Plantains, 5 lbs.

Keep Plantains on hand to enjoy a unique and exotic fruit that can be prepared several delicious ways. They're known as cooking bananas, since plantains are starchier than regular bananas and take better to frying and other cooking applications.

About Plantains

This 5 lbs. bundle of plantains offers you plenty of delicious chances to enjoy a unique and hearty fruit. It's most commonly used in Central American, Latin American, Caribbean and African cuisines, though is steadily gaining popularity in cuisines across the globe. Yellow plantains may look a lot like bananas and have a similar sweet taste and like health benefits (they're a great source of potassium, magnesium, vitamins B6 and C), the similarities stop there. Plantains boast a texture that is most like a potato and can take several days until they reach peak ripeness. To speed along the ripening process so you can get down to enjoying them, place sweet plantains and an apple into a paper bag and fold to seal. The apple will oxidize and help the plantain ripen faster.

Who Will Enjoy Unique and Sweet Plantains?

Anyone who loves trying something new! It's hard not to like yellow plantains when you try them—they're sweet, hearty and distinct. Once you know how to prepare them, they'll likely become a new favorite in your household. They're also a staple in restaurants and catering services that specialize in global cuisines or are just passionate about serving gourmet and unexpected foods to their customers.

How Should I Serve Yellow Plantains?

There are so many great ways to enjoy sweet plantains! Just keep in mind that they're best served baked or fried, so you don't want to eat them right out of their peel like you would a banana. Here are a couple of delicious ways to enjoy yellow plantains:

• Make Latin American-inspired tostones—slice a ripe plantain and pound each piece until it's flat disk. Fry in the pan with oil of choice. Once browned, set to dry on a paper towel. Fry again once cooled. Season with salt and serve with garlic aioli or a flavored mayo of choice.
• Sweet and savory plantain pancakes—whip up your favorite pancake batter, add chopped ripe plantains, ginger, scallions and sweet onions and pan fry until golden.
• Classic-style—slice ripe plantains crosswise and pan-fry in a skillet until golden and aromatic. Remove, blot and place in a bowl of water with garlic and choice seasonings for one minute. Pat dry and fry again.