Dried bananas recipe. Dried and Dried Banana Recipes

Due to their geographic location, bananas do not grow on the territory of the former CIS (they prefer to grow closer to the equator), so they have to be purchased in all sorts of "friendly countries" like African and South American republics.

In the USSR, there were three types of bananas: green, dried and ... rag - the so-called fashionable pants, wide at the hips and narrow at the ankles. Bananas were sold for 1 rub. 10 kopecks, then they began to cost 2 rubles.

Dried bananas. The benefits and harms of a popular delicacy from childhood

Surely, among the current young generation there are many people who have never tried dried bananas in their lives. But those whose childhood and youth were spent in the Soviet Union know firsthand about such a delicacy. In those years, dried bananas were often easier to buy than fresh ones. And in the absence of other delicacies, this type of dried fruit occupied a special place in the hearts of lovers of all kinds of goodies.

Today, dried bananas can be bought in almost any store, they lie freely on the shelves. Now they are not as popular as they used to be. But this does not make them any less useful and tasty. Sometimes eating dried bananas is definitely worth it. Let's figure out what dried bananas are, how they are prepared, and what are their useful and harmful properties.

How dried bananas are made

dried bananas(sometimes called banana figs) are made without the use of any chemicals. The whole process consists of three stages:

1. First, bananas are peeled.
2. Then they are dried for several days in special greenhouses with low humidity.
3. In the end, bananas are packaged in bags, the air is pumped out of them and sealed.

The moisture content of dried bananas is only about 18%. Shelf life - at least one year. An opened pack should be stored in the refrigerator and it is best to try to eat it a few weeks in advance.

Why are dried bananas so small

Once, as a child, the guys in the yard told me that dried ones are made from ordinary large fresh bananas. With bulging eyes, they added that the fruits shrink so much in size due to the evaporation of water. There is, of course, little truth in this story. Yes, indeed, when dried, bananas significantly decrease in size, but certainly not several times.

Indeed, large companies make dried bananas from special small varieties fruits. Now they can often be found on the shelves of Russian stores. So, initially they are slightly larger than later in the dried state. This is clearly seen in the video below.

Technology for the production of dried bananas. Video

The benefits and harms of dried bananas

Let's start with useful properties dried bananas. This product has many more than possible contraindications and potential harm

• Content of vitamins and minerals dried bananas are no less than fresh ones. They contain vitamins C, A, PP, E, K, group B, as well as phosphorus, potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium, fluorine, zinc, selenium, manganese, sodium, saturated acids and organic acids.
• Like fresh bananas, their dried counterparts are excellent source potassium which is essential for normal functioning of cardio-vascular system good for skin and hair.
• dried bananas apply even in medicinal purposes : in the treatment of anemia, constipation and hemorrhoids, stomach ulcers and gastritis. This product promotes the removal of salts and fluids from the body, and also helps to cope with high fatigue.
• It is best to eat dried bananas for breakfast or an afternoon snack. This product is excellent natural supplement for porridge, yogurt, cottage cheese, muesli. It can be welded delicious compote or, cutting into small pieces, add to baking, but still it is better to use dried bananas in their natural form and do not process when high temperature. So the body will get much more benefit from them.

Needless to say, dried bananas as a snack are much more healthier and more natural than popular chocolate bars, pies and other fast food. By their own nutritional properties, content useful substances and price, they are able to give odds to any popular fast food.

With all this, dried bananas have some contraindications for use. Neglecting them can lead to the fact that this product will turn from useful to harmful:

• A significant disadvantage of dried bananas is high calorie content . It is 5 times higher than fresh fruit. There are about 350-400 kcal per 100 grams of this product. At the same time, the content of proteins is 6%, fats - 5%, carbohydrates - 88%. It is carefully recommended to use this type of product for overweight people, as well as those suffering from dyspepsia and flatulence. Suffering diabetes dried bananas can also be harmful, they can be consumed only with the permission of the attending physician.
• Bananas can increase blood viscosity. They should be used with caution by people who have recently had a heart attack or stroke, as well as those suffering from thrombophlebitis.

How to make dried bananas at home

With inexpensive dried bananas available in almost any fruit and vegetable store or department, it is quite difficult for me to imagine why it would be necessary to dry these tropical fruits at home. Unless, the number of fruits in the house was not calculated and they bought too much. To prevent bananas from spoiling, they can really be dried. Semi-green and unsweetened fruits can also be dried. During heat treatment taste properties unripe bananas are greatly improved.

