Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Making Bananas Last Longer

Making bananas last longer is simple. Here is how to make bananas last longer. This way you will have some for now and some for later in the week.

ripe bananas

If you are like my family, you do not like very ripe bananas. Everyone in this house likes them a little green so I am always stuck with the leftovers to use in smoothies or to bake with.

Over the weekend I read this tip in an old Tightwad Gazette book. I decided to test it myself. Bought one bunch of bananas and separated them in two. One half sat on the counter as usual and the other half you seal up in a plastic bag tightly. I used a produce bag and twist tie.

how to make bananas last longer

After several days you can see the difference. The bananas that sat out are quite ripe but the ones I sealed in the bag are still partially green. Wow how did I not know this before. Now we can have eatable bananas all week until next shopping day.
How about using some of your bananas to make my recipe for the best banana cake ever!!

banana cake recipe

If you do end up with over ripe bananas you can read what I do to use them later here. And here are a couple of recipes to use up those bananas.

Monkey Bars are a delicious moist cake like bar with coconut and chocolate chips.

And if you prefer a muffin you should try our Banana Chip Muffins. Your family will thank you.

banana muffins


61 comments:

  1. Elaine, this a great tip as I cannot stand a ripe banana either. Will try it. Please think of me today and tomorrow as I am baring my soul on my blog as never before, I am scared. hugs, olive

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  2. Great tip Elaine. I freeze them once they are ripe to use in recipes but would love for them to stay fresh longer.

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  3. writing these recipes down now. thanks for the banana advice... they have to be not to ripe or not to green for me .... right in the middle. which is tough ... thanks for the great recipes. (:

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  4. I am so glad you posted this because I love bananas. It seems that by the time the green green is gone and perfect then mush...so I intend to use your wonderful information..Thanks
    Dolly

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  5. We go through banans like crazy here. I only eat the greens ones. I'll be doing this for sure. I made french toast from banana bread last weekend which sounds kinda gross but my husband absolutely loved it! Says he won't eat french toast any other way now. Give it a try.

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  6. I did not know this! Thanks for the tip. ~ Maureen

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  7. Great tip. We have this problem all the time. When I shop I only buy a few bananas at a time and that's fine. But, when Hubby shops he buys way too many (it doesn't matter how often I tell him not to, he MUST buy in bulk) they always get too ripe and sometimes I just have to throw them away.

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  8. I'm going to cook the Monkey Bars right now. Thanks for the recipe. My MiL is West Indian and she told me off when I was first married for putting bananas in the fridge, so it never occured to me I could freeze them! xx

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  9. This tip is brilliant! I feel terrible when I have to throw a banana away or stick it in the freezer. The muffin recipe looks great too...hope you are having a good week!

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  10. Thanks for the great tip!! :) ~Sara

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  11. Hi Elaine,
    Thanks for the great tip. I detest overly ripe bananas and I use them in baking and smoothies too. I also read somewhere that if you pull the bunch apart {separate them}, they will last longer. I have been doing that and it does help. Have a wonderful day.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  12. A great tip, I also love to make something with the really ripe ones too! ;)

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  13. Hmm... who knew?!
    Thanks for sharing your tip with us.

    I actually like my bananas pretty ripe... if they get too ripe, we freeze them, and I use them later in recipes.

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  14. We keep bananas all the time in the fruit bowl so I will try this! I know if you put one next to an apple it will ripen faster. Thanks for sharing! ♥

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  15. I did not know this! Thanks for sharing such a valuable tip!

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  16. Elaine,

    What a wonderful tip. Thank you! And I am eager to try your banana chip muffin.

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  17. How did I not know this????? Great tip!

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  18. Great tip to pass along. I don't like banana's but my grandbabies do! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  19. Wow did not know that! Great tip and glad to know it worked!

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  20. Thanks so much for this tip!!! I buy bananas every week and can not keep them slightly green the way we like them too! I will get some more tomorrow and try this. XO, Pinky

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  21. Great tim! I had no idea either. I will definitely give it a try. Thanks

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  22. Thanks for this tip!! My hubby and girls love very ripe bananas {ick!} I LOVE more green bananas!

    I'm so happy I discovered you from Wow Us Wednesdays!!!

    ~*Jessica

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  23. No way!!! After all these years, this is something I never knew. huh! I have been throwing out tons of bananas lately and here it is I could have been eating them. Well, I just bought some bananas today and I'm sticking them back in the plastic produce sack. Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm pinning this one ;)

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  24. Oh, I'm going to try the Monkey Bars...sounds and looks yummy!!

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  25. I love easy tips that I wish I would have known sooner! What a money saver, too! Thanks for sharing!

    Caroline @ Double the Decor

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  26. I made the Monkey Bars! Absolutely delicious - and so easy. Looking forward to the leftovers tonight warmed up with ice cream on top. xx

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  27. Yum, the recipes sound delicious. Bananas never last long enough around here to get overripe, but this is a great tip. Thanks.

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  28. I saw you had a post on bananas (which I love...saw it on another blog sidebar) so I had to come over. Thankyou! That is so good to know. Must be why my local Costco store keeps them in bags. I am going to run and take mine out, as I have trouble with costco bananas ripening. love,andrea

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  29. Personally, I like the riper bananas. And they are so good in so many recipes! Love the photo of your banana muffin. Looks delicious!

