Bananas: Types, Storage, Ripening/Stages of Ripeness, Preferences

[liuzhou]

3 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

Thank you.  From what you said, i should wait to use them until they turn yellow?  The picture shows them as being more yellow than they are.

I would.

[Tropicalsenior]

3 hours ago, ElsieD said:

are they ripe now or do I wait to use them until they turn yellow

They look pretty close to the little bananas that I get here in Costa Rica. They probably aren't quite ripe yet but they will be in two or three days. The riper they are the sweeter they get. You can wait until they get quite dark before you use them. I found that the easiest way to mash them is just put them in a zip top bag and squish them.

[liuzhou]

53 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

 

Just to be clear, pisang awak = nam wah (nam wa, namwah), alternate names for the same banana. There are other names for the Thai banana depending on location, and there is more than one variety of the Thai banana.

 

Just to be clearer, the name I gave is the name used in Thailand for the specific cultivar known internationally as pisang awak . Also, the transliteration I gave is the standard Thai.

 

The English name is not indicator of nationality of origin any more than 'English muffins' are from England. It is an indicator of the cultivar. They are grown in many countries. 

 

Of course, Thailand has other banana varieties including Cavendish. However, กล้วยน้ำว้า (kl̂wy n̂ảŵā) is by far the most common.

 

 

 

Edited September 1 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

47 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

The riper they are the sweeter they get. You can wait until they get quite dark before you use them.

 

Yes. For banana bread I usually wait till my local supermarket decide the unsold bananas are beyond redemption and give them away for a token payment.

 

 

Edited September 1 by liuzhou (log)

[BeeZee]

They sell little bananas at my local supermarket called “nino” bananas which look similar, I found that the skin got a deeper shade of yellow but didn’t develop spots like the Cavendish variety.

[Dr. Teeth]

On 8/31/2025 at 5:30 PM, ElsieD said:

Staff note: This post and responses to it have been split from the Banana Bread: Tips & Techniques discussion, to maintain topic focus.

 

I bought these today.  They were labeled in the store as Thai bananas, but there are no other markings on them to tell me more about them.  I bought them thinking they might be good for banana muffins.  Does anyone have any words of wisdom for me, particularly, are they ripe now or do I wait to use them until they turn yellow?  All help appreciated.

Those go by “Thai bananas,” at the local Asian grocery store by me.   They are a favorite.

 

They are higher starch and than Cavendish bananas.   Our family has a preference for less ripe bananas and won’t touch one with the slightest bit of black on them.   Thai bananas are inedible if eaten that way, super bitter.

 

My rule of thumb is one to two stages further along then you normally take your bananas.   Those look about 4-5 days away to me.   
 

They should at minimum have a bit of give to them and should peel easily.   If the top part won’t peel or the peel splits into layers you need to wait.

 

They are however, utterly fantastic when ripe

[ElsieD]

3 hours ago, Dr. Teeth said:

Those go by “Thai bananas,” at the local Asian grocery store by me.   They are a favorite.

 

They are higher starch and than Cavendish bananas.   Our family has a preference for less ripe bananas and won’t touch one with the slightest bit of black on them.   Thai bananas are inedible if eaten that way, super bitter.

 

My rule of thumb is one to two stages further along then you normally take your bananas.   Those look about 4-5 days away to me.   
 

They should at minimum have a bit of give to them and should peel easily.   If the top part won’t peel or the peel splits into layers you need to wait.

 

They are however, utterly fantastic when ripe

Thank you for chiming in.  As you can see, they have become considerably riper since when I posted that picture.  For comparison purposes,the two pictures below show them when I brought them home and today.  I just tested them and there is no give to them yet nor  will they peel so it looks like they need more time.  

 

Since I want to use them for baking, should I wait to do anything with them until they are almost/completely black?

[Dr. Teeth]

I don’t mean to alarm you, but in addition to becoming riper, they seem to be reproducing as well.

 

The bundle up top is only six bananas across.   The one below is larger.

 

When one buys bananas for oneself and has three boys in the house, counting becomes second nature

[Dr. Teeth]

Ok,ok.   Serious answer this time.   Thai bananas take longer to ripen due to higher starch as I mentioned.   I have noticed that when eaten on the less ripe side there is often a bit towards the center that is wooden and fibrous.   This would not mash as one does for banana muffins.

 

I would wait until they are black before making them into muffins.

 

Ok, that’s a lie.   I would try one now.   The ones towards the middle of the bunch that are thinner due to encroachment often ripen first.   I’m looking at the one fourth from the bottom in your picture.   I would then proceed to eat a bunch of them in a frenzy.

 

Corn muffins are nice too.   Lot of folks like those 
 

 

[BeeZee]

The ones I had recently looked similar to the bottom photo, bit of blackening toward the stem end, definitely ripe for eating and soft enough to mash.

[liuzhou]

As I mentioned earlier, for baking I do wait until they are black and almost semi-liquid. Fortunately, I can buy them in that condition or close to it.

 

 

[ElsieD]

This is what they look like today.  The one on the bottom, second from the right is completely black so I assume that one is ready for baking and the rest should look like that before I use them?  I've tried two along the way to this point.  The first was starchy, not very sweet.  The second, half black, was really sweet at the ends but hard and still starchy in the middle.  The ripe ends, however, we're amazing.  Also, the peel is quite thin.  Is that normal?

 

 

[Shel_B]

15 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

This is what they look like today.  The one on the bottom, second from the right is completely black so I assume that one is ready for baking and the rest should look like that before I use them?  I've tried two along the way to this point.  The first was starchy, not very sweet.  The second, half black, was really sweet at the ends but hard and still starchy in the middle.  The ripe ends, however, we're amazing.  Also, the peel is quite thin.  Is that normal?

They are progressing well and all appears to be normal.

[Tropicalsenior]

42 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

This is what they look like today

I don't ever let them get that black before I use them. They are still quite firm when they are good and sweet. These are some that I bought Saturday and they are nice and sweet for eating but I would probably give them two more days before I use them in banana bread. They will still be quite firm but I put them in his zip-top bag and squash them and they are completely ready to use.

I showed two bananas with the peel. Sorry I couldn't show you the other banana because I ate it.

[BeeZee]

7 hours ago, ElsieD said:

This is what they look like today.  The one on the bottom, second from the right is completely black so I assume that one is ready for baking and the rest should look like that before I use them?  I've tried two along the way to this point.  The first was starchy, not very sweet.  The second, half black, was really sweet at the ends but hard and still starchy in the middle.  The ripe ends, however, we're amazing.  Also, the peel is quite thin.  Is that normal?

I've noticed that with the little bananas, which are not always identified fully at the market (I've bought from 2 different places and they were clearly different varietals), some are still somewhat starchy when ripe/sweet. The ones you have are probably the same as the ones I last ate, the description matches. Just watch out that you don't let them go so far that they ferment!

[ElsieD]

I peeled them this afternoon and froze them.  I didn't eat one though they smell great.  No signs of fermentation, thank goodness.  Thanks, everyone, for your help.