You buy a bunch of yellow bananas at the supermarket, let them sit for a few days, because, well, life, and then when you finally reach for one for a snack, you discover that they’ve already started to rot—a disappointing outcome not only for your belly, but also your wallet.
Bananas may be delicious and nutrient-packed (that sky-high potassium content? *Chef’s kiss*), but as any fruit fan knows, there’s a major catch: their short shelf life. To put it bluntly: “They’re not going to last long once you buy them,” Martin Bucknavage, MS, a senior food safety extension associate at Pennsylvania State University, tells SELF.
Sure, you can always mash up a few overripe ones to use in oatmeal, banana bread, and smoothies—they have a sweeter, more intense flavor and an easily blendable texture that actually makes them better suited to these types of recipes—but there are also ways to extend bananas’ seemingly blink-and-you-miss-it window of peak quality so you have more time to enjoy them fresh too. Here are three strategies for boosting their shelf life (for at least “a couple days longer,” Bucknavage says) so they don’t turn mushy and overripe before you have a chance to chow down.
1. Store them in a cool, dry place (or in the fridge once they’ve fully ripened).
High temps increase the activity of microorganisms and other factors that cause spoilage, so keeping your bananas out of heat and humidity can help increase their lifespan. For example, “you wouldn’t want to put the bananas on a counter where the sun’s shining through the window and hitting [them],” Bucknavage says. “That’s not going to be helpful.”
Ideally, the storage environment should be around 54 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Bucknavage: It’s “sort of that magical temperature that prolongs the shelf life without cold-damaging the fruit,” he says. While that point may be ideal, anything below the normal room temp in your home (which is likely significantly warmer than 54 degrees at this time of year) will still help delay ripening. Depending on your household layout, a cabinet, cupboard, or pantry could work well. “I store mine on my kitchen table where it’s away from the light,” Cindy Brison, MS, RDN, an extension educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, tells SELF. Select a location not too close to your oven or fridge, since those “have a tendency to give off heat.”
Once your banana reaches peak ripeness, you can also buy yourself some extra time by stashing it in the fridge. Basically, the lower temps will slow down continued maturation in the banana, preserving it for an extra day or two, Bucknavage says. While the chill will cause the peel to turn black, it won’t damage the fruit inside (like, the part you eat), so don’t freak out over any changes in appearance. “Don’t be afraid of that,” Brison says. “It’s natural.” Just make sure not to jump the gun: Storing bananas in the fridge before they’re ripe will mess with the ripening process. (Plus, they’ll end up with an off flavor and mealy texture, according to the University of Arkansas.)
2. Wrap their stems and keep them away from other fruit.
We know this tip might sound weird, but there’s some legit science behind it: You’re limiting the bananas’ exposure to ethylene, a gaseous plant hormone emitted by certain types of fruit “that causes fruit to mature,” Bucknavage says. Not only are bananas among the types of fruit that produce ethylene, they’re also particularly sensitive to it, so minimizing that exposure is maybe the single most effective preservation technique.
