There’s one thing you should avoid doing to keep bananas fresh for longer
If you’re storing your bananas in a fruit bowl, you might be making one of the biggest mistakes that causes them to go off and become mushy far too quickly. Experts have shared that bananas should never be kept alongside other fruit, as the natural gases they produce dramatically increase the ripening process, not just for themselves, but for anything placed nearby.
Most fruits give off ethylene gas, a natural growth hormone that triggers ripening. Bananas, though, are especially susceptible to it and also pump out huge quantities of the gas from their stems.
When positioned in a bowl with apples, pears, peaches, or mangos, they can ripen and go rotten within days, reports the Express.
The team at Zest Food Service explained: “The ethene which bananas release can affect many other fruits, such as apples and pears, which is why you should keep the bananas separate from these fruits unless you intentionally want to ripen them quicker.”
Bananas should also be stored away from avocados, unless you want them to ripen rapidly, and from softer fruits like plums and honeydew.
The one exception is citrus.
Oranges and lemons remain unaffected by ethylene gas and can safely sit alongside bananas.
For optimal results, bananas should be kept in a separate bowl and their stems covered tightly in cling film or foil.
This straightforward trick helps contain the gas at its source, slowing the ripening process by three to five days.
Once bananas have turned yellow and started to develop brown spots, the experts suggest transferring them to the fridge. Whilst the skin will darken in chilly conditions, the flesh within remains fresh, firm, and sweet.
The cold temperature also stops the ripening process completely, meaning bananas can last up to a fortnight longer than normal.
However, unripe bananas should never be put in the fridge, as the cold will permanently prevent them from ripening.
“Keep in mind with delayed ripening options that you will effectively pause the process at the point where the banana currently is,” the experts added.
“If you stick a green banana in the fridge or wrap the stem, it will stay green and unripe.”
So if you want your bananas to last, keep them well away from your fruit bowl, wrap the stems, and only refrigerate them once they’ve reached the perfect yellow stage.