There’s a simple reason why bananas go brown too quickly and it may be because you’re storing them the wrong way. But a woman has shared a paper towel hack that keeps them fresh for longer
Bananas are a tasty and adaptable fruit, but they’re infamous for turning brown quickly – potentially because they’re being stored incorrectly. If you find your bananas browning or blackening, chances are you’re keeping them in a fruit bowl or leaving their stems exposed to the air, which are two of the worst storage methods for maintaining their freshness.
In a revelation on TikTok, Dyanne Martin (@dyannemartin50) shared an astounding tip that’ll keep your bananas staying fresher and yellower for a considerably extended period. Her video caption instructed: “Wash your bananas! Rinse the chemicals off, wrap the stem in a wet paper towel and re-wet that paper towel every morning. Your bananas will last longer.”
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Dyanne began by saying bananas are coated with chemicals and therefore need washing with cold water after purchasing from the shop.
She proudly showed off some bananas she had kept fresh for six days using her wet paper towel method, displaying their still vibrant yellow hue and freshness to her viewers, reports the Express.
The hack works because it limits ethylene production from the banana stems – ethylene being the gas responsible for accelerating the ripening and decaying process.
TikTok users were quick to praise the innovative technique in the comments. @vickie commented: “I never thought of this before, but you’re right. I love the idea of wrapping the tops.”
Meanwhile, @kennyjojo expressed amazement: “That’s actually insane! We go through ours quick.”
Another TikToker, known as @tipperk, tested various storage methods to settle the debate and found that this wet paper towel hack worked well.
The TikToker also discovered that wrapping the stems of banana peels in cling film helped keep one of the bananas fresh.
Two other techniques can help maintain your bananas’ ripeness – hanging them and storing them away from certain fruits.
Hanging bananas not only saves valuable kitchen counter space but crucially promotes air circulation, allowing ethylene gas to move away from the bananas, causing them to ripen more slowly.
Keep bananas two to three feet away from other ethylene-emitting fruits such as apples, apricots, avocados, mangoes, prunes, pears, plums and tomatoes.
