Here’s Exactly What to Do To Keep Bananas Fresh
You meant well when you tossed that bunch of bright yellow bananas into your shopping cart. Alas, there were no green ones available, so you grabbed what was there. But you already knew: Waking up to a brown(ing) bunch on the counter was inevitable. Bananas on borrowed time! It’s true, keeping bananas fresh is no easy task.
We know the rest of the story—maybe you sliced one up over your oatmeal or tucked one into your bag for a snack later. And the rest? Well, if you were thinking on your feet, maybe you remembered to squirrel them away in the freezer for future smoothies and baking adventures. But darn it, you actually kinda wanted to just eat those bananas here and there for a few days.
Well, we’re here to keep the dream alive. Try these hacks to keep those ‘nanners from ripening too quickly, and give your loaf pan a rest.
Related: 19 Banana Recipes That Aren’t Banana Bread!
Why Bananas Turn Brown
Much like avocados, tomatoes and potatoes, bananas emit a gas called ethylene, a plant hormone responsible for ripening. And just a head’s up, we know that it may be tempting to toss all of your non-refrigerated produce onto the countertop en masse when you get home from the grocery store, but avoid storing ethylene-releasing produce—like bananas—around your onions, which are super-sensitive to ethylene.
But back to the point! Here are a few ways to keep bananas from ripening so fast.
How to Keep Bananas Fresh
Take them out of the plastic bag
First things first: Never never never (NEVER) stuff your bananas into one of those plastic produce bags at the store, and if they come pre-packaged in a bag, ditch it as soon as you get home. Plastic traps moisture, which can accelerate ripening, according to the banana royalty at Chiquita. Think of a plastic bag as a tropical environment, which is where your bananas originated, ripening happily before they were harvested. That’s not what we want now, so buy a little extra time for those bananas and skip the bag!
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Related: How to Freeze Bananas When You Don’t Have Time to Make Banana Bread
Keep them in a low-light environment
Bananas, much like most reasonable humans, do not like extremes. So, keep them away from an excessively cold area or a hot stovetop. Yellow bananas are cool customers, so keep them in a low-light environment and at a moderate temperature, and they’ll have a better shot at staying fresher longer.
Let them hang out
Maybe you’ve rolled your eyes at those banana stand contraptions. Who wants to buy yet another kitchen gadget? Seems a little extra, no? Well, no, it turns out. Storing bananas in a hanging position can help impede the ethylene’s ripening action. And if you don’t have the counter space or the desire to shell out for another accessory, you can always just install a simple hook under your counter for a space-saving setup.
Related: Classically Creamy Banana Pudding
That’s a wrap… or is it?
One tip you’ve probably already heard or even tried yourself is wrapping the banana stems in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. And while this strategy might extend the yellow a little longer by slowing the production of ethylene… it also might not. Here’s why, according to Spencer Heckathorn, co-founder of foodieresults.com: “The difference between the time it took from harvest until the time you cover that part of the banana is so insignificant that you may not see a difference,” he writes.
Spread them out
While hanging your bananas in a tidy bunch, as suggested above, is certainly a worthy hack for curbing ripening, doing the opposite is possibly even more useful. When bananas remain attached to each other, they’re getting a concentrated dose of ethylene; so separating and storing them individually will help to tap the brakes on the browning even more
If your bananas are already peeled…
If you’re adding peeled, sliced bananas to a fruit salad or maybe packing them in some lucky kid’s lunch, you know it’s non-negotiable to keep them looking and tasting fresh. Nobody wants to tuck into a mushy, discolored banana slice. Keep things palatable by sprinkling the banana with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice to ward off quick browning and add an extra punch of flavor.
Up next: 5 Ways to Tell If a Pineapple Is Ripe Before It’s Too Late
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