How to Store Bananas

Storing to Ripen

Choose bananas based on their degree of ripeness. Depending on when you want to use them and how you wish to store them, you may want them to be more or less ripe. If you're shopping just for yourself, then you may want greener bananas so they aren't all ripe right away. If you're shopping for a family or a few people who will eat them quickly, then ripe bananas are the way to go. Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing your bananas: Green bananas are not ripe yet. Buy green bananas for maximum storage life without freezing. Choose firm fruit without dark spots or abrasions on the peel. Ripe bananas have turned their adult color. Most bananas are yellow when ripe, but some varieties are brown or red. The more the banana's adult color appears on the peel, the riper it is. Brown-spotted bananas are the sweetest. As the small brown spots grow on the peel, the fruit inside ripens even further. When the peel shows more brown or black than yellow, the fruit is over-ripe. Avoid bananas that have a gray tint and look dull in color. This is a sign that the bananas were refrigerated, which interferes with proper ripening.

Remove bananas from plastic produce bags as soon as you get them home. Never store bananas in plastic bags, which hold too much moisture and could cause the fruit to rot. There is an alternative theory. The bananas may remain fresh longer inside the bag; take one out and leave the rest in the bag to test this. If the one that is removed ripens faster, then the bag may prove capable of retaining freshness. However, this may depend on the humidity and heat levels in the room where you're storing the bananas.

Store green bananas at room temperature. Refrigerating or freezing bananas before they ripen prevents the fruit from being able to properly ripen even after brought back to room temperature. Put green bananas into a brown paper bag to speed up the ripening process. Add an apple or a tomato to the bag to ripen the bananas in less than 1 day. Another way to speed up the ripening process is to place the bananas near other ripe fruit in a bowl, such as other ripe bananas.

Leave yellow-green ripening bananas exposed to air at room temperature for a few days. Be patient. Though it's true that the warmer the room, the sooner they will ripen, you should avoid placing the bananas in direct sunlight.

Hang the bananas on a banana tree. If you're a true banana lover, then a banana tree is a great investment. You can find free-standing banana trees that you can place on your countertop, as well as mountable banana hangers. Banana trees and hangers allow air to circulate and avoid "resting bruises" on the fruit.

Keep ripe bananas at room temperature if you will be eating them within a few days. Eat or refrigerate the bananas as spots develop on the skin and before they are overripe.

Keep sliced bananas fresh. If you've sliced a banana, whether it's to put it in the fridge or to make a delicious fruit salad, you should cover the slices in a bit of lemon juice, pineapple juice, or vinegar, all of which will keep it fresher for longer.

Storing Ripe Bananas

Pull the bananas apart from the bunch. If your bananas are already pretty ripe, then you can keep them fresh and yellow for longer by pulling each banana away from the bunch. This will keep each banana fresher for longer.

Store the ripe bananas with unripe fruit. Take an unripe pear or avocado and place it near the bananas, and it will slow down the ripening process of the bananas, while ripening faster itself. It's a win-win situation!

Wrap the stems of the bananas in plastic wrap. This will prevent ethylene gas, which is produced naturally during the ripening process, from reaching other parts of the fruit and making it ripen too fast. You can even place some tape over the plastic wrap for some extra security. Every time you remove a banana from the bunch, rewrap it carefully. Alternately, you can just separate the bananas from the bunch and then wrap the stem of each one individually. This takes a bit of love, but it's worth it!

Put the bananas in the produce drawer of your refrigerator after they are fully ripe. Refrigeration slows the ripening process considerably, but does not stop it. The peel will continue to turn brown, but the fruit will stay fresh and firm for 1 to 2 weeks. According to Dole Bananas, storing ripe bananas in the refrigerator will preserve their delicious taste for longer, even though their peels may turn black.

Peel the bananas before freezing them. Put as many as will fit into a zipper storage bag or plastic container and store in the freezer. Note: Freezing bananas in their peel will make it impossible to peel them if frozen. And once they thaw, they turn into a goopy mess. Add frozen, peeled bananas to smoothies.

Store bananas in the freezer for several months. When thawed, you can use the bananas to bake and cook, as well as in fruit sauces and smoothies. You can also drizzle them with just a bit of lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. Peel bananas and cut them into chunks or mash them before freezing. Portion the banana into the amounts you need to make a recipe. Put portioned bananas into zipper freezer bags or plastic containers and store them in the freezer.

Make banana bread with overripe bananas. Banana bread is a delicious treat that is designed to be made with overripe bananas. If it's too late for you to store them and eat them enjoyably, then it may be time to make this delicious treat. After all, you don't really want to waste what was once a tasty bunch of bananas, do you? All you need is a few simple ingredients, which include bananas, nuts, flour, eggs, butter, and cinnamon.