Can You Eat the Banana Peel? What you need to know about eating five fruits and vegetables – whole. By Frances Largeman-Roth, Contributor

Banana peels, kiwi skins and citrus peels may not belong in your garbage after all. (Getty Images)
I recently saw a video demonstrating a smoothie recipe. It included typical ingredients, but it also included something that generally ends up in the garbage – the banana peel. I was intrigued. After all, a shocking 40 percent of food produced in this country goes to waste, according to the National Resource Defense Council. That translates to 33 million tons of landfill. Why not waste less – and eat more nutrients – if we can?

[See: 8 Food 'Scraps' You Didn't Know You Could Eat.]

Here's what I learned about five fruits and vegetables with surprisingly edible skins:

1. Bananas

You can, indeed, eat the peel, but you probably won't want to simply as-is. The peel on a fresh banana is extremely fibrous and slightly bitter, and may contain high amounts of certain nutrients, but no word from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the matter. In any case, after rinsing the peel and removing the stem, try blending the whole thing into a smoothie, frying it or baking it for at least 10 minutes. It also helps to let the bananas get super ripe, which causes the peel to become thinner and sweeter. Still not into the idea? Throw those slippery peels into your compost.

1. Kiwis

That furry brown skin? Totally edible, according to Zespri Kiwi. The company advises washing the fruit first, slicing into it as usual and then eating the whole thing. You can also add the whole fruit – skin and all – to a smoothie. The added benefit of eating the kiwi skin is that the exterior contains both soluble and insoluble fiber. It also contains folate, vitamin E and phenolic compounds. Not into the hairy skin? Go with a smooth-skinned SunGold kiwi or just stick to the flesh of the green ones.

1. Mangoes

I've always skipped mango skin, due to its slight bitterness, but there are fervent mango skin eaters out there. And in certain cultures, eating the skin of the mango is the norm. The skin has high amounts of mangiferin, which is an antioxidant that has powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Again, many folks find it's easiest to just cut up the mango and toss it all into a blender.

[See: 5 Healthy – and Tasty – Smoothie Ingredients.]

One word of caution: Some people are allergic to mango skins and develop contact dermatitis when handling the fruit or touching mango trees. If your skin reacts when touching a mango, steer clear of eating the skin. The skin contains urushiol, which is the same substance in poison oak and poison ivy, and can cause itching and a rash. Mango flesh, fortunately, does not contain this pesky substance.

1. Citrus Fruits

I've long used citrus juice and zest in my cooking to boost flavor without adding salt, but I've never used all of the peel. That's about to change – you can eat the peel, and maybe you should since animal studies show that citrus peels contain compounds that may help lower "bad" LDL cholesterol and reduce insulin resistance.

[See: These Healthy Seasonings Are Tasty Substitutes for Sugar and Salt.]

It's not as simple as just snacking on your entire orange, though. Instead, candy the peel or cook both the peel and the flesh into a flavorful marmalade. Or, slice them thinly into citrus rounds, which can be grilled and eaten in a salad or with pasta. If you want to make a DIY bitter syrup for cocktails, you can also use grapefruit peels. Or, just in time for the upcoming holiday season, put the peels in a pot of water (on low) to add a lovely scent to a room.

1. Onions

Whenever you cut into an onion, you're left with quite a shower of their papery skins. But don't slide them into the trash (as I've been guilty of); onion skins – particularly red ones – are loaded with flavonoids, especially one called quercetin, which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Just wash them thoroughly and throw them into a soup stock. Note that red onion skins will give your stock a deep reddish color.

However you decide to prepare your produce peels and skins, make sure to wash them first to avoid any grit and debris. And, while it may not feel normal at first to start loading your smoothies with scraps, it really can go a long way toward reducing how much food fills your trash. Just think of those extra nutrients you're eating as bonus points for helping the planet.

9 Cooking Tricks That Will Make Everyone Think You're a Great Chef
9 COOKING TRICKS THAT WILL MAKE EVERYONE THINK YOU’RE A GREAT CHEF
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Top view of dining table with salad and roasted chicken with potatoes. High angle view of happy young friends having lunch at home. Men and women eating lunch together.
(Getty Images)

Faking fancy
It all started with a fillet of fish and a sheet of brown parchment paper. When Amber Bailey used the two in a recipe, she knew cooking could be her career. “It’s like magic in your mouth,” says Bailey, now a personal chef in New York City. But you don’t have to go to culinary school to make fish en papillote, which has few ingredients and takes only 10 minutes to cook. “If a stranger on the street asked me for an easy recipe that will make their guest impressed, this is it,” Bailey says. Here are her and other pros’ tips for faking your way to the culinary top:

1. Keep it simple. Pasta on a dinner plate.
   (Getty Images)

2. Keep it simple.
   When chef Ina Garten of “Barefoot Contessa” invites guests over, she doesn’t serve a five-course meal featuring truffles, souffles and slaved-over sauces – even though she could. She's known to serve spaghetti and meatballs, says her friend and fellow chef Phoebe Lapine, who lives in New York City. Novice chefs should follow suit. “Don’t choose a chef recipe when just starting out,” says Lapine, who recommends making “peasant food,” or rustic, classic dishes like pasta Bolognese or “humble, one-pot meals” like cassoulet. “It’s not that hard to impress guests,” she says. “We’re lucky to have any sort of homemade meal.”

