Aside from pesky fruit flies, bananas with brown spots are still totally usable.
But exactly how brown is too brown, even for banana bread?
Bananasare one of the mostdelicious and versatile fruitsout there.
Getty Images / Massimo Ravera
But exactly when does a brown, overripe banana become unusable?
Is It safe to eat brown bananas?
It all really depends on just how brown your banana is.
A banana with brown spots or freckles is fine.
Spots will be various shades of brown, and will show up as speckling overthe peel.
(Learn why you should keep these fruits separate from low-ethylene-gas-emitting fruits and how tostore them here.)
These bruises may easily be cut away from the fruit.
The quinones then react with other compounds to form melanin.
Melanin is the same dark brown pigment that colors hair, skin and the irises of our eyes.
It also turns fruit and vegetables brown."
When is a bananatoobrown?
Overripe bananas will often seep fluid.
What makes bananas rot?
Usually, exposure of the banana’s flesh to air is the primary culprit in rotting.
Damaged peels can also give access to pests like fruit flies or house flies.
Skip bananas with obvious bruising or soft spots.
And always buy bananas with their stems still attached.
Can I cook with brown bananas?
For baking, you always want to use brown bananas.
Brown bananas have a more intense flavor, which will come through even after cooking.
(Learn what this dietitian has to say about thehealth benefits of bananas.)
The fragrance of bananas also increases as they ripen and release aromatic esters, particularly isoamyl acetate.
According to theAmerican Chemical Society, “Isoamyl acetate is naturally produced by ripening fruit.
For a more savory dish, you may want bananas that are underripe, more green than yellow.
These bananas will be harder, more like a carrot.
Preference also comes into play here.
Some prefer a fully ripe banana, which will be softer and have a more intense banana flavor.
Fully ripe bananas will be yellow with brown spotting like freckles.
And if you choose the right ones, you could get a good long edible life out of them.
Even the brown ones.