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  30. YES! Will totally be implementing this with the next batch I buy! :)

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  31. Thanks for the tip! I actually like mine a little "freckled" BUT I can only buy 2-3 at a time because once they "freckle" they get mushy within a day or 2! I will definitely use this tip! :-)

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  32. I do prefer mine ripe, but they get way past ripe too quickly. Thanks for this tip and thanks for sharing it at Wow.

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  33. I'm definitely trying this one. I've heard so many different things that were supposed to do the trick. The latest one was taking them all apart from the bunch. This actually slowed them a little, but not much. I'm looking forward to trying this one, Elaine.
    CAS

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  34. Thanks for this great tip and Thanks a lot for sharing the one of my favourite recipe....
    I am your new linky follower
    Hope you would like to enjoy some good ceramic mugs and other crockery at....
    http://craftaworld.blogspot.com/2012/03/kitchens-love.html
    With Love
    Farah

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  35. Thank you so much for this tip!
    We also like our bananas greenish, so most of what we buy end up as banana bread :)

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  36. I know it sounds dramatic, but this tip is lifechanging. I run to the grocery every couple of days because we hate overripe bananas in this house too. Brilliant! Thanks so much for sharing.

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  37. Thanks for the tip, I'll have to try it! My method is to buy them in stages of greeness. Near perfect ones for the next day after shopping, and then one or two that are a little greener, then one or two that are fairly green, so that they ripen up perfectly over the next few days it takes us to eat them.

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  38. Great idea! Thanks. I'm going to use it when I buy bananas next time. We always have to eat them so fast or make banana bread. Which isn't a bad thing. Thanks for other recipes for using ripe bananas. Visiting from Wow Us Wednesday.
    Babs

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  39. I'll be giving the banana trick a try!

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  40. What a great tip, Elaine! How did I live this long & not know that???
    Thanks for sharing it!

    fondly,
    Rett

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  41. Hi Elaine, it really works!
    I've tried it too and posted it.
    (Of course with a link to your blog)

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  42. Hi Elaine
    Great tip. I always wait until they are black and pop them in a snaplock bag in the freezer. Then they are great to put in smoothies or for cooking. But, that's a great way to keep them fresh for a little longer. I'll give it a go.

    Thanks
    Deb.

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  43. I would have thought the plastic bag would have made them ripen faster.. Go know!! Thanks for a very helpful tip

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  44. Oh my goodness! I canNOT believe I have never heard of this!!! I can't wait to try it. I know some people like the more ripened sweeter taste, but we all prefer our bananas on the green side like you. I would love for you to share this with us at The HomeAcre Hop.

    http://summersacres.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-homeacre-hop-22.html

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  45. Thanks for the tip and the recipes! My dd can't stand overripe nanners so I will definitely be using your tip!

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  46. I buy a ton of bananas for $.29/lb - let them turn cheetah - peel them - put them in freezer bags and then use them in my Yonanas machine !!!!!! Best idea EVER ( if you don't like ice cream with artificial ingredients/sugar )

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  47. Hi Elaine. I like your suggestion about storing your bananas in a plastic bag, but I have another suggestion for you that I have been using for at least four years now. At some grocery stores, they have green golored plastic bags to put your fruits and vegetables in. I have been using ONLY these green bags for my bananas and they last even longer than in clear plastic bags. My mother told me about this tip and so I stocked up on the green bags. Whenever one gets a hole in it, I have plenty of spares. It is also best if you want your bananas to keep for a long time, to carefully pick them out with no brown/black spots on them. That seems to make the bunch all go bad faster. Just put the bananas in the green plastic bag, twist the top a couple of times,and place the top of the bag on the counter with the weight of the bananas over it.

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  48. Wonder if a Ziploc bag would work don't have any produce bags

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  49. Yes if you steal tightly in a ziploc that should work just as well.

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  50. I cannot say anymore than what has already been said. Thanks for the tip

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  51. Saw this on plant care today...what a great tip! I'm tired of throwing bananas away!

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  52. Also you need to pull them apart because they ripen faster because they share gasses thru their stem and you'll get an extra day

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  53. Once bananas are TOO ripe ( or once a banana is eaten and all that is left is the peel) instead of throwing away put it in the garden. LOTS of potassium in them and great for all your plants and flowers.

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  54. I always thought that leaving them in a bag ripened them faster..does it matter what the temperature is outside the bag?

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  55. I'm going to try this for sure. A couple other tips that someone previous might have mentioned, pull bananas apart so stems detached from each other slows process too. Also when putting in freezer take off skin prior to putting in a bag so they don't become watery when thawing.

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  56. My only concern about this method is that in the heat, wouldn't the bananas go off faster being kept in a plastic bag? Or are the bananas then put in the refrigerator in a plastic bag?

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  57. I pull my bananas apart,put them in an opaque (opaque- not letting light through, not transparent) bag and keep them in the refrigerator. The skins may turn dark or black, but the banana inside stays firm. - Also, when I peel the banana, I immediately put the skin in a sandwich bag.... no gnats!

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  58. I do this too except i cut top off a soda bottle slip it on to bag pull bag though and suck air out put the cap back on and close tight works great

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