Whether in stews, desserts, or side dishes, plantains are a versatile ingredient that can play star or supporting roles in just about any meal you could imagine. Green plantains have rough and starchy flesh with a vegetal flavor that compliments savory dishes and meat. 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?

As a basic rule of thumb, you can expect your green plantains to turn yellow within a week and for yellow plantains to turn black in another week, at which point it's as ripe as it's going to get. Factors like temperature, air moisture, the time of year, and even the elevation you live at can make your plantains ripen quickly or dance along that precipice of "not quite ripe enough" for what feels like a thousand years. If you want to speed the process up, you could try storing them in a warm, dry place instead of somewhere cool, as heat breaks down organic matter and cold temperatures tend to preserve it. You can also use science to your advantage by placing plantains in a bag with a banana or apple since the ethylene gas they emit speeds up the ripening process in other fruits.