Why You Should Let Banana Bread Cool Before Eating

Is banana bread a breakfast food or a dessert? For many banana bread fans, there's a good chance the answer is, "Who cares?" It's sweet, nutty, and features the star of the potassium world. In fact, just one average-sized banana packs 10% of the daily recommended value for potassium, per Healthline. Plus, some banana bread recipes include walnuts, which Dr. Robert H. Shmerling of Harvard Health Publishing says can lower "bad" LDL cholesterol. 

Maybe you've seen the viral "Banana Bread At Work" video, which first hit the web via YouTube in 2019 and has since garnered over 523 million views on TikTok. In case you haven't, the gist is that one guy was surprised with banana bread at work, and he's stoked about it. "I got some banana bread at work today, dude," he says. "It just goes to show that waiting for things is like, worth it."

Indeed, banana bread really is worth the wait, especially when you're baking it yourself at home. When you take that loaf out of the oven, it can be almost irresistibly tempting to slice into it while it's still hot. But, resisting is the move here, because cutting too early could be a big mistake. Here's why you should let banana bread cool before eating.

Curiosity might've allegedly killed the cat, but eagerness can be similarly disastrous when it comes to your banana bread. Letting that steamy, dreamy, fresh-out-of-the-oven banana bread thoroughly cool gives it a chance to set up, says Allrecipes. Hot banana bread might be appealing, but the wait is worth it for a neat, tidy, structurally-sound slice. 

To help your banana bread cool quicker, remove it from the baking pan. If your delicate, still-hot bread is stuck to the bottom of the pan, don't panic. No need to hack away at the sides with a kitchen knife. Simply prepare about an inch of hot water, says Livestrong, and set your loaf pan in the water. After a few minutes, it'll loosen the bread from the edges of the pan unscathed. From there, transfer the loaf to a wire baking rack to finish the job.

Per Allrecipes, if you really want to enjoy that warm-banana-bread feeling, just reheat your slice of bread in the oven for a bit. (For added deliciousness, you can even whip up some quick brown butter for your quick bread).