Bananas can be difficult to keep fresh. Once in your possession, they ripen rapidly; while brown bananas can still be used in recipes (banana bread, muffins and pancakes for instance), their flavor just isn't quite right. So if you want your bananas for longer here are some strategies for delaying their ripening process:
Keep Bananas Away From Other Fruits Bananas tend to clash badly with other fruits such as avocados, tomatoes, peaches and pears that produce high levels of ethylene gas; these will hasten their ripening process and increase spoilage faster - so to prevent this happening more rapidly ensure you store bananas separately unless they're part of a smoothie or fruit salad dish.
Separate Your Bananas mes If your bananas are in a bunch, consider taking steps to separate them by wrapping each stem individually with plastic wrap to help contain any ethylene gas produced from one banana's ripening process and prevent its effects from ripening other bananas in its vicinity. This should help preserve quality.
One effective way to slow the ripening process of bananas is placing them in the refrigerator. This will put an end to further ripening and extend their shelf life for use in baked goods or smoothies. If they have already become overripe, however, refrigerating them could still extend their life as baked goods or smoothies!
