Banana storage tip will keep them fresher for longer without using the freezer

Bananas are renowned for being fast at ripening, but there are a few ways to slow down the process once taking them home. 

One of which, of course, is to buy underripe fruits in the first place that are more green than yellow.

But when it comes to prolonging the life of yellow bananas, the attention should turn to exactly where, and how they are stored.

A fruit bowl may be the obvious spot for the soft, fragrant fruits however, they’ll last much longer in isolation, according to experts.

Speaking previously to Express.co.uk, Gary Ellis, Director at CE Safety said that bananas should be “kept away from other produce”.

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He continued: “Fruits such as peaches, tomatoes, avocados, figs and apples should be kept well clear of your bananas if you don’t want them to ripen too quickly.

“Keeping your bananas hanging can help to keep them fresh, as any bruising or exposure of the banana flesh itself to oxygen is only going to make ripening faster.”

For the longest-lasting bananas, Gary suggested using a separate fruit bowl with a hanging mechanism to keep them nicely yellow without ripening other nearby fruits.

It is important to ensure this is in a cool, dry part of the kitchen to stop excess warmth from affecting the colour of the bananas.

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Bananas that are partially unripe and stored this way will last for around one week in the fruit bowl before turning brown, though this too can be slowed down.

One of the most common causes of spoiled bananas is small openings and tears in the stalks when they’re hung up.

To prevent this, Gary recommended wrapping them up with cling film or tin foil to seal them off.

It really is as simple as binding the stalks in a somewhat adhesive material, or a piece of greaseproof paper and an elastic band can be used instead.

No matter what is used to seal the stalks, the trick is to ensure they’re tightly wrapped to mimic a completely whole banana before being split from the bunch.

Gary said: “Wrap a small amount of cling film around the end where they are often joined together. This will keep them fresher for longer as it traps the ethylene gas at the top of the fruit where it emits from rather than letting it spread and exposing the other bananas to the gas.”

By doing this, bananas should stand the test of time with several extra days added to their shelf life, similar to that of a completely green banana stored at room temperature.

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