Stages home drying bananas:

1. First you need to peel the fruit and cut into circles 3-4 centimeters thick.
2. Then put them on a baking sheet (non-stick or lined with baking paper).
3. Pierce each piece with a fork.
4. And then dry in the oven for about 4-4.5 hours at a temperature of 40-60 degrees.

Door oven during cooking should be ajar so that the bananas do not begin to bake. Periodically, the pieces need to be turned over.

In many countries of the world, bananas are the basis of the diet. For example, in Burundi, the annual consumption of this fruit per capita is 189 kilograms, in Samoa - 85, in the Camoros - about 78 kg, in Ecuador - almost 74, in the Philippines - over 40 kg. For comparison, in Russia this figure is just over 7 kg.

An interesting dish dried bananas will please supporters healthy eating and all lovers of sweets, which can be very difficult to combine. special way cooking helps to preserve all the vitamins and nutrients in exotic fruits.

Few people know exactly how the drying process differs from drying, so dried bananas are often called dried bananas and vice versa. The main difference in quality finished product and temperature during dehydration.

Dried fruits contain more moisture and retain all useful substances, they are resilient and elastic, can be stored for a long time, dried at a temperature of no more than 40 degrees. Dried ones are more dehydrated, brittle and not as healthy, the drying temperature does not really matter, it is inversely proportional to the cooking time.

You can dry bananas different ways, you will recognize the two most popular. Become an expert in choosing bananas and learn how to properly store dried fruits.

How to choose and prepare bananas

Suitable for cooking ripe bananas, which have dense white flesh, without signs of spoilage and decay. The rind may have slight black dots. The size of bananas matters for slicing before cooking.

Small Baby bananas can be dried whole, peeled. Large bananas must be cut into 4 parts: once along and once across

Bananas contain a large number of beneficial vitamins and trace elements, including iron, so the peeled pulp darkens in the air. To slow down the oxidation process and keep the dried fruit light in color, they are recommended to be lowered into a glass for 30 seconds. cold water mixed with the juice of 1 lemon or 5 grams citric acid. After processing in acidified water, the slices are laid out on a sieve or colander and allowed to dry.

Drying in the sun

Traditional curing has always been done in the sun. This is how they cook even fish and meat products. Interestingly, for drying, the product must be in limbo, in the sun, high from the ground, in a place well ventilated by the wind. You can hang bananas by wrapping them in gauze (each banana separately). Where to hang them depends on your capabilities. If you are a happy owner of a summer cottage, then you can do this on a rope stretched in a summer cottage.

Please note that for successful cooking In this way, certain conditions must be met:

• the rope with fruit should be at a height slightly more than human height, in a well-ventilated place;
• fruits should be hung on the south side, where the sun shines most brightly;
• the weather during drying should be dry and sunny, if rain is planned, the fruit must be removed from the street and hung in the house.

Depending on weather conditions, drying should last from 3 to 14 days, its completion will be indicated by an increase in the density of the fruit and a decrease in its size.

This method is quite laborious and may not be suitable for those who do not have a summer house or a sunny balcony. Modern electric dryers allow you to cook sun-dried bananas in an easier way.

Drying in an electric dryer

Prepared banana slices are laid out on an electric dryer grate. The appliance must have a good fan so that the food does not deteriorate during prolonged cooking.

The temperature in the dryer is set to 45 degrees and the cooking time is about 16 hours.

Ready bananas are laid out on plastic bags and put in the refrigerator. They can be stored for several months if you are willing to endure that much. You can put bananas in clean glass jars with tightly screwed lids, pouring syrup from sugar and water (1 glass of water per 1 kg of sugar), but this will already be more like banana jam.

We wish you happy cooking dried bananas, the benefits of which will help maintain health, and the taste will delight as a dessert or a wonderful addition to porridge and sweet pastries.

Banana is one of the most popular and loved tropical fruits in our country. This product is not only sweet and pleasant taste, but also brings great benefit. It is generally accepted that the fruit can be eaten only separately. However, in some original recipes a banana is often fried in dough, added to sweet pies, charlotte and other dishes. Besides, fruit salads By adding this product to them, they always acquire a special taste.

Varieties of this may have different colour peel - from green and yellow to dark red. And in order to keep the taste and benefits of this longer fragrant product, bananas are very often subjected to the drying process.

