Bananas will not turn brown or soft for 14 days if you do this 1 thing

Bananas are notorious for their fleeting shelf life and can often turn brown and soft within days of being bought. They produce a high amount of ethylene gas which helps enhance their flavour but also hastens the ripening process.

But experts recommend doing one thing to stop bananas from turning soft. The tip helps keep them fresher for longer and can help make bananas last for up to 14 days instead.

According to hygiene experts from High Speed Training, separating bananas from the bunch and wrapping their stems with cling film or tin foil can maintain their freshness. When bananas are heaped together, the excess ethylene gas they produce speeds up the ripening process for the whole bunch.

The experts said: "Ethylene gas is released from the banana stem, so covering it slows the gas from spreading to the rest of the fruit, keeping your bananas fresher for longer."

They added: "Any spot that's too warm will speed up ripening, so avoid placing bananas near ovens or other hot appliances."

By separating the bananas from each other and wrapping each stem, the ripening process is slowed down as each banana is exposed to less ethylene gas. Covering them with cling film or tin foil prevents the gas from escaping into the atmosphere.

According to experts, wrapping the stems of bananas should help them remain fresh for between 10 and 14 days beyond their usual lifespan.

Other experts recommend keeping bananas in the fridge once they're ripe. This reportedly curbs their ethylene production and extends their lifespan.

Richard Thomas from fridge.com said: "Storing bananas in the fridge can be a practical way to extend their shelf life, especially once they have reached the desired level of ripeness."

He added: "The cooler temperatures in the fridge slow down the ripening process, which is caused by the emission of ethylene gas from the bananas."

However, for this method it's crucial to wait until they're perfectly ripe. If you put them in the fridge too early then the ripening process can slow which means the bananas may lack flavour.