There over 1000 types of bananas in the world, many of them differing slightly in appearance, size, taste and use. A main difference exists between two types of bananas, those that you can immediately eat, sometimes called dessert bananas, and those that need to be cooked prior to eating and are higher in starch, called plantains. Again, the number and types that fall into these two subgroups are striking. There are a few types that are easily distinguishable in a basic grocery store.

You may notice in the dessert bananas category that you can find a bunch of different sizes and shapes. Red bananas, with a bright red peel that turns to brown are becoming increasingly popular. These may be found in small or large sizes. A deeper shade and a few brown spots usually indicate that these are quite ripe.

Another of the popular types of bananas that is immediately edible is the baby banana. These are frequently sold in small bunches of eight to ten bananas and may be more expensive than the average fruit-banana, which most people can easily identify in the grocery store. The fruit banana is usually about 6-12 inches (15.24-30.48cm), starts as a green color, and begins to turn yellow with brown spots as it ripens. Both baby and fruit bananas are ripe when there is no longer any green on the peel.

Even though we call these types of bananas "eating bananas," you certainly can cook them in lots of different ways. They typically do make dessert type foods like banana cakes, breads or muffins. When you cook bananas, especially in recipes where you might be frying them at higher temperatures, it’s fine to use a slightly green banana. You want a bit of the firmness to remain. On the other hand, if you are making muffins, cake or breads, a riper banana tends to be the best choice. In fact if you have two or three bananas that are almost all brown on the peel, these are perfect for use in most baked recipes.

Plantain types of bananas are not used as often in the US, but make up an important staple and starch source in many other countries. These do need to be cooked, and depending upon the type and region in which they are grown, they may have only a slightly sweet, to a very sweet flavor. They’re often used as cooks in the US might use potatoes, fried, added to stews or soups, or baked. If you see these in the grocery store, you’ll note that most plantains are much larger and heavier than the typical dessert banana.

Large plantains can be over a foot (30.48cm) long, and are usually thicker than their dessert cousins. Peel colors can vary from yellow, green or reddish brown, and they can be used whether they are fully green or fully brown. Usually riper plantains are sweeter. You can find a number of ethnic cuisine recipes that make use of plantains, and these types of bananas can be fun to try; just don’t try to eat them uncooked, as they can cause indigestion.