This headline is based on a real idea but overstates the results.
Bananas ripen because they produce ethylene gas, a natural plant hormone. A few storage tricks can slow ripening, but there’s no guarantee they’ll last 10 extra days.
Some helpful tips include:
- Wrap the stems of the banana bunch with plastic wrap or a reusable food wrap. This may reduce the release of ethylene from the stem area and slow ripening somewhat.
- Keep bananas away from other ripe fruits such as apples, pears, and avocados, which also produce ethylene.
- Store them at room temperature until they’re ripe. Once ripe, you can refrigerate them. The peel will darken, but the fruit inside usually stays fresh for several more days.
- Freeze peeled bananas if you won’t use them before they become overripe.
The exact storage time depends on how ripe the bananas are when you buy them, the room temperature, and humidity. While these methods can help, claims of “10 days longer” are not consistently supported by evidence.
