Keeping bananas fresh in summer can be tricky as they can quickly begin ripening in warm temperatures, but you can extend bananas’ shelf life by keeping them away from the fruit bowl.
It may sound strange, but bananas produce a significant amount of ethylene gas, a natural plant hormone which helps fruit grow but can cause them to spoil too quickly if too much ethylene gas is released.
Storing bananas next to apples, pears, peaches, avocados and mangoes will cause them all to begin ripening at a faster rate as there will be too much ethylene gas in the environment, which combined with the hot summer weather will make bananas only last a day or two.
Pamela Reed, a cook and founder of Brooklyn Farm Girl, has shared that the best place to store unripened bananas is away from the fruit bowl and somewhere cool and dark in your kitchen.
She said: “Bananas love tropical heat, but if you want them to last longer, keep them out of direct sunlight. The sunlight will ripen the bananas much quicker with its added warmth.”
However, once bananas are fully yellow and ripe it is better to place them in the fridge as the cooler temperatures will make them last longer.
It is a common misconception that bananas cannot be stored in the fridge as it causes the banana peel to turn black, but this does not mean the fruit has become spoiled.
If kept in the fridge, the fruit inside the peel will remain fresh and yellow for up to seven days more, and sometimes even longer.
Pamela said: “Just because a banana is brown doesn’t mean it’s gone bad…once your bananas have reached their ideal level of ripeness to your standard, you can place them in the fridge.
“Store them without any bags in the produce drawer. There is some debate whether it’s best to separate the bananas once they are ripe and in the fridge.”
“Some claim it will keep them fresher, longer. Others disagree. So you may have to experiment with your own!”
Bananas can only be stored in the fridge once they have fully ripened and turned yellow, as the cool and dry climate will stop them from ripening completely which means green bananas will simply stay green.
Pamela said: “If you chill your bananas before they are ripe it’s likely they will not be as sweet once you do consume them. Store bananas at room temperature until you eat them or they are fully ripe.”
If you have no room in the fridge you can also control how much ethylene gas is being released by wrapping the stem of bananas with plastic clingfilm.
Pamala said: “Bananas release ethylene gas through their stems. The more gas that is released, the riper the fruit.
“So by wrapping the ends of the stems in plastic wrap, you prevent or slow down this gas from escaping.”
Wrapping banana stems will keep them fresher for four to five days longer than they normally would last, but once ripening place them in the fridge to cut down food waste and save a little bit of money on your food shopping this summer.
