Bananas are notorious for ripening too quickly, often leaving us with a mushy, brown mess if we don’t eat them fast enough. But it seems we’ve been storing our bananas all wrong – they should never be kept in a fruit bowl.
The stems of bananas release a plant hormone called ethylene gas, which helps the fruit ripen from hard green to soft, sweet yellow. However, this gas also speeds up the ripening process. Other fruits like apples, avocados, mangoes, pears, peaches, and berries also emit ethylene gas. When stored together, the combined gas can cause all your fruit to rot prematurely.
Brenda Anderson, a farmer, cook, and founder of Little Lost Creations, has a solution. She suggests storing ripe bananas in the fridge to keep them fresh. “A friend of mine told me something she had tried. I thought it sounded a little crazy, but I thought I would give it a try,” Brenda shared. “She said to put the bananas in a brown paper grocery bag closed tightly, and put them in the crisper in the refrigerator. She said the peel would go black but the banana would taste good.”
Contrary to popular belief, bananas can indeed be stored in the fridge without spoiling. The cold temperature may cause the peel to darken, but this doesn’t mean the fruit inside is bad. In fact, refrigerating a yellow banana can halt its ripening process, keeping it fresh and edible for weeks after purchase.
Brenda shared her experience: “After two and a half weeks in the crisper in the refrigerator, I took my bananas out to try them. I really wanted to put this method to the test. The peelings didn’t look like the banana was going to taste good, but when I peeled the banana it had not gone mushy like I thought it would. It was still firm and tasted just a little riper than when I put them in the brown paper sack.”
The secret to extending the life of your bananas lies in preventing ethylene gas from spoiling them. This can be achieved by wrapping the stem in cling film, which inhibits the fruit’s ability to produce the gas. Another handy tip is to keep your bananas separate from other fruits. Hanging bananas from a hook above your fruit bowl allows for better air circulation, preventing the ethylene gas from taking effect.
But don’t despair if your bananas do go mushy – they needn’t be wasted. You can easily transform them into delicious banana bread or bake some banana and chocolate chip muffins for a scrumptious snack.
