Food hacks: Overripe bananas

Ooops I did it again... didn't use the bananas fast enough and now look... not real pretty, but I 
sure hate to throw them out - seems like such a waste. I didn't have time to bake banana bread

today, and I suspected the fruit inside was still intact, since the bananas didn't feel mushy. So I peeled them and voila! they were still okay.

When this happens to you and you have too many to use up quickly, remember that you can freeze bananas. I prefer to peel them first because I don't like the way they peel once they start to thaw.

So, I peeled the bananas. I could have left them whole, but I decided to halve them and use some of them for the grandkids to dip into Magic Shell, and the rest to use for baking or pudding when I need them. Peel them carefully: the fruit is softer, remember, and too much pressure makes them break. 
I inserted popsicle sticks into some, put them all into the freezer for about two hours, then removed them out for 'repackaging.'

They weren't frozen solid but handled better than when they were room temperature. I put a couple in each baggie, removed as much air as I could with a

straw, then put all the baggies of bananas in a gallon size ziploc bag. You could also vacuum seal them in a larger bag if you like. They are in the freezer and I will remove them as I need them, and they won't go to waste now. 

Bananas don't keep forever in the freezer, so be sure to use them inside of 4 months or so. The next time I freeze some, I think I will try dipping them in 7up, apple juice or lemon juice and water, to slow down any discoloration.

One advantage of freezing bananas you plan to use for baking is when they thaw, they soften a LOT and are easy to stir into batter. The bananas halves are also handy for having a bit of fruit with your breakfast or slicing (while still firm) into cereal.