Dried banana, unlike its fresh counterpart, has more rich taste. And there is nothing surprising in this. During the drying process, almost all of its moisture is removed from this fruit, while only elastic pulp, saturated with trace elements and vitamins, remains. For the same reason, dried banana has a more pronounced flavor.

It is worth noting that for this process, manufacturers select only ripe fruits without any damage, spots, etc. Then the fruits are peeled and cut across or lengthwise into small pieces. Some entrepreneurs also dry whole fruits, but in this case the cooking process becomes much longer.

recipe

After the fruits are processed and chopped into small pieces, they are laid out in one layer on a wire rack, and then sent to the oven. In this case, be sure to ensure that the fruits do not touch each other.

If you decide not to buy a dried banana in the store, but to make it yourself, then the fruits cut into pieces must be placed in the oven, which is recommended to be preheated to 80 degrees. By the way, for air access, it is advisable to slightly open the cabinet door. In this state, the fruit must be kept for several hours.

In the event that you decide to make a dried banana in its entirety, you need to take a large ripe fruit without damage and stains, peel it and also put it on the oven grate, which should only be heated to 50 degrees. Such drying should last from 3 to 5 hours (depending on the amount of moisture in the fruit).

During the drying process, the processed banana loses about twenty percent of moisture and decreases quite a lot in volume. At the same time, the fruits retain all their useful elements and vitamins, but they are much more calories. Dried bananas have energy value up to 230 kcal, while their fresh counterparts contain only 95 kcal.

After the fruit is completely dried, it needs to be laid out on dishes and cooled in the air. Next, slices of bananas or whole fruit it is necessary to decompose into plastic bags in small portions. In this state, the finished dried product can be stored in a refrigerator for up to one year.

Bananas, like apples, are not a hard-to-find delicacy. You can buy them in any grocery store regardless of seasonality. But why then "bother" and engage in their drying? Yes, just dried bananas are delicious and healthy snack, which can be prepared for future use to pamper children with it or feast on it yourself.

Bananas of any size and variety are suitable for drying, the main thing is that they are ripe, and their peel is yellow and without any defects in the form dark spots and others.

The whole process of preliminary preparation of fruits is not complicated and includes the following steps:

1. Washing fruits. Although the peel will be removed during the cooking process, bananas must be washed with it in warm water and dry.
2. Slicing. Bananas can be dried whole, but most recipes call for chopping them first. The slices should be the same for uniform drying. You can often find advice that for uniform cutting, it is better to chop the fruits along with the peel, and only then remove it.
3. Soaking in an acidic solution. So that the attractive appearance of the fruit slices does not evaporate along with moisture, they are soaked for 30 seconds in a solution of 100 ml of lemon juice and 200 ml of water. Then the moisture from the fruits is allowed to drain in a colander, after which they are dried.

During drying fresh fruits lose about a fifth of the water that they contain, so the calorie content dried bananas is (already!) 345 kcal / 100 g versus 89 kcal per 100 g of fresh tropical fruits.

Dried bananas in the oven

Not every housewife has at her disposal a special electric dryer for vegetables and fruits, but in every kitchen there is an oven in which you can easily cook healthy and crispy banana chips.

A set of ingredients that will be needed in the cooking process:

• 2 - 3 large bananas;
• 10 - 20 g of powdered sugar;
• cinnamon to taste

Step by step cooking algorithm:

1. Tropical fruits are peeled and chopped diagonally with oval plates of 3 - 5 mm.
2. Cover the oven rack with parchment. For better air circulation, baking paper can often be pierced with a thick needle.
3. Arrange the banana slices on the prepared grill at a small distance from each other.
4. Mix some cinnamon with powdered sugar and sprinkle the chopped banana with this mixture through a strainer. Sugar will help draw moisture out of the fruit faster.
5. Put the grill with banana slices in an oven preheated to 50-70 degrees and dry for 2-3 hours, leaving the door ajar. If the device has a convection function, then the banana dryer will be ready earlier.

Cooking in an electric dryer

A special dryer helps to process a large amount in one go. fresh fruit, so you can cook sun-dried or dried bananas in it much faster and with less energy.

To fully boot the device, you will need:

• 2 - 7 kg of fresh bananas;
• powdered sugar to taste.

Sequence of actions:

1. Chop the bananas into round slices and arrange on the pallets of the electric dryer so that they do not touch each other. Otherwise, the slices may stick together into an unappetizing shapeless mass. If desired, sprinkle bananas on top with powdered sugar.
2. Place fruit trays on the dryer, close the lid and set the temperature to 65 degrees. The duration of dehydration will be 10-14 hours depending on the desired result.

