Can banana that turned black be still saved? The answer is kind of…

We all know that if you leave bananas in a basket at home sooner or later they will gradually turn black. Usually, within a few days. First, black spots appear and before you know it your bananas are all black. Unfortunately, the taste changes considerably too. Bananas become floury, soft and very sweet. If you leave them like that for long time, they will become inedible. There are several ways to store bananas properly. We shall look at some of them in more detail and advise you how to “rejuvenate” black bananas.

Preservation of bananas is quite a science

Any banana left at room temperature will gradually turn black and the quality will go down the drain. You can delay this deterioration process if you wrap the stems that connect individual bananas in plastic or stretch foil. They will last a little longer. We do not recommend storing bananas in the fridge, even though they last longer but they will lose the typical taste and aroma fast. If you want to store bananas longer, buy bananas that are still green. They will ripen eventually.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Plastic bag and jasmine rice

If you already have black bananas try putting them in a plastic bag with rice. We used jasmine, but pretty much any kind should work fine. Leave the bananas in the bag for about one hour.Take them out and leave them in the air for a while – a few minutes should do. Now follow the next step below.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Magic hair dryer

Now, pull out your hair dryer. Start blowing cold air on them and watch the transformation. They will turn yellow right before your eyes. Make sure the air is cold. Bananas should look fresh again… You just turned black bananas yellow without any effort. If you consider the current prices of bananas this simple and cheap renovation may be worth it. Well, at least according to foreign servers and youtube videos where it works like a charm. We tried and the result was, well, very debatable.

Preview photo: Radek Štěpán