Everyone has felt that sense of disappointment when you reach into the fruit bowl to find that your go-to breakfast choice is past its best.
But, new advice means we might have finally seen the last of bananas going that brown and squishy colour, which means it’s time for the bin.
Over the years, people have come up with their own routines and methods to preserve the fruit, with one common theory suggesting how they might stay fresher for longer if kept in the fridge instead of in a fruit bowl.
After buying fresh bananas from the local supermarket, we are normally on a ticking timer of roughly two to seven days to consume the fruit if left at room temperature.
Fortunately, in one of her latest videos, YouTuber Tracy Tips has revealed the simple two-step guide on how we can make sure that our bananas can last up to two weeks.
While explaining the first step to ensure longer-lasting bananas, she shared how you must place the fruit in a bowl of salt water and wash them throughly, ensuring that the bananas are as close to a clear yellow colour as possible.
The YouTuber said that doing so will help “remove ripening chemicals”. It is believed that bananas are sometimes sprayed with the ripening agent, ethylene. But, ethylene is also produced in bananas naturally.
Although Tracy initially spoke of washing the main body of the bananas, she also highlighted the importance of then soaking the stem in the salt water, as that is where the ripening chemical sprayed on them is most concentrated.
Explaining one of the key reasons that bananas go off so quickly, she said that it was down to low temperatures, explaining in more detail: “When you first bring the bananas home, don’t rush to place them on a plate or put them straight into the fridge.
“Bananas are very sensitive to low temparatures, below 50 degrees fahrenheit (10 degrees celsius) the enzyme polyphenol oxidase becomes highly active, causing the banana peel to oxidise quickly, which leads to dark spots and speeds up spoilage.”
Moving onto step two, Tracy says that we must then get another bowl of water, before filling it with one tablespoon of baking soda. This step will supposedly help to clean the fruit even further, ensuring that any remaining “dust, dirt and residual pesticides” are gone.
She added: “Baking soda helps neutralise acids by creating a mildly alkaline environment in the water.”
Ultimately, she adds that soaking bananas in baking soda will bring another benefit, as it will rid the fruit of any residual dirt or chemicals before we start eating them.