During the drying process, the trays can be rearranged in places for more uniform evaporation of moisture.

Whole banana recipe

The taste of dried bananas is affected not only by the amount of evaporated moisture, but also by the way the fruit is cut. Slices cut along the fibers dry faster, and slices across the grain take a little longer, ultimately acquiring a rich, sour-sweet taste. And the fruits, dried whole, resemble marshmallows in texture.

It is from them that a delicious dessert dried bananas in chocolate is prepared, for which you need:

• 10 - 12 bananas;
• 200 g chocolate (white or black);
• 100 g peanut butter;
• 100 g crushed nuts (forest, peanuts or hazelnuts).

Progress:

1. Cut large peeled bananas across into 2-3 pieces, cook small ("children's") fruits whole.
2. Then lay them out on a grid and dry in an oven or electric dryer at 60 - 65 degrees for 10 - 12 hours.
3. Melt chocolate to liquid state any accessible way. Peanut butter warm it up a little in the microwave to make it more fluid.
4. Stick dried bananas on bamboo sticks like cake pops. Then one by one dip them first in nut butter, then - in melted chocolate and finally roll in nut crumbs. Remove quickly to the freezer.

After the chocolate has hardened, the dessert can be served. Bananas inside are as elastic as before the nut-chocolate baths.

in the microwave

IN microwave oven banana chips can be prepared in just five minutes. This is much faster than in the oven or dryer, but the drying process will require literally every minute participation of the hostess. Ready-made delicacy can be sprinkled with a mixture of powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

For one serving of crispy banana dessert you will need:

• 2 bananas;
• 5 ml refined vegetable oil without smell.

How to make dried bananas in the microwave:

1. We prepare fruits in the same way previous recipes and then neat banana slices Spread evenly on a greased microwaveable plate.
2. We put the plate in the microwave oven and turn on the device for 1 minute at a power of 750 watts. After the beep, we take out the plate, turn the slices over and cook again for 1 minute. So repeat a total of five times.
3. Practically ready bananas transfer from a plate to a wire rack and leave them overnight so that they dry a little more when room temperature. Then sprinkle them with cocoa powder and you can eat.

How to dry bananas in the sun

This method of fruit drying has several advantages: it does not require the purchase of an expensive dryer, and electricity costs are zero. However, it is available in our latitudes only during the hot season. But if in extreme heat there was a knitting of bananas at hand, why not make a delicious exotic drying out of them?

For her you will need:

• 1000 - 1500 g bananas;
• 200 g of honey;
• 200 g of sugar;
• 600 ml of water.

Cooking dried bananas in the sun as follows:

1. Prepare a honey solution that will prevent the fruit from turning brown during the dehydration process. For him in hot water you just need to dissolve the sugar and honey.
2. Soak bananas cut into thin slices for five minutes in syrup, then drain the excess liquid on a sieve or wire rack.
3. Line a tray for drying fruits with parchment, spread prepared bananas on it. Tighten the tray with gauze from above so that insects do not sit on the fruit, and install glass to enhance the effect sun rays but leaving a gap for air circulation.
4. Dry the bananas outdoors two to four days, depending on solar activity. At night, it is better to clean the pallet indoors so that an unexpected night rain does not spoil all the work. The readiness of drying will be indicated by a white sugar crust on the surface of the slices.

Storage of the finished product

Dried bananas are a product requiring special conditions storage.

Store them in airtight glass or plastic containers in a dark place (such as a closet) at room temperature in well-ventilated areas.

Such storage will not allow the product to become damp and absorb foreign odors. If the bananas are not dried to the state of chips, but remain a little soft and slightly sticky, then so that they do not stick together during storage, they should be sprinkled with powdered sugar or fine sugar.

Depending on the degree of dehydration, bananas can be stored from one month to a year. If the dried slices are soft, but no moisture is released when they are bent, then such fruits can be stored for several months. If, when trying to bend a dried banana piece, it breaks with a characteristic crunch, then even after a year it will not lose its palatability.

if you love regular bananas and dried fruits, then dried bananas are made just for you! Because this product is ready-made very reminiscent of both. But have you ever wondered how to cook such a delicacy at home? In this article, we will share a recipe for making dried bananas, and also discuss the benefits and harms of such a product.

