need help

[airmom]

new to staying home so mostly new to cooking
this may be a dumb q but...
i have a choc cake recipe that calls
for layers of bananas
how do i keep them from
turning black?
lemon juice seemed gross

[CanMan]

I'm not sure why lemon juice would be gross, but you are correct that it is needed to keep your bananas (and apples) from turning color. Its a chemistry thing.

If you want to see for yourself, try this experiment (which uses an apple but it works just as well with a banana):

1. Cut the apple in half from top to bottom.
2. On one apple half, lightly coat the white part of the apple with lemon juice. Leave the other half uncoated. (The uncoated half is your "control" sample and let's you see what normally happens to a cut open apple.)
3. Observe the color of both apple halves, then place them white-part-up on a counter or tabletop.
4. Observe the apples again after 30 minutes. Notice any color changes and/or differences in appearance.
5. Look at the apples again periodically throughout the day. What do you find?

[Mama Mangia]

Well - I haven't tried this - but a friend of mine swears that if you run the banana under HOT water before peeling - the banana slices will not turn black.

Another says a mixture of orange juice, lemon juice and water does the trick.

Also don't use a "ripe" banana with spots on the skin - make sure it's really yellow.

Pineapple juice also works.


Mama

[airmom]

somehow pineapple juice(never thought of that) seems
like it would go w/bananas
better than lemon
do i drain on a pprtwl
before using?

[CanMan]

The lemon juice leaves no flavor and, yes, just drain. Paper towel is optional depending on how dry you want them for your recipe.

Pineapple juice is not the same thing as lemon juice.

[KYHeirloomer]

Pineapple should work just as well as lemon. It's the acidification that prevents oxydation, and any acid will work.

Nor does it have to be all that strong. As little as a tablespoon of lemon juice in a quart of water will prevent fruit from darkening.

[CanMan]

It may "work", but Pineapple contains a proteolytic enzyme bromelain, which digests food by breaking down protein. Pineapple juice can thus be used as a marinade and tenderizer for meat. The enzymes in pineapples can interfere with the preparation of some foods, such as jelly or other gelatin-based desserts.

"That" is not a simple protection from oxidation for the purpose intended.