Can bananas be refrigerated? - How to preserve bananas

Bananas are the perfect snack for any time of the day. The trick is figuring out a way to always have them on hand without worrying about them over-ripening on your counter.

Can you refrigerate the bananas? You can refrigerate ripe bananas to keep them fresh longer, but refrigerating unripe bananas will stop the ripening process and turn the skin black. If you put the bananas in the fridge after they have started to turn brown, they will turn to mush even faster. It is best to refrigerate ripe, but still yellow, plantains for up to two weeks.

However, there are some products on the market that will help your bananas stay fresh for longer. Read on for all the information you need to know how to keep bananas so they’re perfectly ripe for as long as possible.

refrigerate the bananas

We’ve all gone to the store, bought a bunch of bananas bigger than we can eat, and wondered how to use them all. It never fails: when you bring them home they are very green, but seemingly overnight they turn brown and mushy.

How to prevent them from turning into a mushy mess? The old rule of keeping bananas exclusively on the counter, in a pretty fruit bowl, is outdated. It’s time to start storing the bananas in the fridge!

How to store bananas in the fridge

Bananas are a tropical fruit that need heat to ripen. Putting the banana in a cold fridge will instantly slow down the ripening process.

The peel will stain and turn brown, but the fruit will stay the same as when you put it in the fridge, extending the life of your bananas by another week or even two.

The most important factor that you should take into account before putting the bananas in the fridge is to wait until they are perfectly ripe for your liking.

If you put them in the fridge before they’re ripe, they’ll still be green, at least on the inside. The skin will continue to turn black, but the fruit will not ripen.

Simply place them in the fruit drawer, making sure the skin is still intact, and that’s it.

If you store other fruits with the bananas or open the drawer often, you may want to wrap the stems in plastic wrap, which we’ll talk about later.

Bananas are a friendly fruit and will gladly lend their smell and flavor to other things in your fridge, like bread and desserts.

If you keep bananas in your fridge, make sure all your food is securely stored in airtight containers or plastic wrap so you don’t accidentally end up with a banana-flavored turkey sandwich.

Also keep in mind that bananas are delicate fruits and bruise easily, so treat them accordingly.

The best ways to keep bananas fresh

The most common way to preserve bananas for a longer time is by wrapping the stems in transparent plastic. This prevents part of the gas given off by the bananas from reaching any other nearby fruit. This method is more efficient and convenient in the long run if you separate all the bananas and wrap each one individually.

You can also hang your bananas on a banana tree out of direct sunlight. This prevents the bottoms from being bruised and allows for even airflow.

If you want bananas to ripen more quickly, you can store them in an open paper bag with other types of fruit that are already ripe.

As we have already said, as soon as the bananas are ripe to your liking, you can place them in the refrigerator.

The best containers to store bananas

1. Joie Monkey Banana Storage Container

If you hate bruised bananas and want to take extra precautions against them, you can keep your bananas safe in a specially designed storage container, like Joie Monkey’s.

Aside from being a lovely yellow color on the bottom with a clear lid with an adorable monkey on them, they are very useful.

Main features:

• Larger than most banana holders to accommodate even large bananas
• Made with FDA-approved BPA-free plastic
• Dishwasher safe for easy cleaning

The biggest drawback : The only drawback of these pods is minor. If you have a very curved banana, it may not fit well. These pods are designed for more “standard” shaped bananas, not half circle ones.

2. Green bags for fruits and vegetables from the fridge

What if you have a bunch of bananas that you need to prevent from ripening too quickly?

The fruits give off some gas after being cut from the tree. This gas is what speeds up the ripening process, turning bananas from green to mush almost overnight.

You have to control the gas leak before it becomes a problem. Green fridge bags are great if you have a bunch of bananas to store, either on the counter or in the fridge.

Main features:

• Made with a natural mineral that removes the gas that the fruit creates, preventing it from over-ripening
• Reusable: just wash, dry and store for next time
• Made without BPA in an independent facility in the USA
• Durable - perfect for packing snacks on the go or even using as lunch bags

The Biggest Downside: The only downside to GreenBags is the occasional moisture buildup. But this is easily fixed by placing a paper towel inside the bag before putting the products in.

