Good thread

Question: What about Banana shakes? Or in fact, a shake with a mixture of all of the fruit you mentioned? How would you say this would work for somebody like a DDR, ITG, PIU player or just in general?

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Whoa, very nice info. While I'm storing these into my brain, I'll wait for the other threads

Also...


Ahahahaha I know what this is about

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