Make Peeling Plantains A Breeze With The Help Of Warm Water

If you haven't experimented with plantains, then you're seriously missing out. Fried sweet plantains are an incredible side that can add some much-needed variety to any meal, for instance. However, like many ingredients, there are some things you'll need to know about plantains in order to use them successfully. For fried sweet plantains, for example, you'll only want to use perfectly ripe plantains. That's not always the case, but whether you're using ripe fruits or green, peeling them can be a bit of a challenge.

It doesn't have to be! With a few quick tips, you'll be peeling plantains like the pros. It starts with temperature. Although plantains can be left to ripen at room temperature, you'll want to put them in the fridge once they're ripe for more control. While cold plantains can be difficult to peel, there's a super-simple solution that takes no time at all. While you could plan ahead and let those plantains come to room temperature, it's faster to fill a container with hot water and let them soak. 

It might seem like an odd thing to do with a fruit, but with plantains, this trick absolutely works. Why? Regardless of whether you're using them in sweet or savory dishes, and whether you're using yellow plantains or green ones, they'll need to be cooked. Using hot water is perfectly fine, as it won't mess up any recipe you're using. In fact, you can even go one step further for greater plantain-peeling ease.

While ripe plantains can be peeled by hand after a quick soak in hot water (cut the ends off to make slicing and removing the skin easier), green, unripe plantains can be a little harder to peel. For these, consider putting them in boiling water instead of just hot tap water. Let them continue to boil for between seven and 10 minutes, during which time the skin will begin to separate from the plantain. Just be careful when you handle the hot fruit!

If you don't feel like mucking about with boiling water, there's another option, too: steaming. Simply grab your steamer and give your plantains a steam bath inside for about 10 minutes. That should loosen the skin enough that you can cut the ends off. Then, with one vertical slice, you should be able to peel most of the skin off by hand. Use a knife to remove the inner pith, though. If it's left behind, this inner layer won't cook properly and can ruin the texture and flavor of whatever you're making. 

Buy why green plantains in the first place? It might sound odd to use unripe fruits on purpose, but if you're not using green plantains for tostones, you're using the wrong plantains. Green plantains are also the right choice for crisp chips, as they'll have the perfect texture to cook up into firm, crispy rounds that are a fun alternative to potato chips.