A chef has shared a genius tip on how to store bananas to make sure they stay fresher for longer – and there’s one thing you need to do as soon as you get them home
Bananas are a type of fruit that households need to store correctly, or they’ll quickly turn brown. While overripe bananas can be put to good use in tasty banana bread recipes, there’s a limit to how many loaves you can bake. A perfectly ripe banana is ideal for topping pancakes, pairing with peanut butter for a speedy snack, or simply enjoying as is.
As bananas ripen, they emit ethylene gas, which causes them to brown. However, there are methods that could potentially slow down this browning process. Professional chef Peter Sidwell shared his tips on how to store bananas.
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He explained that since bananas thrive in warm, moist and bright conditions to ripen, they should be immediately removed from their plastic packaging to “keep your fruit fresher for longer”.
The chef advises keeping bananas away from windows, out of direct sunlight and away from any sources of condensation. He also suggests choosing a “cool spot”, away from the oven or other heat sources.
Bananas will continue to ripen at room temperature, so once they’ve reached your preferred level of ripeness, they can be placed in the fridge to “slow down the process”.
Peter advised: “I recommend using a banana preserving bag if you do want to keep your bananas in the fridge. Polyester bags will help keep your bananas fresh for up to two weeks – don’t worry if the skin turns brown in the fridge, the taste won’t be affected.”
The KitchenCraft Banana Reusable Storage Bag is available for purchase on Amazon for £8.99. Customers have praised the product for its freshness, value, performance, and quality.
They’ve noted that it keeps bananas fresh for weeks, offers good value for money, and prolongs the shelf life of bananas, , reports the Express.
Alternatively, households can opt for Lakeland’s Yellow Banana Bag, retailing at £7.99. Customers reported that their bananas remained in good condition after two weeks, although they did note that the bag didn’t prevent the banana skins from browning.
However, remember never to refrigerate bananas before they’re ripe as they’ll “remain hard and tasteless”. For those storing their bananas outside of the fridge, it’s advised not to keep them near other fruits. This not only accelerates the ripening of bananas but also affects other fruits.
An expert explained: “Bananas actually release a gas called ethylene from their stems which ripens them and surrounding fruit, making them go rotten faster.
“Apples, pears and melons are particularly sensitive to this gas so it’s best to store bananas separately from your other fruit.”
Another option for households is to wrap their banana stems in plastic to trap the ethylene gas and slow down the rotting process.
A chef has also shared a handy tip for those who wish to consume half a banana and save the rest for later without it turning brown. Peter advised: “If you cut open a banana it will quickly become oxidised and turn brown.
“If you only want to eat half and save the rest for later, I recommend sprinkling the remaining fruit with a small amount of lemon juice to lower pH levels and wrap in cling film to reduce more oxygen turning the fruit brown.”
For those who’ve just bought bananas but don’t plan on consuming them immediately, freezing is an option. Peter suggested: “You can also freeze bananas for up to six months, but they will taste best after the first three months.”
Remember to peel the fruit before freezing to prevent them from becoming mushy when defrosting and to expedite the thawing process.