Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with banana

1 Banana, 2 Banana, 3 Banana, Ship!

niteHawk — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:15:43 -0800

Where O Where can someone find fresh bananas to ship as a gift... more specifically, anyone know of a place that ships JUST fresh bananas as a gift? I have a friend that eats bananas daily (suffice to say it is actually for a medical reason). She is going through a tough time, and I'd like to send her something unique and special. So I'm looking for somewhere that'll send her a bunch of bananas (or several bunches spread out over a few weeks). I know of edible arrangements, but they only have dipped bananas and even then, only as a part of a basket.. she really doesn't eat any other fruit, so the rest would be a waste!
Any help is appreciated.

What pepper is this?

miasma — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:12:07 -0800

PepperIdentityFilter: I serious don't know my peppers. I was trying to pick up serranos, but picked up what looks like the pepper on the left in this image. What is this? A banana pepper? Extra points if someone knows whether if i boil this'll spice up or ruin the chili I plan on making. I plan on boiling this pepper in the sauce prior to adding the meat to it.

Where can I find someone to create some custom .gif's?

Solomon — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:04:50 -0800

You know those dancing banana smilies? Where can I find someone who will do some custom versions for me? Just in case you don't know which image it is I'm talking about, it's this one. I'm amassing somewhat of a collection of dancing vegetable/fruit smilies. However, there are certain veg/fruit I can't find anywhere. I've tried creating them myself, but I don't have the patience or the technical skill.

Where can I find someone who will create some custom smilies for me, for free or probably very cheap? I'd want about 5-10 different designs.

mm tastes like bananas

Polychrome — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:40:21 -0800

Why are some foods tasting like bananas to me? Over the past few months I've noticed that certain foods leave a banana-esque taste in my mouth. The flavor is slight and is a little stronger than an aftertaste, but it definitely tastes like banana when it shouldn't This doesn't coincide with any illnesses, travesties, or other big changes that I can remember. Aside from this, everything else tastes fine. My sense of smell is as acute as ever. Affected foods are generally (but not exclusively) baked goods and ones that I made: chocolate chip cookies, bakestones/welsh cakes, pancakes, even cinnamon bread. The ingredients these all have in common are self-rising flour, granulated sugar and eggs, and I do not keep bananas or anything banana flavored in the house. I thought it must be something I was doing, even though nobody else who ate the things I made could taste anything remotely banana-like; however, I just finished a Cadbury Caramel milkshake from McDonald's and it, too, had that same funny banana-y flavor.

So does anyone have any ideas on what might be causing this or how I could stop it? I'm not sure if it's just me or if it's the food but I would like to enjoy pancakes again.

What flavours go with bananas?

dirtynumbangelboy — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:04:45 -0800

Twofer: whipped cream and bananas. Yes, this is SFW. I am making a banana mousse (amongst other things) in a few weeks for my sister's housewarming. It's a very simple recipe: whip cream, fold in pureed bananas, chill. I'm serving it with a little salted star anise caramel (brown sugar, star-anise infused butter, sea salt) which cuts nicely through the sweetness, and a sliver of banana wrapped in a wonton with black pepper and fried until crispy, which also helps cut the sweetness.

My problem is the richness. I would like to infuse the cream with something to counteract the richness of the dish (particularly since it's late July), but I have two questions:

1) The only method I know for reliably infusing cream is to bring the cream to just before a simmer with whatever is being infused into it. Will cream still whip properly if I do that and then chill before whipping? If not, is there another way to infuse cream that will work? Bear in mind I will not have access to a professional kitchen or professional-grade equipment, though shopping for unusual ingredients/additives is possible.

2) What flavour should I use? I'm usually good at flavour combinations, but this is eluding me because--no matter how much I love them--bananas do taste kind of weird.

Have a banana!

Helga-woo — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 08:10:35 -0800

I've got one very ripe banana and a craving for banana bread. What can I add to the recipe to make it tasty? My mum's banana bread needs at least 2 bananas, I've been searching online, but I can't find a recipe that only needs 1 banana.

Do you have a tasty recipe that only needs one banana or suggestions for what I could substitute for that other banana?

I've got access to a wide selection of baking ingredients.

I did find a recipe for banana apple bread, but it still needed 2 bananas. Would increasing the amount of apple still work? We've got a lot of apples, but only one banana.

We won't be needing your banana stickers! We have found out that you can just, you know, buy psychological validation, so...

Point n Click — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:09:10 -0800

Help! I need banana stickers! Specifically, I need Metalocalypse-type banana stickers.

I have seen these and these on Amazon.com, but they only contain 8 banana stickers apiece, and that's just no fun.

Also, they're kinda small.

I've also tried googling "banana stickers" but I've only come up with banana sticker collections or banana stickers that don't look like the banana stickers on the show.

Anyone know where I could order banana stickers that look like the ones shown on Metalocalypse?

Many as-of-yet to-be-surprised College Students would thank you!!

Creative pudding recipes please!!

Mutant — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:39:29 -0800

My home made banana pudding has received rave reviews from a tough crowd. As a cook's reputation is only as good as the last meal served, I'm now looking for other pudding recipes. Banana's are very plentiful now in London's East End street markets, and I've been slowly working my way through a variety of recipes incorporating them (e.g., breads, muffins, cakes, stewed bananas, etc). I've recently cooked up a wonderfully tasty banana pudding using a slightly modified version of my GrandMaw's recipe, and was curious what other fruits would be amenable to ending up in a pudding.

