How Do You Keep Bananas Fresh Longer?
Bananas will brown sooner in the summertime than in the winter, and for a good reason. Heat hastens the ripening process. That’s why bananas are shipped green, at a temperature of 58 degrees, to slow ripening. Yellow skinned bananas will quickly brown, inside and out, giving them perhaps a two-day range of freshness. There is a way, though, to keep bananas fresh for a couple days longer. The best bananas to buy are those where the yellow portion equates about ¾ of the banana with some green on both ends, and no blemishes. Once you get your bananas home, you can store them on the counter or a hanging rack. Optimally, the room temperature should be no higher than 75 degrees Fahrenheit; temperatures higher than that will hasten ripening. After the green is gone, the bananas are ripe, and are best used within two days, before decay begins. You can, however, keep bananas fresh longer by placing them in the refrigerator once they have ripened. The skin will brown (click image to enlarge), bu
