Lets Talk About Bananas

[Monkeydad]

I'm looking for the secret to keeping bananas fresh as long as possible, without a gimmick like Debbie Meyers Green Bags that I'll have to continually purchase.

I've tried refrigeration and that seems to extend them a little, but discolors the peel, which I suppose is not a big deal in the end.

I store them typically in the clear bag from the produce department, on top of my bread box, away from direct sunlight.

Do banana hangers improve their longevity? I've never tried one but may consider it if they will work.

I try to purchase green bananas to extend them, but then I can't eat for a day after bringing them home.

We eat a lot of bananas, especially my two year-old son who can down two in one sitting if he wants, so buying in smaller quantities will be a hassle.



Anyone have any secrets?


I've learned a trick when working in a hotel in college to ripen them faster by wrapping them in newspaper...but I want to find the way to make them last longer.

Inevitably, we always get one or two bananas from a larger bunch that becomes soft and must be tossed in a smoothie or protein shake to avoid wasting.

Thanks.

 

[SpyvSpy]

I'm one for bananas as well. Good for a morning snack. My wife and I use a hanger and we used to just keep them in a bowl. I've noticed them last a tad bit longer but nothing impressive.

 

[Confuzius]

The plastic bag is probably also making them ripen faster. Bananas (and apples) release high levels of ethelyne gas that accelerates the ripening process.
The best bet is to actually keep them individually separated, away from other fruits if you want to prolong the time it takes to ripen. Once they reach the desired ripeness you can stick them in the fridge to halt/slow the ripening process (peels might turn black, but the banana should maintain ripeness).

A side note to this is you can use bananas and apples to quickly ripen other fruits by sticking them in a shared paper bag, works great for avocados.

 

[biomesh]

Keep them out of any bag, out on a counter (with plenty of airspace) not next to any other fruits or vegetables.

When enclosed, the ethylene gas that is released by the fruit as they ripen will make them (and any other nearby fruit) ripen more quickly if contained in a bag or if they are left near other ethylene producing fruits/vegetables.

 

[Monkeydad]

Oops!

For some reason, I was thinking the bag was helping, but I'm probably wrong.

If the bananas are touching, does that shorten their life?

 

[jlanger]

I would advocate hanging them, my kids go through about 12 bananas a week, I've found that if I don't hang them they brown quickly, especially where there's contact with the counter, I also find that the last banana which you can't hang browns the fastest as it's usually laying fully on its side.

 

[MikekiM]

I hang mine...

I eat nothing but fruit before noon and typically have two banana's each day. I have a basket in my office loaded with fruit and have a paper-clip laced through the handle of the basket from which I hang the bunch... I can say they do last longer than the ones that sit on the pile of fruit at home and that is with the basket sitting in direct sun light all day..

+1 for hanging

 

[Go West Young Man]

Why do I love bananas?
(anyone?)

 

[sodajerk]

... When enclosed, the ethylene gas that is released by the fruit as they ripen will make them (and any other nearby fruit) ripen more quickly if contained in a bag or if they are left near other ethylene producing fruits/vegetables.

I thought that gas was what the green bags counteracted and kept things fresher longer.?

 

[jlanger]

Why do I love bananas?
(anyone?)

Because they are a tasty, cheap, easy to eat fruit!

I love the taste of bananas but frankly the texture of them makes me gag for some reason, so no bananas for me

 

[gearchow]

The best bet is to actually keep them individually separated, away from other fruits if you want to prolong the time it takes to ripen. Once they reach the desired ripeness you can stick them in the fridge to halt/slow the ripening process (peels might turn black, but the banana should maintain ripeness).

A side note to this is you can use bananas and apples to quickly ripen other fruits by sticking them in a shared paper bag, works great for avocados.

+1

We just started doing this and it really works. Our favorite thing to do with over ripened bananas is to freeze them and then use them in recipes like pancakes, etc. Don't need nice bananas for most cooking recipes.

-jim

 

[Monkeydad]

Thanks for the replies. I'll definitely try the "separate/no bag/then refrigerate" and the hanging methods and compare.

Side note, there's an ice cream shop near us that has the BEST shakes, they use fresh fruit in them. The cherry, coconut and banana are my favorites, you get chunks of the real fruit coming up the straw with your shake...had a banana one last night. So good.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Because they are a tasty, cheap, easy to eat fruit!

I love the taste of bananas but frankly the texture of them makes me gag for some reason, so no bananas for me

The proper answer was "Because they have a peel", sorry.

 

[firehydrant]

The proper answer was "Because they have a peel", sorry.

Boooooooooooooo!

 

[Confuzius]

One ingredient Banana Ice Cream
http://www.instructables.com/id/1-ingredient-Ice-Cream/

 

[antoine1]

Try eating them like monkey by biting into middle instead of the end, they are onto something I'm sure they taste better this way.

 

[Straight Arrow]

I eat one or two bananas a day. When I purchase them each Saturday I always buy a few in each of three stages of ripeness:

1. yellow and ripe...ready to eat
2. yellow with some green still lingering...eat in a couple of days
3. mostly green with some streaks of yellow...eat mid-week to end of week

This way I always have a perfectly good banana available at the peak of delicious ripeness.

 

[mmadha]

I eat one or two bananas a day. When I purchase them each Saturday I always buy a few in each of three stages of ripeness:

1. yellow and ripe...ready to eat
2. yellow with some green still lingering...eat in a couple of days
3. mostly green with some streaks of yellow...eat mid-week to end of week

This way I always have a perfectly good banana available at the peak of delicious ripeness.

I also run through many bananas and use this method of varying the ripeness of the bananas I purchase. This and doing what other mentioned in keeping bananas in open areas, separate from other ripening fruit should solve your problem.

 

[Monkeydad]

One ingredient Banana Ice Cream
http://www.instructables.com/id/1-ingredient-Ice-Cream/

That's awesome, going to have to make this for my son who can't eat real ice cream yet...milk allergy.

 

[DFrancis]

I hang mine from one of those little hooks you can use to hang your mugs from. I have a banana a day after my dinner at work, it was doctor recommended as I needed to gain weight and they have more calories than apples or oranges.