Stop bananas going brown for 15 days with the water method (2024)

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While many recommend wrapping banana stems in clingfilm, a “more effective” method is immersing the stems in water.

An Express reader commented: “A simple and cheaper way of making bananas last longer is to immerse the stalk end in water. Ours keep for 10 to 14 days when stored like that. Rather than the three or four days in a fruit bowl on their own or on a banana hook.”

Social media sensation @that40yearguy tried this hack for himself.

In a video he explained: “I’ve never done a week-long test, we’re going to try this banana hack to see if they stay fresh for longer.

“I’ve got six bananas here,” and he showed two bunches of three bananas and a small plastic container of water.

Stop bananas going brown for 15 days with water method - ‘more effective’ than cling film (Image: GETTY)

“I’m going to put three bananas in the water [stalk down] and I’m going to leave the other three sitting there.

“We’ll come back in a week or so and see what they look like.”

He returned and revealed: “Let’s see what these bananas look like, they’ve been here for 12 days.

The three bananas with stems in the water were yellow with lots of brown spots, and still attached together. They were solid and firm.

The three bananas that had been left on the side, not in water, he tried to pick up from the stem but it snapped off and peeled open the banana before dropping to the floor. The peel on these bananas was browner, and the fruit itself was mushier. He described them as “shrivelled up”.

If bananas are bought green and this method is then used, they can last up to 15 days in total.

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If this storage solution doesn’t work for you, then a reliable method is to use cling film.

Content creator Armen Adamjan, who posts cleaning, plant and food hacks on his TikTok account Creative Explained, said in a previous post: "You ever buy bananas and they just ripen up way too fast before you get to eat them? Well, this is what you do."

Armen suggests wrapping a certain part of the banana in plastic wrap or cling film to keep them fresher for longer.

He explained: "Separate all the bananas and then wrap each banana stem with plastic wrap. Doing this slows down the ethylene production and keeps your bananas fresh for seven days."

This method is not environmentally friendly, so choose foil or beeswax wrap as it can be reused time and time again, as well as being effective for slowing down the ripening process of a banana.

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