How to keep bananas fresh for two weeks longer with ‘simple’ storage method

Buying fruit from the supermarket only for it to go brown and mushy after a few days can drive you bananas, but there is a simple way to keep them fresh and yellow for much longer. 

Bananas tend to spoil quickly as they have thin skin which bruises easily and a high sugar content which attracts bacteria to them which speeds up the ripening process. 

However, the main reason bananas do not stay fresh is that often they are not stored properly as the fruit bowl is one of the worst places to keep them in the kitchen. 

Bananas produce a high amount of ethylene gas, a natural plant hormone that regulates fruit growth and causes them to become naturally sweet as they ripen.

When fruits such as bananas, apples, avocados and pears are stored together they produce a high amount of ethylene gas which causes all the fruit around them to ripen at a much faster rate. 

A quick and easy way to stop bananas from spoiling is to store them away from the fruit bowl, but you can also slow down their ethylene production. 

Arleen, a cooking expert and founder of the Hot Dish Homemaker, has a “simple trick” to keep bananas fresh and yellow for much longer. 

She said: “Simply wrap plastic wrap on the stems. It works best if you wrap each Banana stem separately. Your bananas will now slowly ripen instead of turning brown right away.

“Bananas produce ethylene gas which is what naturally ripens them, by wrapping the stems hinders the gas production so it takes longer for the gas to aid in the ripening process.” 

Bananas produce ethylene gas from their stems, and wrapping them up not only slows down ripening but also prevents moisture loss which will make them last a lot longer.  

All you have to do is wrap the banana stem in clingfilm, aluminium or baking paper and then store bananas on a plate away from a fruit bowl, a window or any hot appliances in the kitchen. 

It is best to pull the bananas apart so they are not bunched together as they are less likely to touch each other, which reduces the chance of them bruising which can accelerate spoilage. 

For the best results, keep bananas at room temperature in a dry and cool place away from direct sunlight as high temperatures will also cause bananas to spoil quickly. 

When bananas are stored in the proper conditions and have their stems wrapped,  it will stop them from turning brown, spotty and mushy for up to two weeks longer.