I especially like the frugality of being able to use overly ripe fruit that others might not purchase. I was thinking berries (e.g, raspberries, strawberries) but I'm looking for different ideas. And, of course, if anyone's got a recipe that is, of course, welcome. My GrandMaw's banana pudding recipe follows:

1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white flour
3 cups low fat milk
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons melted butter (I've been using Olive Oil without a prob)
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 overly ripe bananas
3 ripe but firm bananas
Whipped cream for topping (I've been making my own )
Mint to top the whipped cream topping

Mix well salt, flour, sugar. Add milk slowly, whisking all the time. Put in a double cooker on top of briskly boiling water. Cook stirring constantly for about fifteen minutes. Mixture will be slightly thick at that point.

While milk mix is cooking in a second bowl whisk eggs yolks then add vanilla and butter (olive oil). Firmly and completely mash three overly ripe bananas into the egg yolk mix, then add six tablespoons of the heated milk mixture. Mix well, then pour entire egg / banana mix into the double boiler stirring rapidly. Keep whisking until very thick, between an additional fifteen to thirty minutes depending upon your cooker. Turn off gas and let cool for ten minutes while on the cooker.

Slice remaining three bananas into separate serving dishes, then spoon pudding mix over the top. Cover each bowl and chill at least four hours before serving. Right before serving whisk up the whipped cream (or pop the aerosol), then top the pudding adding mint to the whipped cream.

Makes three large bowls of pudding. Can easily be divided doubled into six smaller bowls, and if you do so then increase sugar slightly and use six mashed bananas. I calculate this pudding at about 40 pence per serving, direct costs.

The Morning Banana Diet?

OzMoges — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 22:47:35 -0800

Banana Diet: Ive recently read about the craze going through Japan called the "Morning Banana Diet" (link). I dont know if its worth the paper its printed on but apparently its cleaned Japan out of all its imported bananas! Does anyone know of any dietians opinions or medical analysis as to the benefits of this diet?

Decent banana costumes in Sydney

gttommy — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:42:15 -0800

Where's a good place to hire decent banana costumes for someone in Sydney, Australia? I'm looking for non-saggy, bright yellow banana costumes for beach wear. Affordability is very important. I'm open to ideas for alternative ways of obtaining them for cheap. I just need 3.

Thanks mefi!

Ed Miliband's banana

Wilder — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:25:05 -0800

Can someone please show me a link to the (in)famous Ed & the banana pictures (Miliband that is). Discussing it here with friends in Northern Ireland and we have come up completely dry! Have they been pulled somehow?

A ridiculous question about banana peels

non-kneebiter — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:36:19 -0800

Are banana peels contagious? Silly question, I know. My mother and I were arguing about whether it's safe to compost banana peels. She is worried that Panama disease -- the disease that is wiping out the Cavendish variety of bananas -- will be spread from the peels of the bananas to ... er, the plants surrounding the compost bin...

This sounds completely ridiculous to me. Is it? If so, please help me persuade her that it's safe to compost them.

Want Banana. Want Banana Image.

Cool Papa Bell — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:39:34 -0800

Where can I get a high-res version of the banana image that accompanies this article in the New York Times? I'm happy to make a purchase, but cannot find a means to do so.

The Great Banana Mystery.

Asherah — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:43:46 -0800

What makes the fragrance and taste of a banana change so drastically when turning from pre-ripe to spotty? I hate spotty bananas! There seems to be a threshold past which the flavor and fragrance of a banana changes 180' and they don't resemble the firm bananas I love so much.

I can't think of any other fruits which change so signficantly during their ripening process. What causes these changes?

Banana-shaped phone

tommasz — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 10:25:43 -0800

I'm looking for a banana phone. Not the song, thanks, but a real, honest-to-goodness banana-shaped phone. The only one I've been able to find is this one but it's $95 and that's a bit steep for a novelty phone. Are there any others around that are cheaper? I've been looking for a while and come up with bupkus.

Littering?

fixedgear — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 12:17:27 -0800

If I'm out riding my bike and I eat an apple or banana and dispose of the core or peel by tossing it in the woods or on the edge of a farm field, am I littering? This was the subject of much heated debate on a recent ride. Someone tossed a peel, and another rider actually stoped their bike, went back, and picked up the peel from the side of the road. He then proceeded to tell the person who tossed the peel that he was littering, etc. He stated that the peel wouldn't break down all that fast. Several other riders told him that this was ridiculous.

Banana creme pudding?

taz — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 06:15:22 -0800

Smooth banana pudding? Years ago I cooked a banana pudding that was made from scratch with ordinary ingredients, yet fairly easy (stovetop, no double boiler), but I've lost the recipe. Most the recipes I've found on the web so far call for instant pudding mix (icky), and all are giving directions for what is basically a custard with sliced bananas in it, instead of the smooth "banana creme" pudding I'm remembering. Do you have a recipe for something like this? Or alternatively, something using bananas that's so good, it's going to make me forget all about that silly old "smooth pudding" recipe?