Bananas are a great food to add key nutrients to your diet because they are available all year round, easy to carry, and have a sweet and creamy taste. Bananas are rich in vitamins, potassium, soluble fiber, and protease inhibitors that help get rid of bacteria in the stomach. A number of studies show that eating bananas regularly can help maintain heart function, blood pressure levels, bone density, eyes, digestion, and kidney health. Buy bananas that are still fresh and save them for later consumption.
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Part 1 of 2: Storing Bananas to Ripe
Step 1. Choose bananas based on their level of ripeness
You may want bananas that are ripe or not too ripe, but this depends on when you want to eat them and how you want to store them. If you buy bananas to eat yourself, then you should buy bananas that are still green so they don't ripen quickly when stored. If you buy bananas for your family or several people who will eat them soon, then ripe bananas are suitable. Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing bananas.:
- Bananas that are green mean they are still unripe. Buy green bananas so they can be stored for a long time without freezing. Choose bananas that are still firm without black spots or scratches on the skin.
- Ripe bananas have a darker color. Ripe bananas will be yellow, but some are brown or red. The darker the color of the banana peel, the more ripe the banana will be.
- Bananas with brown stains taste the sweetest. When brown spots become more visible on the banana peel, the flesh inside is ripening. If the skin of the banana looks increasingly brown or black, then the banana is too ripe.
- Avoid bananas whose skin looks gray and dark. This is a sign that the bananas have been refrigerated, hindering the proper ripening process.
Step 2. Remove the bananas from the plastic packaging once you get home
Do not store bananas in plastic bags, as they are too moist and will cause them to rot.
There is another theory. Bananas can stay fresh longer in a plastic bag. The trick is to remove a banana and the rest remains in the plastic. If the bananas that are removed ripen faster, then the bag can maintain the freshness of the bananas. However, this will depend on the humidity and heat in the room where you store the bananas
Step 3. Store the green bananas at room temperature
Refrigerating or freezing unripe bananas will prevent them from fully ripening once they have been brought out to room temperature.
- Place the green bananas in a brown paper bag to speed up the ripening process. Also put an apple or tomato in the bag so the bananas can ripen in less than a day.
- Another way to speed up the ripening process is to place the banana near another ripe fruit in a bowl, for example with another ripe banana.
Step 4. Leave the ripe, greenish-yellow bananas exposed to air at room temperature for a few days
Be patient. While it's true that the warmer the room, the faster the bananas will ripen, you should keep them out of direct sunlight.
Step 5. Hang the bananas on the banana hanger
If you are a banana lover, then a banana hanger is a good asset. You can put a banana hanger that stands on the kitchen table, as well as a banana hanger that can be pasted. These two banana hangers allow air circulation and avoid stains on bananas.
Step 6. Store ripe bananas at room temperature if you are going to eat them in a few days
Eat bananas or refrigerate bananas when blemishes appear on the skin and before they become too ripe.
Step 7. Store the sliced bananas fresh
If you're slicing bananas to freeze or make a delicious fruit salad, adding a little lemon juice, pineapple juice, or vinegar will help keep the bananas fresh for longer.
Part 2 of 2: Storing Ripe Bananas
Step 1. Remove the bananas from the bunch
If the bananas are ripe enough, you can keep them fresh and yellow for longer by removing them from the bunch. This will keep the bananas fresher for longer.
Step 2. Store the ripe bananas with the unripe ones
Place an unripe pear or avocado near the banana. Pears or avocados will slow down the ripening process of bananas and at the same time speed up the ripening of the fruit itself. This is a win-win situation!
Step 3. Wrap the banana stalk with plastic wrap
This will prevent the naturally occurring ethylene gas that is produced during the ripening process, which will cover the entire banana so it doesn't ripen too quickly. You can tape the tape to the plastic wrap to make it more secure. Each time you remove the banana from the bunch, carefully re-wrap the banana. Alternatively, you can separate the bananas from the bunch and wrap them individually. This method takes a little patience, but the results will be worth it.
Step 4. Put the bananas in the drawer of the refrigerator once they are fully ripe
Refrigeration greatly slows the ripening process, but does not stop it. The banana peel will continue to turn brown, but the flesh will remain fresh and tender for 1-2 weeks. According to Dole Bananas (a fruit supplier in the United States), storing ripe bananas in the refrigerator will keep their delicious taste longer, even if the skin turns black.
Step 5. Peel the banana peel before freezing it
Put as many bananas as possible until they fill a sealed plastic bag or plastic container and store in the freezer. Note: Bananas that are frozen with their skins on will be difficult to peel when frozen. When thawed, the bananas will become mushy. Use frozen peeled bananas to make smoothies.
Step 6. Store bananas in the freezer for a few months
Once the bananas are thawed, you can use them for cakes and other dishes, as well as fruit sauces and smoothies. You can also add a little lemon juice so that it doesn't turn brown.
- Peel the bananas, then cut them into small pieces, or mash them before freezing.
- Divide the bananas in as many quantities as you need to use in recipes.
- Place the divided bananas in a specially sealed plastic bag for freezing or a plastic container and place in the freezer.
Step 7. Make banana bread using overripe bananas
Banana bread is a delicious treat that is planned to be made with overripe bananas. If you're late to save and eat bananas, then it's time to make a delicious dish. After all, you really don't want to waste a previously delicious banana, do you? You only need a few simple ingredients, namely bananas, nuts, flour, eggs, butter, and cinnamon.
