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Bananas Delivery or Pickup
The Instacart guide to banana products
About bananas
Bananas are popular fruits, prized for their nutritional benefits and delicious taste. Treat your body and taste buds with bananas via Instacart delivered to your door in as little as 2 hours!
Bananas are long edible fruits that grow in bunches. They're grown in many countries of the world, including India, China, and Australia. Bananas are available all year round, so it's always a great time to order these tasty fruits with Instacart! Depending on the variety and ripeness, they can taste sweet or more savory and have a firm to a mushy texture. Eat the banana flesh and peel either raw or cooked.
Bananas don't just taste great, they're also great for you. Their potent mix of nutrients, including potassium, protein, antioxidants, and dietary fiber, can:
- Improve your heart health.
- Lower your blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
- Reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and some cancers, including leukemia.
- Improve your digestive health.
- Reduce the symptoms of asthma, diarrhea, and inflammatory bowel disease.
- Preserve your memory.
- Improve your mood.
One of the most common ways to enjoy bananas is simply snacking on them raw. However, you can also use bananas in several other ways, including:
- Sliced over your cereal for a more nutritious breakfast.
- Mashed into baked goods as a healthy substitute for butter or cooking oil.
- Blended in a fruit smoothie.
- Frozen and blended for a nutritious alternative to ice cream.
- Used in desserts such as banana splits, muffins, bread, and fritters.
- Diced in salsas, chutneys, and relishes.
- Stirred through curries.
How to tell if bananas are ripe
Bananas are usually ready to eat when their peel changes from green to yellow and develops a few brown spots. These spots will increase as the banana ripens until it blackens when it's overripe. Overripe bananas are very sweet and delicious in desserts.
When you squeeze a ripe banana, it will have a little give under your hand, but it won't be mushy as overripe bananas are. Ripe bananas easily snap away from the bunch and are simple to peel without any resistance or noise. When you bite into a ripe banana, it doesn't leave a starchy film on your teeth as unripe bananas do.
How to store bananas
The best storage option depends on your bananas. If your bananas are not yet ripe, store them at room temperature to speed up the process. If you want to ripen your bananas faster, store them in a paper bag rather than a fruit bowl.
Bananas will continue ripening in the fridge, but they'll ripen much more slowly. When your bananas are almost ready, move them to the fridge until you want to eat them. The peel might look darker after some time in the fridge, but the fruit inside should be fine for around a week.
Bananas Near Me
Buy your favorite Bananas online with Instacart. Order Bananas from local and national retailers near you and enjoy on-demand, contactless delivery or pickup within 2 hours.
FAQs about bananas
Standard bananas are grown with chemicals that protect the fruit from pests and help them ripen. Farmers let organic bananas ripen naturally and rely on natural pest deterrents. Fans of organic bananas insist the pesticide-free fruit tastes better. Organic bananas also retain more nutrients, including antioxidants, than those grown with pesticides. However, as bananas have a thick peel which many people discard, the fruit isn't impacted by pesticides as much as fruits with thinner, edible peels. That's why many people prefer saving their money and buying more affordable regular bananas.
Many people simply discard banana peels, but you can get more value for money if you use them too. Put a banana peel in a pot of water and boil it for 10 minutes. Remove the peel for a refreshing tea that may help you sleep.
Sit your meats on a bed of banana peel before roasting them in the oven. The moisture-rich banana peels prevent your meat from drying as it cooks. Eat the peels as a side or discard them.
You can also blend banana peel into any fruit smoothie. It won't change the flavor any, but it will give your drink a nutrient boost.
Many people freeze bananas to make blended frozen desserts. However, if you've ordered more bananas through Instacart than you need, you can also freeze them for later! There are several ways to do this, and the best option depends on how you'll use them.
If you like smoothies, peel, and slice bananas, then arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for two hours before transferring them to an airtight container. You can also freeze large pieces by putting them straight into a resealable sandwich bag. You can also freeze mashed bananas in these bags. Just make sure to squeeze any air out first. You can also put whole bananas in the freezer. Leave them out on the counter for an hour to thaw before use.