What is the name of a dried banana

Dried bananas have various names. They are often referred to as "banana figs" or simply "dried bananas". Since the fruits from which they produce dried treat, most often Vietnamese, you can hear “Vietnamese bananas”, or see the English name “dried bananas” on fruit packaging. However, clearly correct name No. Everyone calls him what he likes.

Interesting. Sometimes people confuse "dried bananas" and "banana chips". Note that these two products are completely different. Chips are prepared by frying in oil, and dried fruits are not subjected to any chemical treatment. That is why dried figs do not lose their beneficial properties.

How many calories are in dried banana

By itself, a banana is quite high in calories, and in dried fruit, the calorie content increases, so it is better not to abuse such sweets. There are 390 calories per 100 grams of the product, of which proteins - 3.9 g, fats - 1.8 g, carbohydrates - 80.5 g.

What are the health benefits of dried bananas? What about harm

Such dried fruits are useful for the body as well as fresh ones.
They contain a large amount of useful substances and vitamins, such as:

• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Iron
• Calcium
• Sodium
• Vitamins B, E, K, C

Potassium, which is contained in dried sweets, is very useful for hair, skin and heart. It has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the brain and is able to remove excess fluid from the body. In addition, this delicacy contains alimentary fiber. They improve organ function gastrointestinal tract help with ulcers and gastritis. Because bananas are natural antidepressant, then eating just a few pieces of dried fruit a day, you can improve your mood and even overcome depression. They also have a mild laxative effect, so they are recommended for hemorrhoids and constipation. Banana figs are good for anemia and weakness of the body, because they contain a lot of sugar and iron. Dried fruits are also great for people who are actively involved in sports. Even a small amount of bananas eaten will give energy to both the body and the brain. These dried fruits are also useful for children, as they contain a lot of vitamin C, which perfectly strengthens the immune system and helps with colds and influenza.
Let's talk about the dangers of this delicacy.
Of course, it is available, and here are the cases in which you should not abuse such fruits:

• Overweight, obesity
• diabetes mellitus, high content sucrose in the body
• With a heart attack or stroke
• With poor blood clotting
• With ischemic heart disease

Recipe. How to make dried bananas at home

Dried figs cannot be called a cheap product. In the store, their price for a small bag is quite high, so let's learn how to make this delicacy on our own, at home. And it's really easy to do!
For this we need:
Ingredients:

• Bananas - 1-2 kg.
• Water - 200 ml.
• Lemon juice - 100 ml.

Let's start cooking:

• Dilute lemon juice water. The resulting mixture is needed to improve appearance goodies. If you skip this point, then dried figs will turn black and look unsightly. However, bananas will not lose their taste.
• Peel the bananas, cut each in half, and then cut each half lengthwise into quarters. If you use small bananas (babybananas variety) in cooking, then you can not cut them
• Transfer the chopped fruit to the prepared lemon mixture. And wait a minute
• We take out our fruits and transfer them to an oven tray or dryer grate. It is important to leave small spaces between the banana pieces, otherwise they may stick together. To get moisture out of bananas faster, you can lightly pierce them with a fork.
• If you are cooking in the oven, then you need to set the low temperature regime or even ventilation. And if you have a dryer, then set the temperature to about 40-50 degrees. And cook for about 10-13 hours
• Such dried fruits, after cooking, lose some of their moisture and decrease in size. Ready dried fruits should be refrigerated and stored in airtight bags and tightly closed jars

Eating dried bananas for weight loss

The opinions of nutritionists on the issue of eating dried figs vary. Some think that this product categorically not suitable for use on diets. Others, on the contrary, insist that such fruits are ideal for breakfast, as they contain complex carbohydrates that saturate the entire body with energy. Since there is no unequivocal answer to the question “can banana figs be on a diet”, we recommend eating this product with caution, in small quantities and preferably in the morning, since it is at this time that the body especially needs carbohydrates. In any case, this product great alternative harmful sweets. It will not be superfluous after eating this delicacy to walk on fresh air or to recharge. In addition, if your diet includes daily active physical exercise, then you can, without a twinge of conscience, afford these dried fruits. Just remember, all good things in moderation and then the result will not keep you waiting.

Dried bananas in the oven: video

Learn how to quickly and easily cook banana figs in the oven. It is elementary to make, and lovers of sweets and children will definitely be delighted with such a delicacy. Even guests are not ashamed to serve dessert!