Bananas are one of the most wasted foods in British households as they often turn brown and spotty after just a few days, but there is a simple way to keep them yellow for much longer. Many people do not realise they are storing bananas wrong as they should never be placed inside a fruit bowl, and should instead always be kept separate from other fruits. 

Kendall, a baker and the founder of A Bit of This, A Dash of That, has shared that bananas also stay fresh for much longer if their stems are wrapped up. She confessed that she was annoyed that her bananas were quickly becoming “soft and bruised”, which meant she had to go to the supermarket more often, so she decided to try out a “brilliant” storage hack she found online.

Kendall said: “The original idea has you wrapping plastic wrap around the tops of the bananas, but we had aluminium foil, so I used that instead. 

“I figured it's probably just that the tops need to be covered and not so much about it being plastic wrap or foil.”

Kendall wrapped up the stems of a bunch of bananas in tin foil and took a photo of them everyday, then after a week she was surprised to see the fruit was still bright yellow. 

She said: “I took advantage of the fact that they weren't going bad and saved them! I love having bananas on hand to snack on, and now that this little trick works, I can have them last a whole week and not have to worry about going to the grocery store!” 

The reason this storage method works so well is because bananas release a natural substance called ethylene gas after they have been harvested, which is a hormone that ripens fruit to help make it more flavourful. 

Bananas are very sensitive to ethylene gas, and if too much of it is released into the air, then it will cause them to begin spoiling at a faster rate.

Apples, avocados, pears and melons tend to release the most ethylene gas which is why it is not a good idea to store these fruits together in a bowl as everything will quickly begin rotting.

However, bananas release ethylene gas through their stems and when you wrap them up it will greatly slow down the ripening process which will help preserve them. 

All you need to do is take a piece of tin foil or clingfilm and wrap it tightly around the stems of a bunch of bananas. 

It is better to keep bananas together as a bunch rather than break them apart, as this also helps slow down ethylene gas. 

Keep your bananas wrapped up and stored away from other fruits to maintain their freshness so they will last for at least seven days longer.