Plantains are cooked green, semi-ripe or fully-ripe. Treat them like a starchy vegetable and use in savoury or sweet dishes. Before cooking, peel by top and tailing the fruit, then cut along the ...

Meanwhile, black plantains are completely ripe. The flesh is soft and has an almost caramel-like sweetness that's perfect for dessert. But what does a plantain's ripening timeline look like?