Bad Bananas

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fitacct
fitacct Posts: 241 Member
in Food and Nutrition

Arrrrggghhhh! ANOTHER batch of bad bananas! Surely, I'm not the only one this is happening to. They look perfectly fine on the outside and are rotten (to the core) on the inside. It's happening with Dole, Chiquita, and other brands. So frustrating! I hate throwing away food, but I especially don't like not having my daily banana. Anyone out there having this same problem with bad bananas? Thanks!
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  • skelterhelter
    skelterhelter Posts: 803 Member
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    Yup, been happening to me too! I freeze them and eat as banana ice pops lol. Perfectly fine -- actually, very creamy and delicious! Hits the spot on a 90 degree day like today.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
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    Produce trucks in a heat wave.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,009 Member
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    It hasn't been happening to me. I don't think I've ever seen a "rotten" banana. Bruised, yes. They're still edible.
    Over-ripe, yes. They're also still edible. If I have too many really ripe or over-ripe bananas that I'm afraid they might actually go bad before I get them eaten, I'll put them in the freezer to use in smoothies. I guess if you like your bananas on the green/barely yellow side, bruised and really ripe bananas might seem "rotten." Or is this something different? What do they actually look like, and what is the actual texture you're talking about?
  • midlomel1971
    midlomel1971 Posts: 1,283 Member
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    If over-ripe, freeze them to use later in smoothies or muffins. I've never seen a rotten banana.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    midlomel1971 wrote: »
    If over-ripe, freeze them to use later in smoothies or muffins. I've never seen a rotten banana.

    Not with an intact skin.

    May only be good for baking, but they're still good for something.
  • FL_Hiker
    FL_Hiker Posts: 919 Member
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    Most grocery stores will allow you to return bad produce. Get a good bunch and freeze em!
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    Hmm. I've never seen a banana that look good on the outside but was rotten on the inside.

    I find the opposite usually happens where bananas are bruised and look yucky on the outside and you peel it and they are perfectly fine.

    Case in point, the other week at my farmer's market I came across one heck of a deal...a bunch of 14 bananas for $1. I knew looks can be deceiving with bananas at times so I thought I would take a chance.

    When I got home, I peeled them all and they all were fine. I immediately froze them for my protein smoothies.
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
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    They aren't bad, just been exposed to heat for too long. They are perfectly fine to eat, and if you prefer not too. Freeze them for smoothies or baking.
  • joemac1988
    joemac1988 Posts: 1,021 Member
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    Peel em, freeze em and put em in smoothies.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    fitacct wrote: »
    Arrrrggghhhh! ANOTHER batch of bad bananas! Surely, I'm not the only one this is happening to. They look perfectly fine on the outside and are rotten (to the core) on the inside. It's happening with Dole, Chiquita, and other brands. So frustrating! I hate throwing away food, but I especially don't like not having my daily banana. Anyone out there having this same problem with bad bananas? Thanks!

    I agree with the others who think it was overheated delivery trucks. The "feels like" temperature is 104 degrees F right now, and it would be much hotter in an unrefrigerated truck. I don't image bananas are usually refrigerated during transport.

    I save my grocery receipts for a time so I can return food that turns out to be inedible.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    midlomel1971 wrote: »
    If over-ripe, freeze them to use later in smoothies or muffins. I've never seen a rotten banana.

    Since they are fine on the outside, I don't think the OP is about overripe bananas, but bad bananas.
  • BrSpiritus
    BrSpiritus Posts: 190 Member
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    I used to work in the produce dept of a grocery chain. Bananas are indeed kept cold during transport, it doesn't hurt them as long as they don't get frozen and rethawed. This sounds like what is happening with the OP's bananas because we had a "bad" batch one time that was temp frozen then thawed out. Still a touch green on the skin but brown mush on the inside.
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,245 Member
    edited July 2018
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    I have seen this a couple times. It's been a weird thing - like half the banana is fine and the other half (lengthwise) is rotten. Since I know they pick most bananas green it isn't a "ripe" thing or a bruising thing. Just odd.

    We are a picky banana household. Hubby likes them slightly green. I like them just perfectly ripe. Anything beyond that goes in the freezer. I'm always making muffins and giving them away. At Christmastime I make a ton of small loaves of banana bread for gifts. Everyone I know gets one (including all of the husband's co-workers) and sometimes I still have leftover bananas. I've tried only buying 2 or 3, but then we run out. When I buy 4-5 we have extra. It's a hard balancing act which I have yet to figure out. :p

    ETA: I used to just toss bad produce until I had a conversation with the produce manager at my local store. He said just tell them and they'd replace it, no questions asked. I don't even need to show a receipt or bring it back. Maybe that's a small town thing, but they've been true to their word and I have replaced bananas, nectarines, apples and a big watermelon that were not good. Here's a good tip: have the produce manager pick out your watermelon.

  • nickssweetheart
    nickssweetheart Posts: 874 Member
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    I've had this problem a couple of times recently, but mostly they've been fine. In my case, half the banana has been dramatically bruised or overripe, and the other half is fine...almost as if they're resting against something that's ripening them faster.

    A few months ago I did have a recurring problem with one brand: the HyVee That's Smart low cost brand. I don't buy them any more. Bananas are cheap to begin with, so I'm not going to get disappointed over and over to save two cents or so per banana.
  • DragonHasTheSapphire
    DragonHasTheSapphire Posts: 184 Member
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    I usually like mine when they're green/yellow to almost entirely brown. They're sweet like that!
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
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    Funny because I only like my bananas when they are brown on the inside, LOL. SO much sweeter! Haven't died yet!
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
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    DragonHasTheSapphire wrote: »
    I usually like mine when they're green/yellow to almost entirely brown. They're sweet like that!

    Me too!
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    Brownest is sweetest, but it's a matter of what one is accustomed to. I haven't had any yet that were clear of spots on the outside and brown on the inside. I buy 4 or 5 each week and plan on freezing most of them. My smoothie three times each week includes 1 frozen banana each time.
  • kittyluvduck
    kittyluvduck Posts: 15 Member
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    I've only had it happen with bananas from Walmart. I don't buy produce from their anymore.

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