A YouTube expert has revealed that bananas can stay fresh for up to three weeks if stored correctly, saving households from wasted fruit and money.
Keep Bananas Away From Other Fruit
Amy Cross from The Cross Legacy on YouTube advises against storing bananas in a fruit bowl with apples and oranges, as they release ethylene gas that speeds up ripening. She recommends keeping bananas at least three feet away from any other produce.
Cross says a hook is the best way to hang bananas, and that organic bananas tend to ripen slower than conventional ones. She also notes that bananas that look perfectly yellow and ripe at the store often turn black and overripe within days.
Simple Tricks to Extend Freshness
Covering the banana stems with a seal can prevent ethylene gas from spreading, keeping the fruit fresher longer. Cross also demonstrates opening bananas from the opposite end—pinching the tip instead of the stem—which she says is easier and prevents bruising.
For partially eaten bananas, Cross suggests keeping the peel on, cutting the banana, and storing the remaining half in a glass jar. If bananas begin to go bad, she cuts them into longer slices, flash freezes them overnight, and uses them later in smoothies or as frozen snacks.
In the comments, viewers praised the tips, with one writing: “Thanks for the tips. There's always room for new ideas. A few years ago, I saw a vid, I think it was in a zoo, and the monkeys were opening the bananas from the other end like you just showed us, I figured then that they were obviously brighter than me, so since then I've been doing the same! and it's far easier.”
