Bananas are one type of produce households rarely have to think much about regarding proper storage.
Most people just plop them down on the worktop and forget about them. Once they threaten to turn to mush, many either freeze them or make banana bread.
However, for those who want to enjoy this fruit fresh before it starts to rot, professional chef Peter Sidwell of CookServeEnjoy has shared how bananas need to be stored.
He noted that as bananas love warm, moist and bright conditions to ripen, they should immediately be removed from their plastic wrapping to “keep your fruit fresher for longer”.
The chef recommends storing bananas away from any windows, out of direct sunlight and away from any source of condensation and it’s also “best to choose a cool spot”.
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A “cool spot” should be at a distance from the oven or any other source of heat.
Bananas will continue to ripen at room temperature so once they’ve reached your ideal level of ripeness they can be popped in the fridge to “slow down the process”.
Peter said: “I recommend using a banana preserving bag if you do want to keep your bananas in the fridge.
“Polyester bags will help keep your bananas fresh for up to two weeks – don’t worry if the skin turns brown in the fridge, the taste won’t be affected.”
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Remember to never refrigerate bananas before they are ripe though as they’ll “remain hard and tasteless”.
For those leaving their banana outside of the fridge, they should never keep them close to other fruit. This not only ripens bananas quicker but also has the same effect on the other fruit.
The expert explained: “Bananas actually release a gas called ethylene from their stems which ripens then and surrounding fruit, making them go rotten faster.
“Apples, pears and melons are particularly sensitive to this gas so it’s best to store bananas separately from your other fruit.”
Alternatively, households could wrap their banana stems in plastic to trap the ethylene gas and slow down the rotting process.
The chef has also shared a tip for those who are looking to only eat half a banana and want to save the rest for later, but do not want it to turn brown.
Peter said: “If you cut open a banana it will quickly become oxidised and turn brown.
“If you only want to eat half and save the rest for later, I recommend sprinkling the remaining fruit with a small amount of lemon juice to lower pH levels and wrap in cling film to reduce more oxygen turning the fruit brown.”
For those who’ve just purchased bananas, but don’t plan on eating them for months, they should freeze them. Pester said: “You can also freeze bananas for up to six months, but they will taste best after the first three months.”
Make sure to peel the fruit before freezing to stop them from going mushy when defrosting and to speed up the thaw.
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