How do supermarkets keep bananas fresh?

Have you noticed that the bananas in your favorite produce section are always almost perfect? There are two reasons for this anomaly.

1. Bananas are harvested while they are still green.
   1. Between the tree and the tent, a jet of ethylene gas is applied to them, the same gas that they release naturally. This produces the nice yellow color that we look for in our bananas.
   2. To prevent them from overripening on the shelves, always store them away from apples, tomatoes, and avocados, because those fruits naturally emit that same gas.

2. Bananas are the number 1 selling fruit worldwide, which is why they sell out constantly.

   1. It is highly unlikely that you will see the same bananas even half an hour after you first saw them.
   2. In the event that a bunch of bananas has time to brown in the supermarket, they move it to a sales shelf away from the yellow ones.

How to prevent bananas from ripening

Some people prefer their bananas to stay green. They are firmer and less sweet, and there are always some in the supermarket in this color.

Here’s how to keep bananas from ripening:

• Peel and slice the banana, cover very lightly with lemon juice or vinegar and store in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the fridge.

Be careful when using this method, too much lemon or vinegar and your sweet banana will turn quite sour.

How to prevent bananas from turning brown

Bananas are one of the most delicate fruits. To delay the browning effect, display them in a glass bowl with hard, unripe green avocados.

The bananas will share the gas they give off with the avocados, helping to ripen the avocados while also delaying the browning effect of the bananas.

Another way to prevent browning is to wrap the stems of each banana in plastic and put them along with any other fruit that is still “green.” They can be stored like this in a paper bag or in a bowl on the counter or table.

Related questions

Can you put bananas in the freezer?

If your plantains are still overripe and soft, don’t throw them away! You can freeze them.

You put them in the freezer as is, shell and all. Although this way is convenient at the moment, it can be annoying when it comes time to thaw and use them.

Bananas that have been frozen with the peel on and then thawed before use become a slimy mess and almost impossible to peel without mashed bananas all over the place.

To avoid the mess, peel and wrap whole bananas individually before putting them in the freezer. You can also cut the bananas into bite-sized pieces, spread them out on a cookie sheet, and freeze the pieces individually.

Once they’re frozen, you can transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe container and they won’t clump together.

You can also puree them before freezing, which is a great option for smoothies and baking. If you want to know how to freeze bananas, check out this article: How to Freeze Mashed Bananas .

Should banana bread be refrigerated?

Banana bread is one of the favorite delicacies of many people. It is soft, moist and delicious. It can keep lightly wrapped on the counter for a couple of days, but if you can’t eat the whole bar in two days, keep it in the fridge.

The moisture from the bananas will cause the banana bread to mold faster than regular room temperature bread. Wrap your banana bread tightly in plastic wrap or use a tightly closed spare bread bag.

Banana bread can be kept for a week or a little longer in the fridge. However, you will always have to keep it wrapped so that it does not share the banana flavor with your other foods.

By the way, if you like to make banana bread, check out our review of the best flours for banana bread!

How do you avoid fruit flies?

Fruit flies are a common nuisance on countertops. Sometimes the fruit you take home from the store already has microscopic fruit fly eggs attached to it. To prevent them from hatching in your house, wash the outside of all fruits when you get home.

Make sure all fruit is completely dry before storing. What is worse, flies or mold? It’s best to avoid both by making sure fruits and vegetables are clean and dry.

To further reduce the chance of a fruit fly infestation in your kitchen, you can store fruit in the microwave, oven, or even toaster oven to keep it at room temperature but sealed. Of course, do not forget to remove them before turning on the heat.

Can avocados be refrigerated?

Just like bananas, avocados go from underripe, to ripe, to overripe seemingly overnight. The good news is that you can keep avocados in the fridge. You just have to choose the right time.

Refrigeration drastically delays the ripening process. If you put an avocado in the fridge before it’s ripe enough, it will take forever to be edible.

On the other hand, if you put an avocado in the fridge when it starts to get soft, not only will it stay soft, but it can speed up the ripening of the other items in your fridge.

As soon as your avocado is exactly how you want it, you should eat it immediately or put it in the fridge.