Simple way to keep your Banana fresh

Simple way to keep your Banana fresh

Step 1: Preserve the Bunch: Wrap Stems with Plastic Wrap 

 Step 2: Separate, then Wrap the Stems

Sure, wrapping the whole stem section works, but why keep the bananas together? Since most bananas on a bunch ripen at slightly different rates, your prematurely ripe bananas are going to put off more ethylene gas which will only serve to make ALL the bananas ripen that much faster.

Divide and conquer! Separate the ripe fruit from the slightly-less-ripe, wrap their stems in plastic, then enjoy when you're ready.

This should do a couple of things:

1. prevent ethylene gas from initiating the ripening process on under-ripe bananas
2. fully cover the stem to really forestall the off-gassing
3. make your bananas more convenient to grab and enjoy on the go

And if you're bothered by the stem wrapper, try opening your bananas from the opposite end like a monkey. You'll get fewer stringy bits and have a convenient handle to hold onto while you eat. Also, no awkwardness for that final bite.
 Step 3: Keep Banana Slices Fresh

To prevent your banana slices from browning, you can use the same trick you've seen for apples: acid!

Just toss your banana slices in some lemon juice to inhibit enzymatic browning. Full coverage, particularly on the cut sides, will help prevent the slices from turning brown. In addition to lemon juice, vinegar will also work. So would sulfuric acid, for that matter, but you probably don't want to eat it afterwards.

The acid disrupts the enzymatic breakdown process and prevents your sweet, sweet banana slices from turning into mushy little brown hockey pucks.

A dab'll do ya, so keep your acid in the teaspoon range. Or you'll just have sour bananas.