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It may seem common sense to store bananas in your fruit bowl, but this is one of the worst places to keep them in the kitchen as they cannot be near other fruit.
Most fruit produces a gas called ethylene, a plant growth hormone that is responsible for ripening so that fruit becomes much more flavourful.
When too much fruit is piled together it releases too much ethylene into the air which will not only cause bananas to spoil quickly but all other nearby produce as well.
Bananas are not only highly sensitive to ethylene but produce a lot of it because their stem is broken when picked, which is why it can be so difficult to keep them fresh for longer than a few days.
However, Kim, an expert and founder of A Blackbird Sepiphany has shared that there is a simple food storage method that will greatly extend the shelf life of bananas so “you will never throw them away again.”
Kim said “The simplest way to prevent [spoilage] is to cover the broken stem and stop the gas from escaping.
“And chilling the bananas – like all fruit and veg – also slows the maturity. The combination of the two is almost fruit sorcery.”
It is a misconception that bananas cannot be stored in the fridge but it will greatly slow down the ripening process and keep them fresh for a week longer than they normally last.
The peel of the bananas will turn brown or black as this tropical fruit is not used to cold temperatures, but the fruit inside will remain yellow, fresh and tasty for much longer.
However, bananas can only be stored in the fridge once they have ripened and turned yellow as the freezing temperature completely halts the ripening process and they will not be able to develop further.
Green unripened bananas are firmer, more waxy and have a bitter taste so keep them away from the fridge until they turn yellow.
If you have just bought bananas then you first should leave them on the countertop away from other fruit but cover their stems to prevent ethylene gas from escaping.
Kim said: “There are two ways to wrap the top: clingfilm, or plastic or NatureFlex and elastic bands, both of which can be reused if done carefully – the clingfilm, when wrapped neatly, can be used again on the next bunch of bananas, and the plastic and elastic bands even more so.
“The trick is to separate the bananas if you buy a bunch. Break them all apart and wrap the stems individually.
“It’s true it will use more plastic, but, as I said, it can be re-used, and it will be both easier and more effective than trying to wrap the top of the bunch as a whole, and each banana will actually be subjected to even less gas.”
Only once the bananas are fully yellow and at the ripeness you like, then you keep them in the fridge where they will stay fresh for a least a week, but can sometimes last up to two weeks.
Kim said: “I promise they will keep for at least a week. I always do my shopping on a Monday afternoon, but I have bananas after my workout, which means I still need one for the following Monday morning. Which means I rely on this method to keep bananas fresh for eight days.”
