Tesco warns customers of common mistake that makes bananas turn black

Tesco has warned that a common mistake in storing bananas is causing them to turn black. Bananas can quickly go from being ripe and firm to black and mushy.

While overripe bananas can still be used in recipes like banana bread, if you want to enjoy them as a healthy snack without wasting money, Tesco has some advice on how to keep them fresh for longer.

The supermarket suggests that shoppers “store the [fruit] right” to extend their lifespan. A spokesperson explained: “Store bananas on their own as the gases they produce will cause other fruit to ripen and spoil more quickly.”

They added: “Keep them at room temperature as refrigerating will make the skin turn black, and the bananas will transfer their smell to the rest of the fridge’s contents.

“When they ripen, bananas soften and change colour as the starch breaks down and is converted to sugar. Unripe green bananas aren’t particularly appealing when raw, but can be used for cooking.”

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You might not have thought much about how you store your bananas before, but by keeping them fresh, you’ll waste less and need to buy them less often – saving you money in the long run.

Food hygiene expert Tash Blythe has warned that bananas should not be kept in the fruit bowl, but instead, should be stored on a countertop.

To keep bananas fresh, she advised keeping them “somewhere at room temperature and away from any moisture, sunlight and overly warm temperatures whilst ripening.”

This stops them from getting too ripe too fast because “anywhere too warm will speed up the ripening process, so avoid keeping them near ovens or warm appliances”.

You can also use cling film to make bananas last longer. Just wrap the film around the banana stems.

X user @that40yearguy shared his advice, saying he puts bananas in water to keep them fresh.

He put some banana stalks in water for a week next to another bunch without water. He said: “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’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.”