Banana

How to store Banana

While bananas are still ripening, they're best stored at room temperature. A fruit bowl is perfect, but be aware they speed up the ripening of other fruits. If you've got particularly green bananas, you can store them in a folded over paper bag to trap the ethylene they release, which speeds up ripening. Adding an apple or avocado (which also release ethylene) to the bag will help things move along even quicker.

Once ripe, eat within a few days. If you need them to last a little longer, move them to the fridge.

Got a surplus of bananas? They can be frozen! Just remove the skins and pop the bananas into a freezer bag. They'll last for up to six weeks, and are perfect for throwing into smoothies, lending a refreshing ice cold, creamy texture.

Prep & Cooking tips

Breakfast

Nothing starts the day like a bowl of banana porridge. Stick to a rough volume ratio of 1:3 for oats to milk. Warm the milk and add some sliced banana, mashing it to a purée when it starts to simmer. Add the oats and putter gently for 8-10 mins. Thin with more milk to your taste. You can sweeten this with a little honey or maple syrup and top with a host of nuts, seeds, berries and chopped fruit. Banana bread also makes the sweet start to the day, try our recipe for Banana bread with chocolate and pistachio.

Baked

Cut your bananas lengthways along one side. Press a row of chocolate buttons into the flesh. Wrap each one in foil and bake for 12-15 mins; whether in the embers of a campfire, a hot oven, or on the bars of a BBQ is up to you. Feel free to augment with a shot of rum or a pinch of spice. A ball of vanilla ice cream is an ideal serving suggestion.

Savoury

The bananas most widely available in the UK tend to be grown to be eaten raw, and don't always fair particularly well when cooked. However, they can work in some recipes, particularly a banana curry; sweet with coconut milk and fragrant with turmeric, ginger and chilli. They could also be folded into a savoury muffin alongside bacon for a sweet/savoury combo.

However, if you can source cooking bananas, they have a more potato-like texture and a mild savoury flavour that unlocks far more savoury uses from a Green banana jerk stew, a Green banana mangu or even banana chips!