I buy a week's supply of bananas (7) when I grocery shop, but this warm weather has them ripening to the point they by the time I get to the 5th or 6th one, they are almost black and really soft (I live in an uninsulated, un-air conditioned house where lately it's 80 - 90 degrees inside). I've heard that bananas aren't supposed to be refrigerated. I hate to have to make the 20 mile round trip just to get fresh bananas every other day. Any tips on how to keep bananas?

I know that when I buy more than three I make sure to buy the extras as green as possible.

I've never put bananas in the fridge -- I know they do change skin color -- but does the actual banana change? i.e. go mushy? Or does it stay firm? I don't know. Sure someone will answer that question soon.

My mother used to put her bananas in the refrigerator because she couldn't eat them fast enough. The skins get black but apparently the inside stays firm. You've got nothing to lose, so try it and see if it works. Just let it get as ripe as you want it and then stick it in the frig.

I used to put bananas in the refrigerator after they ripened to the point that I prefer. The skins will turn black but the bananas will store well. I never noticed a change in texture or taste of the banana. Don't put them in the refrigerator before they ripen because they won't ripen in the refrigerator.

The only reason I don't put them in the fridge now is because my DH wouldn't eat a perfectly fine banana if the skin was black. If your house is that hot inside I think you would enjoy your bananas even more if they were cold. Besides over ripened bananas make the house smell.

Just a suggestion to help with the hot house. When you get cooler fair weather at night, or during the day, open your screened windows and cupboards to cool off your house. If you have double hung windows open the windows at the top and bottom. Once your house heats up it's really hard to cool off. Your dishes and pans and everything else heat up. If you don't open the cupboards and drawers the heat won't escape from those areas.

Weakest,
You're a pioneer woman to be living in an uninsulated home with no air conditioning!! I agree with keeping them in the refrigerator. Once you are ready to put them in the refrig, trying putting them in one of the Mrs. Myers green bags- they do wonders at keeping food from not ripening so fast, and they seem to increase the shelf life as well.

Good heavens, no. Forget the Green Bags. I experimented with them and my bananas went from green to rotten within maybe two days in that thing.

I agree with those who refrigerate bananas. It works well for longer-than-average storage. I let them ripen until the skins are yellow without any brown freckles, then chlll them. Skin will darken, but the flesh will be fine.

Here you go.

Just separate the bananas instead of keeping them together on the whole stem. Thought I had heard that before.

http://www.ehow.com/how_455735...serving-bananas.html

We like our bananas cold so I refrigerate them as soon as they've reached the ripeness that I like (a tinge of green with NO brown spots). I know the brown spotted bananas contain more potassium and are healthier for you, but, for me, they either go into banana nut bread at that point . . . or the garbage.

I would select a few bananas that will be ripe sooner, for the start of the week, and a few that are pretty green that will be ripe by the end of the week.

I also have put bananas in the fridge, and I think they are fine, but my husband won't eat them from the fridge, so one for and one against.

I've been buying a few to eat in a day oe two and some with green ends for the days after that and some all green ones for the later days. However, after 2 or 3 days, it doesn't seem to metter.

Mamaspoon - I can't have air conditioning in my house - it isn't wired for it. Even when I vacuum, I have to turn off the TV or it trips the breaker.

I have the same problem with bananas ripening way too fast, all at the same time as well. Now, Instead of buying my usual 6 or 7 bananas, I don't buy more than 5 in a bunch. My MIL once told me that you can refrigerate them (I had no idea you could!). So now, if I see they are all getting too Ripe at the same time, I refrigerate a few. The skins turn dark, but the inside banana is the same. I buy them greenish (now even in supermarket they're too ripe, yellow already!) and I wait for them to get a little 'freckled'. They are sweet only when they start to freckle. I'm amazed at the people that eat bananas 'unripe', just barely yellow! I have co-workers who only eat them like that. I hate them like that, they're not sweet!
I couldn't live in a place with no air conditioning and the place heats up to 80's/90's inside. Can you have window air conditioners? Do you have a bunch of powerful fans at least to cool off with? Do you have 'cooling centers' where you live?

I haven't heard of any cooling centers around here (ta least close enough to be convenient). I could always go to the store on a pretense of shopping and just hang out near the ice cream. It hasn't gotten to the point of desperation yet, though. I keep saying to myself "In 6 months we'll be wishing for a day or two of mid-90s temps." That's the problem in an uninsulated house - it's hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

I am among those who buy bananas from the grocery self in various stages making sure I purchase some green ones so that the ripening will vary and they won't go to waste. I also buy small bananas.

If you wish, you can invest in a Yonanas Frozen Treat Maker machine which is suppose to turn ripe (prefrozen and slightly defrosted) bananas into a yummy creamy desert. Use a coupon at BB&B. BTW, other frozen fruits can be used too and a recipe book comes with the machine.

Bananas are a tough fight here in FL. I buy them 4 at a time slightly green and refrigerate until night before I want one and then I take one out at a time. I split one with breakfast with Dh and they only last about 5 days in fridge. When they start to get ookky, I make a hot fudge sunday, that night for dessert!

quote:

You're a pioneer woman to be living in an uninsulated home with no air conditioning!!

I don't know what Weakest link means about no insulation, but we also have no air conditioning. Really in Maine we don't have that many hot days and have large windows and outside spaces.

WL your house is lovely. Are you sure it has no insulation? We had that poured gravelly kind of stuff under the floor boards in the attic and ourselves put batting in the spaces between the rafters. I think the walls also have that gritty stuff, kind of actually like large grits.
Our house is 106 years old.

Some day I think science will figure out a way to store heat and cold (from the actual outside temps) so that we all live in moderated temperatures. Don't know how but also don't know why not.