It Turns Out We've Been Storing Bananas Wrong This Whole Time
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How to store certain foods is often fertile soil for debate, with many people adopting different methods.
Ketchup, eggs, chocolate and jam are all subjects of fierce discussion on whether to keep in the fridge or cupboard, but we thought there was one food we could safely say we were storing right.
Bananas go in the fruit bowl, right?
Wrong. Yes, in news that's bound to shock, experts are now telling us that keeping bananas in the fridge can extend shelf-life by one week once they're ripened. Who knew?!
This game-changing information was offered by food expert Mimi Morley, who said: "It's a common misconception that bananas should be kept out of the fridge.
"Placing them in a cool environment once at your preferred level of ripeness can actually help prolong the shelf life. While the skin will continue to brown, the flesh of the banana will remain the same and can extend shelf-life by one week."
So basically, once they're nice and yellow looking, pop them in the fridge to stay that way.
Mimi - who is Senior Chef at HelloFresh - also gave some revelatory information about other types of fruit and veg. For example, did you know cucumbers should ideally be kept OUT of the fridge?
This is because they react badly to extremely cold conditions. Ideally, they should be kept in a cool (but not too cold) environment.
Another surprising one is to do with oranges. The five-a-day is often kept in the fridge but this is wrong as moisture can ruin their the skin and subsequently, flavour.
The food expert also said fruits which fall under the berry category - such as raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and cherries - should always be kept in the fridge, but others require different treatment.
Often, it's a good idea to keep them in the fruit bowl, then move them into the fridge once they're a your ideal ripeness.
"Fruits such as apricots, kiwis, and mangoes are best left to ripen outside of the fridge," Mimi explains. "However once at the level of preferred ripeness, it's ideal to then put these in the fridge in order to increase their shelf-life and slow down the ripening process."
She concludes: "While many believe that keeping all fruit and veg in a fridge is the best way to keep them fresh and flavoursome, it's clear that there really is no one size fits all approach and assessments must be made on a case by case basis as well as considering one's own taste preference."
You should know though, that even if your bananas do go brown, the Food Standards Agency confirmed they're more than fine to eat.
"Fruit or vegetables that are a bit overripe, such as wrinkly carrots, brown bananas and slightly mushy strawberries can be eaten normally (providing they are not mouldy)," a spokesperson said. "Alternatively, they can be used in cooking, baking or smoothies."
Dare we say they're perfect for baking banana bread... that's if you're not completely sick of the stuff by now.
Topics: Tasty Food, Food And Drink