# Fried Plantains



## John Smith_inFL (Jun 15, 2018)

yes, they are delicious !!
I have eaten them many times but only cooked them myself a couple of times.
there is a Latino grocery store near me that has them frozen in bag
ready to cook (like chicken nuggets). but if you want to try your own,
there are many YT videos on how to do it.

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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Our daughter in law makes them great...she serves them as an appetizer with pulled chicken top. They are so good.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

That plate of plantains looks like our local Cuban restaurant. They make the best.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

One time I discovered plantains in my kitchen! I wondered why my bananas weren’t getting ripe. It was about a year ago. Turn out I hadn’t bought bananas I had bought plantains.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

John Smith_inFL said:


> yes, they are delicious !!
> I have eaten them many times but only cooked them myself a couple of times.
> there is a Latino grocery store near me that has them frozen in bag
> ready to cook (like chicken nuggets). but if you want to try your own,
> ...


Thanks. I Don’t have a deep fryer but I have an extra deep skillet. If I could fry them in my skillet I’d buy them. There’s a lot of Latino places here.


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

Love'em and make them at home. These Venezuelan Sweet Plantains are good.









Venezuelan Sweet Plantains [Video]


These Venezuelan Sweet Plantains are divine! They’re caramelized in the outside and soft and tender in the inside. Whole30 friendly.




mommyshomecooking.com


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## John Smith_inFL (Jun 15, 2018)

if I remember correctly, I fried mine in a skillet. cut them into 1/2 - 3/4" slices 
and gently smashed them down flat (chips) and fried in oil like any other fried thingy.
(it's an acquired taste to some).










.


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

John Smith_inFL said:


> if I remember correctly, I fried mine in a skillet. cut them into 3/4" slices and gently
> smashed them down flat and fried in oil like any other fried thingy.
> (it's an acquired taste to some).
> 
> .


Tostones


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

wooleybooger said:


> Tostones


What’s Tostones?


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Read recipe Wooley shared. Now I wonder if the plantains we had were sprinkled with sugar? I don’t like things too sweet. Those we had were just right. I’ll have to experiment at home.


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

Fried plantains made with green plantains. If you've never peeled a green plantain get ready for a fight and the feeling of ripping your fingernails off. You may find Goya brand tostones in the frozen food section.









Abuelita’s Tostones de Plátano (Fried Plantains)


A Puerto Rican staple, plantains are used in many ways. Here is one of our favorites. The recipe is from my mother-in-law, whom my daughters call "Abuelita."



www.justapinch.com


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

@ Startingover, sugar and cinnamon.


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## J. V. (Jun 1, 2007)

Startingover said:


> Thanks. I Don’t have a deep fryer but I have an extra deep skillet. If I could fry them in my skillet I’d buy them. There’s a lot of Latino places here.


Ripe plantains are fried in a little butter or oil. Some bake them cut in half with the skin still on. Very good in place of potato. I like a bit of course salt on them.



John Smith_inFL said:


> if I remember correctly, I fried mine in a skillet. cut them into 1/2 - 3/4" slices
> and gently smashed them down flat (chips) and fried in oil like any other fried thingy.
> (it's an acquired taste to some).
> 
> ...


The smashed down green plantains are called Tostones. Tostones are supposed to be Puerto Rican inspired dish. But a staple in the Cuban community.
My dad soaked the slices in a water with fresh garlic solution. Not sure why, but he made them very good.
Thinner sliced plantains make very good chips. Yours look in between the Tostone and the chips.




Startingover said:


> Read recipe Wooley shared. Now I wonder if the plantains we had were sprinkled with sugar? I don’t like things too sweet. Those we had were just right. I’ll have to experiment at home.


Ripe plantains are sweet all by themselves. They are left to turn black before using. This is the key to a sweet ripe plantain dish. It seems counter intuitive to allow anything to turn black and get very soft. But is why they turn out so sweet..
I have never seen a Cuban use sugar. But I know they will put a little salt on them. The addition of the salt actually makes them sweeter to me. Just a little makes a very big difference.



wooleybooger said:


> @ Startingover, sugar and cinnamon.


Blasphemy! If anything only salt....lol But no I have never eaten or seen any traditional plantains with cinnamon.
I'm certain restaurants use some sugar as they cannot allow the plantains to really ripen in their environment.
Black is the stage when a plantain is fully ripe and quite soft.


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

J. V. said:


> Blasphemy! If anything only salt....lol But no I have never eaten or seen any traditional plantains with cinnamon.
> I'm certain restaurants use some sugar as they cannot allow the plantains to really ripen in their environment.
> Black is the stage when a plantain is fully ripe and quite soft.


J.V. talk to he Venezuelans about the sugar and cinnamon.


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## J. V. (Jun 1, 2007)

wooleybooger said:


> J.V. talk to he Venezuelans about the sugar and cinnamon.


You're right. My experience is Cuban style.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jun 15, 2018)

I lived down in "The Tropics" for several years during my Naval career (Key West, Cuba, Puerto Rico), and have eaten just about every kind of tropical fruit and seafood there is to offer.
many of them were cooked in the fashion of the area with there own local spices that the cook liked. 
so there is no "one way that suits all" when it comes to cooking. the plantains that I used were very ripe, yellow and spotty. cooked while green will give a very different texture and taste when cooked compared to really ripe yellow/black ones.
(I would much rather have fried green tomatoes or eggplant over plantains any day of the week).
as always, experiment on any new dish with family and friends.

.


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## snic (Sep 16, 2018)

I've tossed sweet ripe plantain slices with oil and salt and then baked them for about 20 minutes. Not quite as good as fried (what is ever as good as fried?), but surprisingly close, and much healthier. The key thing is to use black, soft, very ripe plantains.


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