......during summers? Do you store them inside the fridge? Does that help? Or should I buy only for 2-3 days? (I usually try to buy for the week...at least 4-5 days...)
I feel very silly for not knowing this...but pls share your suggestions, all!
All - thank you for the suggestion about separating them from the bunch...I never knew of this before..will try it from now on...and ok, no no to keeping in fridge! :)
My store doesn't sell them green much...not these days at least. I try to get them as green as possible...will try and get only for 3-4 days..and store them separated...and will find a place directly under the airconditioning vent! (Dawn - ;) )
I bought a banana hanger at Walmart last month. The bananas stay yellow and fresher longer on the hanger than in a bowl.
The store I shop at offers both greener and riper bananas..... I am able to buy for pretty much a week by buying a bunch of the yellow ones, and a bunch of the greener ones...
I like the suggestion of not storing them together.... they all give off ethylene gas, and that encourages ripening! Apples are one of the worst offenders of that, though...... be sure to not store them near apples.
And.. as someone else said, the skins turn black if you put them in the fridge....
Good question. Thanks for asking. I just noticed that the Bananas I recently bought started to turn black earlier than normal. My kids don't like the "black" bananas...so we tend to eat lots of banana bread, banana muffins, and smoothies.
When you get them home separate them and they will last longer!
They turn black if you put them in the fridge. They are still good, but very unappetizing to look at.
I separate mine from the bunch when I bring them home from the store. I read somewhere that said they ripen slower that way, not sure if its true or not but I do it anyway, and I usually buy them pretty green since they ripen very quickly like avocados.
Actually the riper the banana the better its supposed to be for you, unfortunately I like mine pretty firm.
Short answer...you don't!!
I do what Malia B does - I'll buy some ripe ones that last one or two days then greener ones that will ripen up just in time for the rest of the week. When I put them in the fridge they'll still turn black and be perfectly good to eat but no one ever does because they look "yucky"! Those are usually the ones that end up as bread!! Which, in my house is a good thing because my daughter has gotten really good at making a fantastic loaf of banana bread! Being in 4-H definitely was a great learning experience for her!!!
But here's what I've never understood ...how do they stay so beautiful in the grocery stores?? I've been to the same store two, or sometimes even three, days in a row (not by choice!) and the bananas always look perfect - they can't possibly be selling out every day! Or do they just dispose of them and put out a new batch every day/every other day?
And don't feel silly - I love that we can ask anything on here and get lots of different viewpoints.
you can't. if you put 'em in the fridge they blacken almost immediately. buy them as green as possible, pull them apart from the bunch (they stay fresher longer that way, no clue why) and as soon as they start to inch past perfect ripeness, freeze them for smoothies!
khairete
S. (and her stockpiles of frozen bananas)
Buy only for 2-3 days and do not store near other fruit, as the gasses the other fruit give off cause the bananas to ripen faster. I store at room temp.
Ditto Markasa. Those banana hangers work wonders to keep them fresher longer. Cost about $2.99 for the plastic one.
Don't laugh... my mom puts them on her airconditioning vents in the floor.
Actually, go ahead and laugh. It's funny!
Dawn
I've read that it's important to store them away from some other fruits, such as apples, because when the other fruit ripens they put off gases.
Here is a site that explains why bananas change color and how it affects their taste and texture. No suggestions for stopping the ripening process but interesting anyway.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-happening-as-bananas-ripe...
years ago I learned that cold causes the bananas to go black, so do not do the fridge!
I just find having them on the counter works best. Buy some that are almost ripe, and some that are very green. The ripe ones will be good at the start of the week, the green by the end of the week.
The skin will darken in the fridge, but the banana itself will remain fresher. If you are interested in having yellow skin longer, don't refrigerate. If you want an edible banana for longer, go ahead and put them in the fridge.
