Buying bananas in shops can be tricky. If you get them while they’re still green, you might have to wait days before they’re ready to eat. But if you buy them when they’re already ripe, they can go off quickly. Luckily, there’s a way to ripen bananas fast, and it only takes a few minutes.
A short video shared by the Problem Solved Show on YouTube explains exactly what to do. It said: “If you’re in need of a quick ripe banana, turn to your oven. Preheat that oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150C). When things are toasty, toss it right in onto the rack. Check on it after 5 to 10 minutes. What you want is for that peel to be dark brown.”
The video continued: “You’ll want to let this cool for a few minutes before you use it.
“The oven’s going to start caramelizing those sugars, making your banana even sweeter. Better than sitting on the counter for a few days.”
The video also included a few other banana tips, such as using plastic wrap on the stem to slow down ripening, or using bananas as a substitute for eggs in baking.
“Banana could be a good substitute in some recipes,” the video explained.
“Brownies, some cookies, muffins and cupcakes, and you can substitute one banana per one egg.”
Experts at AllRecipes also recommend the oven method.
They say baking bananas at 150C allows the sugars to caramelise, which enhances their flavour.
They wrote: “The peels will turn black when ready, and the fruit will be soft.
AllRecipes added that bananas naturally give off ethylene gas, which helps them ripen.
This is why supermarket bananas are usually a little green as they’re picked before fully ripening to extend shelf life.
But at home, if you want to speed up the process, heat is your best friend.
Other methods include putting bananas in a paper bag to trap ethylene gas and ripen them in a day or two.
But for those who don’t want to wait, the oven method is one of the fastest ways to enjoy sweet, soft bananas in just a few minutes.
