Why You Should Try Hanging Your Next Bunch Of Bananas

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Many people believe a perfectly ripe banana is one of the greatest fruit treats you can have. The problem is, catching a banana at its peak can be tricky since these yellow tropical treats ripen at warp speed. The culprit is ethylene gas, a plant hormone naturally produced by bananas and released from the fruit's stems when they are cut from trees. If bananas are placed upright on the counter or in a bowl, they are sitting in the midst of their own gases, causing rapid ripening. But if you hang bananas from their stems, air circulates better around the fruit, dispersing the ethylene gas. It's even better if you have air blowing toward the bananas by way of a fan or open window. Careful, though. You don't want bananas sitting in sunlight since heat can also cause them to ripen quickly.

It's also worth noting that pressure on banana skin can cause bruising and premature browning. Suspending bananas helps to prevent this and encourages even ripening. There are specially designed bowls meant to hold fruit and allow bananas to hang, like this two-tiered version from Auledio on Amazon. These are clever and useful, but you should be aware that certain fruits like stone fruits, apples, melons, pears, and tomatoes also emit a lot of ethylene gas and should be kept away from bananas if you want them to last as long as possible. Invest in a banana hook that is meant to hold bananas on their own, not with other fruits.

While your bananas are hanging, looking pretty, and ripening at a slower rate, there are additional tricks so they'll stay ripe but not too ripe for a few more days. By wrapping the banana stems with aluminum foil or plastic, you prevent the ethylene gas from releasing as quickly as it normally does. And despite them being a tropical fruit, bananas don't necessarily like heat. When they are exposed to too much of it -– you guessed it -– they'll ripen faster. Purely out of spite. Once they are picked from a tree, the ideal temperature to store them at is 54 degrees Fahrenheit, which isn't ideal for home kitchens. Keeping them in a cool, darkened pantry can help.

You can also store bananas in the refrigerator, but not while they are ripening. If you have green bananas, let them get yellow on a banana hanger, then transfer them to the fridge. The skins will darken, but the fruit inside will stay pretty good for a couple more days. If your bananas do begin to ripen quicker than you can eat them, you can always resort to making banana bread, pancakes, or muffins, the ultimate solution to overripe bananas. You can also peel them, slice them into chunks, and freeze them (they'll actually get sweeter) to use later in frozen shakes and smoothies. Or make frozen banana treats by placing a popsicle stick through the long end of a banana half and freezing it. Then, dip the chilled bananas in melted chocolate and finish with chopped nuts, nut butters, chocolate chips, sprinkles, or whatever else sounds good. Freeze again until everything is solid.