Banana farmers exercise careful control over the ripeness of bananas by storing them under certain conditions to extend their shelf life. When you get home, you can rearrange their work with a few tricks that come from their own knowledge. Read this article to find out how to make raw bananas soft and delicious.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Ripening Bananas
Step 1. Put the bananas in a paper bag
Bananas produce ethylene gas, a hormone that triggers ripening. Store bananas in a paper bag to catch more of the gas near the fruit.
- Avoid paper bags with a waxy coating, which can absorb ethylene.
- The plastic bag blocks oxygen from reaching the fruit, which can sometimes decrease ethylene production.
Step 2. Add other fruits to the bag (optional)
Some other types of fruit also release ethylene, thereby ripening nearby fruit. Best choices are apples, pears, apricots and other similar drupes, avocados, kiwis, and quinces (similar to pears, golden yellow when ripe). Other types of bananas will also help, but have little effect unless ripe.
- Use the ripest fruit you can find, and/or chop the fruit to encourage more ethylene production.
- Even other fruits, leafy vegetables, and tubers can sometimes produce ethylene if they are badly damaged. If you have no other choice, cut the fruits, vegetables, and tubers into small pieces and put them in a bag.
Step 3. Leave the bag in a warm room
Hot temperatures significantly accelerate banana ripening. The ideal ripening temperature for its taste and texture is around 18-20 degrees Celsius. This is the room temperature in the warmed house. Placing the bag in a hotter location – such as on top of the refrigerator or stove – can speed up ripening. The results may not cook evenly, but this shouldn't be a problem for home use.
Avoid damp areas, which can cause mold
Step 4. Add moisture in dry weather
Low humidity can slow ripening or affect flavor. If the weather is dry, turn on a humidifier in the kitchen, or remove a metal container filled with water.
Step 5. Check the bag frequently
Bananas will usually ripen within 48 hours, but it can take several days if they are still green. Check bananas once or twice a day, as fruit stored with bananas will overripe quickly.
Method 2 of 2: Heating in the Oven
Step 1. Use this method to make bananas that feel sticky and warm
Cooking the bananas will make them soggy, sweet, and brown. This is the perfect way to make banana bread and other baked goods, and it's fine if you want to eat the banana right away.
Step 2. Turn on the oven
Heat to 150 degrees Celsius.
If you don't want the bananas to turn completely black, set the oven to the lowest setting. The normal is at a temperature of 77 degrees Celsius
Step 3. Arrange the bananas on a lined baking sheet
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to trap the mushy banana flesh. Arrange the unpeeled bananas in this pan. Don't let it collect, so that warm air can circulate.
Step 4. Check bananas regularly
Turn on the oven light so you can keep an eye on the bananas. For most baked recipes, you can wait until the bananas are completely black. This should take about 20-40 minutes, depending on the size of the banana and the characteristics of the oven.
Step 5. Add bananas to the recipe
Here's an easy way to add mushy baked bananas to the batter: cut the ends of the bananas with scissors, then squeeze the skin to remove the filling.
Tips
- Indian food shops light incense (agarbathi) in banana storage rooms. Incense releases ethylene and accelerates ripening. (Properly starting the fire also releases ethylene, but will make the bananas mushy!)
- There are other ways to speed up ripening, but they smell bad and are expensive. “Caprylic acid” or “octanoic acid,” which is sold as a dietary supplement, can make unripe bananas more sensitive to ethylene, a gas that triggers ripening. Because it also inhibits banana ethylene production, this method can only be used if the banana is stored in a bag with other fruits.
- Freezing bananas will also make them mushy, black, and overripe.
- If the bananas are too ripe, make a banana smoothie or banana bread.
Warning
- Keep bananas away from moisture to prevent mold.
- Do not store unripe bananas in the refrigerator. Bananas won't ripen properly even after they're back at room temperature.
