Apples and bananas — icons of the fruit basket, superstars of the school lunch box — are not the most compatible pair. That’s because bananas are one of the biggest emitters of ethylene, a natural plant hormone that accelerates the ripening of many fruits. While this can advantageous in the case of fruits you want to eat as soon as possible; it’s less optimal if you’re trying to keep a basket of just-ripe peaches from turning to mush. Apples also produce ethylene, so storing them alongside bananas may speed up the ripening of both fruits. So what’s a fruit lover to do? Wrap bananas in foil or plastic wrap to slow the ripening. You can also hang bananas from a designated banana stand to allow air to circulate around the fruit. Green bags can also slow down ripening by controlling ethylene. Now for the real shocker: You may have heard that storing bananas in the refrigerator will cause them to turn brown. The truth is that the peel may quickly turn brown or black, but a ripe banana’s flesh can remain usable. Note that only ripe bananas should be put in the refrigerator, as green bananas may not ripen properly at refrigerator temperatures.
