Bananas can often go bad before we even realise but with simple storage methods that you may not have heard about before, you can keep them fresher for much longer. Bananas are a staple in British homes. Not only are they a great source of nutrients, but they are also used in a variety of dishes such as porridge, baked oats, banana bread and much more. When it comes to keeping them fresh, there are plenty of options for you.
Five of those methods are so simple, yet some people still never use them. In fact, many people make mistakes when it comes to storing their bananas. For example, some keep their bananas in a fruit bowl next to other food, which actually makes them ripen faster. While avoiding that, there are some other tricks you can use to extend the lifespan of your bananas, and some of those methods can actually make them last considerably longer.
1. Store bananas in the fridge
Many people believe that the cupboard is the best place to store their bananas, but they would be mistaken. In fact, the fridge is much better. Tash Blythe, a food hygiene expert at High Speed Training, says bananas should be placed in the fridge once they have reached your desired level of ripeness.
This is because bananas stop ripening when they go into the fridge. If you put them in while still green and barely ripe, they will stay that way for a while. Let them ripen to your taste and then place them in the fridge.
2. Wrap tinfoil on the top of the banana
Not many people realise that wrapping tinfoil or clingfilm over the stem of the banana, where you normally start to peel the fruit, can help to keep them much fresher for longer. There is a simple science behind this.
This method slows down the ripening process by trapping ethylene gas – a natural ripening agent that is primarily released from the stem. That means your bananas will have a longer lifespan.
3. Keep your bananas in a brown paper bag
Keeping your bananas in a brown paper bag can help them stay fresher for longer, experts say. However, you need to get this method right, as it can really affect the outcome.
In your fridge, you should place the bananas in the brown paper bag, then seal it tightly by rolling the top of the bag up and keeping it air-tight with clothes pegs.
4. Cut bananas and put them in jars
This is probably the one that the fewest people know about, but it might actually be the most effective way to keep your bananas fresher for longer. Amy Cross, who goes by @amycrosslegacy on TikTok, chops the bananas with their skin left intact and places the segments into a glass mason jar, which she then refrigerates.
Showing off this method, she revealed that it kept her bananas fresh for an impressive 26 further days. “So the whole goal of putting the bananas in the jar was to see if I could get a cut banana to last 12 hours, and it’s been 26 days,” she revealed in a viral video.
5. Store bananas alone on your kitchen counter
If it is a simple hack you are looking for, this is the one for you when it comes to keeping your bananas fresh for longer. When you store your bananas on your counter, make sure they are in a bowl of their own. This, again, comes back to the release of the gas from other fruits.
If your bananas are isolated from this gas, they will last longer.