Bananas are known for having a short life span and going brown before their time, but you can keep them fresher for longer by storing them in the fridge.
It has often been a misconception that bananas need to be kept out of the fridge as it causes the skin to go black or brown, but this does not mean that the fruit itself has become spoiled.
Linda Tyler, a cookbook author and founder of the cooking website Gracious Vegan has explained that storing yellow bananas in the fridge will slow down the ripening process, even if it causes the banana peel to become discoloured.
She said: “If you can bring yourself to peeling that brown skin in the week following, you’ll find the banana inside to be firmer than its brothers and sisters left at room temperature, and its taste will be just fine.
“In other words, if you like ‘medium’ bananas, you should consider refrigerating them just after they lose their green cast.”
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However, this method only works on bananas that have begun ripening and you should never store green bananas in the fridge.
Linda said: “I tried refrigerating a couple of green bananas. The good news is that the peel didn’t turn brown.
“But the bad news is that the banana inside didn’t start to ripen, so it wasn’t sweet or tasty – it just kind of stalled in the pre-ripened state.”
Instead, store your bananas away from your other fruit on a surface in your kitchen and wait for the peel to become yellow before placing them in the fridge which will extend their shelf life by one week.
It may seem bizarre, but storing bananas in a fruit bowl is one of the worst places to store them as it will cause them to go bad quickly.
Bananas, as well as many other fruits, produce a growth hormone called ethylene gas which helps the fruit mature but can also affect other fruits nearby.
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When many ethylene-producing fruits are stored together it causes all of them to begin ripening at a faster rate which is why it is best to keep bananas separated from your other fruit.
However, if you wish to keep bananas fresh in a fruit bowl then wrap the stem of a banana in plastic cling film to prevent it from producing ethylene gas.
Alternatively, you can hang bananas from a hook above your fruit bowl to allow more air circulation which will prevent ethylene gas from spoiling your fruit.
Once your bananas have become very ripe and you do not think they can be salvaged, then you can slice them up and freeze them to make a smoothie or even some tasty banana bread in the future.
Linda said: “f you have soft, sweet, very ripe bananas, you’re looking at great candidates for smoothies and nice cream. Just peel and slice the bananas, spread the slices out in plastic bags, and freeze the bags in a flat position so the slices don’t clump together.
“When you’re ready to make your smoothie or nice cream, your frozen banana slices are waiting for you!”
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