3. Don't be salt-shy. Woman adding salt from shaker to cooking pot in kitchen
   (Getty Images)

4. Don't be salt-shy.
   It only takes one bite for Lapine, author of “The Wellness Project,” to identify a novice chef. “The biggest mistake beginner cooks make is not using enough salt,” she says. Don’t give yourself away; instead, top off your dish with some thick flakes of sea salt, Lapine suggests. “People love biting into that little crunch of salt, and it makes you look more sophisticated than you are,” she says. Brad Farmerie, executive chef of AvroKO Hospitality Group, which operates five New York City restaurants and bars, agrees that amateur chefs often under-salt. “That tiny bit of salt can work wonders and make it a little bit magical,” he says.

5. Get to know garnishes. Fresh cilantro
   (Getty Images)

6. Get to know garnishes.
   A pan of enchiladas could be a family weeknight dinner; top it with some fresh sprigs of cilantro, and it’s suited for a weekend dinner party. Same goes for lasagna, which shines with fresh basil leaves, or lamb patties, which pop with parsley. Too often, Farmerie says, “that last fresh element is missing” when novice chefs take the wheel. “If you had just whacked a little fresh chives or tarragon on there, you get something completely different, and it just pops.”

7. Get saucey. mustard, ketchup and pesto auce
   (Getty Images)

8. Get saucey.
   Lapine is a “condiment junky.” For her, hitting a dish with an unexpected spicy sauce – be it harissa, a North African red pepper sauce, or gochujang, a fermented Korean chili paste – can take it from fine to fantastic. “It sounds fancy, and they each have their own flavors,” she says. Bailey suggests making your own sauces – pesto, chimichurri or vinaigrette will do. “Dry chicken? Sauce will fix that. Salted your beef too much? Add a red wine sauce and under-season it. Cooking for a big party and want to make everything in advance? Food cooked in sauces not only keeps moist, but also tastes better when it sits in the sauce," she says.

9. Add acidity.
   Fresh fruit grows on the orchard grove in California
   (Getty Images)

10. Add acidity.
    For Farmerie, an unbalanced dish is a dead giveaway of a clueless cook. “Acidity is almost always missing, so the whole dish comes across as being pretty flat,” he says. To pump up the acid, try adding a surprising ingredient such as pickled chilies, capers or a hot sauce. “People can load their fridges with huge flavor bombs that are a staple and will last a long time,” says Farmerie, who’s partial to Peppadew peppers and feta cheese. Bailey recommends loading up on lemons. “I am honestly not sure if there is anything that can be cooked that doesn't taste better without that finishing touch of acid,” she says.

11. Invest in good cookware. A well seasoned cast iron skillet that has been in use since the 1940s sitting on weathered wood. This pan is also known as a black skillet.
    (iStockphoto)

12. Invest in good cookware.
    Sometimes, a less-than-stellar dish has nothing to do with the chef, the ingredients or the cooking technique. It can be all the cookware’s fault, says Farmerie, who still has the same skillet he bought 14 years ago. “If you have cheap aluminum pans, it will radiate inconsistent heat,” he says. Farmerie likes blue steel (a type of carbon steel) cookware and recommends investing in a colorful Dutch oven or casserole dish that can transfer directly to the table. He often uses his pink one for both cooking and serving. “It goes with everything, then you can just throw fresh herbs and bread crumbs and cheese on top, and it’s naturally beautiful,” he says.

13. Step away from the stovetop. Roasted chicken on oven rack.
    (Getty Images)

14. Step away from the stovetop.
    Cooking a meal on the stovetop is literally playing with fire. “There’s a worry that something is going to burn,” Lapine says. Instead, roast vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper, and braise meat like lamb or beef. “Once [the meat] is in the oven, you have two hours before it has to come out,” Farmerie says, giving you time to socialize with guests. Better yet, braising meats leaves plenty of room for error – an extra 30 minutes in the oven won’t ruin a lamb shank the way an extra 30 seconds on the stove might destroy a fish. “You have a huge window of opportunity of when it’s perfectly cooked,” he says.

15. Make it your own. Grilled t-bone steak covered with mushrooms and a side of sauteed tomatoes.
    (Getty Images)

16. Make it your own.
    Just like wearing the same great dress to different weddings, cooking the same signature meal for different guests can boost your kitchen cred. But when choosing which meal to master, think outside the box, Farmerie suggests. “Don’t try to own burgers, chicken wings, steak, lasagna – the stuff that a lot of people do,” he says. “Carve your own niche.” Even if you choose a familiar dish, break the mold by calling it a fancy name – salad becomes “mixed greens with kimchi carrot dressing,” baked fish can be called “snapper en papillote” and steak and potatoes taste better as “peppered tenderloin and garlic-scalloped spuds.”

17. Taste. Senior man cooking
    (Getty Images)

18. Taste.
    Waiting to taste your food until your guests are served isn’t polite – it’s setting everyone up for disappointment. “If you don’t like it, then why would anyone else?” Bailey says. Farmerie recommends tasting it throughout the cooking process to “build up your own mental inventory of what’s happening.” (A lick of raw egg in batter doesn’t pose a big enough risk to worry about, he says.) Tasting your food while you cook is one way to remember that cooking is as much about the journey as the destination. “Don't overthink it, and don't stress out too much,” Bailey says. “Food … brings us together, it helps build memories, and it gives us patience.”

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Frances Largeman-Roth , RD , is a best-selling author and nationally recognized health expert, and the former Food and Nutrition Director at Health magazine f... full bio »
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