Over-Ripe Bananas

In recipes calling for banana pulp, such as those for banana bread, muffins, or pancake, the easiest way to use the banana is this: Pull it out of the freezer. That's right. Take it from the freezer to the blender. When you see that bananas are heading toward rotting, even if you're not planning to use them immediately, simply place them in the freezer, and it will keep them fresh indefinitely. When you take a banana out to use it in a recipe, you don't even need to let it thaw first. The blades of the blender or processor will take care of that for you. Frozen bananas also work wonderfully well in shakes and smoothies.