Bananas are notorious for ripening far too quickly, frequently resulting in a soggy, brown mess if not consumed quickly enough. The stems of bananas produce a plant hormone known as ethylene gas, which facilitates the fruit’s ripening from firm green to tender, sweet yellow. Nevertheless, this gas also accelerates the ripening process.
Other fruits such as apples, avocados, mangos, pears, peaches, and berries also emit ethylene gas. When kept together, the collective gas can cause all your fruit to deteriorate prematurely. However, Brenda Anderson, a farmer, cook and founder of Little Lost Creations, has a solution. She recommends storing ripe bananas in the fridge to maintain their freshness, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Brenda said: “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. 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 widespread belief, bananas can actually be stored in the fridge without spoiling. The cold temperature may cause the peel to darken, but this doesn’t indicate the fruit inside is bad.
In fact, refrigerating a yellow banana can stop its ripening process, maintaining its freshness and edibility for weeks following purchase. Brenda recounted 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 key to prolonging your bananas’ lifespan is preventing ethylene gas from causing deterioration. This can be accomplished by covering the stem with cling film, which stops the fruit from producing the gas.
Another useful suggestion is to store your bananas away from other fruits. Suspending bananas from a hook above your fruit bowl enables improved air circulation, stopping the ethylene gas from having an impact.
However, don’t worry if your bananas do become mushy – they needn’t go to waste. You can readily turn them into delightful banana bread or prepare some banana and chocolate chip muffins for a tasty treat.