bananas: ripening and storing

catspring

right, i like bananas, but hate them when they're green, as they almost always are in supermarkets, so i tend to have two bunches on the go (one for eating and one for ripening). i've heard that you can buy stands to keep the ripening bunch on. i think it's a wooden frame with a hook to hang the bananas from.
does anybody know-
a. what the hell i'm talking about?
b. if these stands exist/work?
c. where i might lay my hands on one?
thanks for your time

smilingeyerish

yep i know what your talking about, they do exist and you can get tehm in any home store, try woodies i know they defo have them there and most of them are a bit fancier than a bit of wood with a hook too!

Zaph

They exist, I have one. The homeware section of Debenhams should have them too. The real reason for them is not for ripening the bananas themselves, but rather to keep the bananas away from the rest of the contents of your fruitbowl. Proximity to bananas, ripened or unripened, make other fruits ripen quicker and so they can end up going rotten unless you eat them very quickly.

rubadub

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081031070208AAuVGtr

bananas are a climacteric fruit which means they ripen extremely fast. that said, the only thing that makes bananas ripen or not is ethylene gas. bananas are high ethylene gas producers, so if you put them in any enclosed situation, they will ripen quicker. to not ripen, which is very hard because bananas are climacteric, you need to keep fresh air circulating around them. either way, your bananas need to be used quickly because they will ripen very fast, even in open air.

If that is true they should slow the ripening on the hanger, perhaps this ripens them more evenly. Other sites said stick in paper bags to reduce air flow. Perhaps turn them daily in the bag to even out the gas.


http://www.shopwiki.co.uk/search/Banana+Hangers

Foldable banana hanger in white and yellow. Keep your bananas separate from other fruit to stop them ripening too quickly. Folds flat when not in use for compact storage.

Bananas placed on a hard surface often become bruised and soft much too quickly. To prevent this from happening, try using this wood hanger. It suspends your bananas so air can circulate around the fruit at all times. Keeps other fruit fresh longer and improves the flavour of bananas.

Thinking about it I have noticed them going brown more in certain places, probably the bottom if the gas is dense and stays at the bottom in palstic bags.

Found another use for banana hangers!

noby

1. Why do I keep reading it as 'banana hammock'?

2. Conversely, if you need fruit ripened, like tomatoes, stick them in a brown paper bag with a banana.

3. Why would you need something fancier than a bit of wood and a hook?