Any easy way to cook plantains?

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No frying. Does baking or boiling give good results? I turn to this for my occasional craving but wonder if making it myself fresh is an option.

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I have no experience with this product, only with the whole plantains. Unless these are very inexpensive I don't see why you would buy it instead, plantains are very inexpensive if you live along a trade route that regularly deals with them, like about as cheap as bananas depending on region since they are not as popular in the US as bananas.

Anyway you can cook them just about any way you like. Like any other food, boiling tends to give the worst texture, I would sooner steam them if all you have is a pot of water. Microwave works about the same, cover them to trap the steam and cook on half power for twice as long as directed.

Baking/roasting or toaster oven gives better texture but be sure you oil the pan or do them on lower temperature with a non-stick pan. That's with fresh plantains, since these are already fried maybe no oil is needed to keep them from sticking. Although those pictured must have ripened so they are sweet, they have too high a water content to get much carmelizing going on with the sugar in them but you can get some if the temperature is high enough, and yet since they are already fried I wouldn't want to cook much above 420F as that's just below where many oils start to oxidize and turn carcinogenic.

I wonder why not fried since they are already fried (stated on box) so you may not be able to get any more oil into them which would make it little if any less healthy than other methods but again I would just get the whole fresh plantains instead.

Also if you get them fresh, if you cook before they are ripe they are more of a general starch you can use like potatoes, have not turned nearly as sweet yet.

Fresh can also be grilled various ways (whole open, whole in aluminum foil, thick cut coins on a skewer with or without other food aka kebobs) but those little pre-cut things in the box, I don't know if they'd fall through a grill grate, but you should still be able to grill them in aluminum foil, essentially steaming them.

You can cut up chunks to put in soup in place of potatoes... but potatoes, including sweet potatoes, may also be less expensive, especially whole ones not convenience-food boxed ones. I imagine the closet food experience to those would be sweet potatoes aka yams so seek recipes for sweet potatoes, or of course... plantains.
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Originally Posted by Dave9
I have no experience with this product, only with the whole plantains. Unless these are very inexpensive I don't see why you would buy it instead, plantains are very inexpensive if you live along a trade route that regularly deals with them, like about as cheap as bananas depending on region since they are not as popular in the US as bananas.


About $2. The convenience is worth it. Already fried and ready to heat up in the micro. 3 or 4 pieces with dinner or as a snack is great. And I don't have cooking oil and don't want to deal with it after use or to store it. Plantains were on sale at 3/$1 which is why I asked.
 
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If you just want to heat them in a microwave, you can do that with fresh plantains, it just takes a bit longer in the microwave, and the 20 seconds to cut them in slices like those are. If your microwave has food presets, set for same # of potatoes but remember to cover them to keep some steam in.

No [cooking] oil? That is a foreign concept to me, even if I didn't fry there are uses like pasta or salad dressings/etc.

If you only use enough oil to improve the surface area contact with pan rather than deep frying, it is not so much a loss to throw away any tiny amount remaining in the pan, so you don't have to store it. I just put food on a paper towel after cooking to get some oil off then wipe the pan with the paper towel. That goes in the trash rather than washing it down the drain to later contribute to clogs.

30% of calories in a healthy diet should be fat, with many vegetable oil being the healthier type... just don't heat it above its oxidation temp. Meh I am drifting, away, off topic, sorry lol.
 
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For very ripe ones (i find them the best flavored), peal and slice down the middle lengthwise. bake with a little brown sugar and cinnamon powder.

Delicious.
 
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
La Caretta in south FL is very good.

Lots of food for the money. ☺


Right around the block.
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As a kid I was a pearl diver in a sea food restaurant. One of the sides were banana fritters. Deep fried quarters of whole banana dropped into the Fryolater. They were great.
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