Costco bananas don't seem to ever ripen (what's the trick)?

[Francis C.]

Whenever I buy Costco bananas, they never seem to ripen to yellow.

What's the trick to ripening green bananas at home?

[Roy]

Put a couple of apples in with the bananas in the bag...will help somewhat.

[DD_BobK]

My experience with very green bananas.... they often "go bad" before they ripen.

The ripen process involves the release & the action of ethylene gas. I typically use a ripe banana to "force ripen" tomatoes.

You can do the same with bananas. Put the unripe bananas in a brown paper bad along with a ripe apple. The ethylene gas from the apple will help ripen the bananas.

The paper bag will help concentrate the ethylene gas but not retain moisture which would encourage the bananas to mold.

cheers Bob

[DerbyDad03]

Overripe bananas are great for smoothies too.

Peel and freeze them if too many go bad before you can use them.

[Julie Bove]

I've had a problem with bananas not ripening. Don't know why. Not Costco bananas though. Those things come loaded with so many fruit flies, I won't ever buy them again.

[harry]

The trick is ethylene gas. Given off by (over)ripe fruit. Put your green bananas in a closed container with other over ripe fruit. The ethylene gas given off by the over ripe fruit will ripen your bananas.

[Erik]

I remember once reading that if bananas are ever ever allowed to go below 40°F, they will never ripen.

However, this article suggest even higher temperatures than 40°F can/will permanently stall ripening. See the 'ripening' heading.

Erik

[G. Morgan]

Or avocados.

[Francis C.]

I had immediately put a ripe banana and apple in the bags, leaving one bag as a control.

Here is the current result, after three days:

I'd say, so far, it's a failure; but maybe time will tell.

[Kalmia]

Wish I had that problem. I buy three at a time and they ripen very fast. My market sells Chiquitas by bulk.

I let em sit in an open wooden bowl.

[Brooklyn1]

Can take a lot longer than three days... Costco doesn't grow bananas, they buy from the same wholesaler that all the other area stores buy from... the larger stores like Costco buy in large volume so get the freshest bananas... retail stores prefer to buy greener bananas... if they ripen too much before they can sell them they end up in the trash bin. Those plastic banana bags have large holes punched in them (I can see the holes in your photo), the ethylene gas produced by the apple and the bananas themselves is escaping... using those leaky bags is almost like using no bag at all. Bananas are purposely placed in ventilated bags so that they don't ripen too quickly, it's difficult to sell overly ripe bananas. The bananas in the bags with the apple do look slightly riper (more yellowish) than the bag with no apple all way to the right. If you're in a big hurry use bags that don't leak... but those bananas will ripen on their own if left out on the counter with no bag and with no help at all if you have patience... bananas are harvested very green so they can survive shipping, you obviously chose the the greenest of the green, was probably a just arrived shipment. Usually the produce manager will put the older/riper bananas out first but often in stores that sell bananas cheap they sell too fast for much in-store ripening. Btw, most folks complain that bananas ripen too fast, consider yourself fortunate.

[DD_BobK]

Two comments...

1) Paper bag was suggested (I have never attempted to ripen fruit in a plastic bag...only paper) 2) Perhaps there is truth to "the less than 40F exposure prevents ripening" ? 3) Create additoonal condition

[DD_BobK]

On Mar 27, 7:52 am, Brooklyn1 wrote: BIG SNIP

have large holes punched in them (I can see the holes in your photo), the ethylene gas produced by the apple and the bananas themselves is escaping... using those leaky bags is almost like using no bag at all. Bananas are purposely placed in ventilated bags so that they don't ripen too quickly, it's difficult to sell overly ripe bananas. The bananas in the bags with the apple do look slightly riper (more yellowish) than the bag with no apple all way to the right. If you're in a big hurry use bags that don't leak... but those bananas will ripen on their own if left out on the counter with no bag and with no help at all if you have patience... bananas are harvested very green so they can survive shipping, you obviously chose the the greenest of the green, was probably a just arrived shipment.

[Francis C.]

I will switch to clear un-holed plastic bags.

This isn't the first time I've had the Costco bananas not ripen, but, maybe I just didn't wait long enough.

There was no way NOT to get green bananas, as that's all they had when I bought them. Must have been a fresh shipment.

[andrew s]

Brooklyn1 wrote on Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:52:33 -0400:

Why would a "paper" bag be any different than a plastic bag for ripening fruits?

[gregz]

I buy a bag of bananas when my grocery offers the bag O discount. 12-14 bananas for cheap. I guess they are past sell point or something. They are not bad by any means. I just have to think banana ! Still got a bunch right now that I bought last Friday, still good.

Greg

[gregz]

Other than my paper sack with handle sale, i never saw plastic bagged bananas.

Greg

[DD_BobK]

If you want to extend the experiment, keep a bag with holes

& switch to plastic bag w/o holes but..... my experience that I shared was with a paper bag (specifically size 8, oversized lunch bag)

plastic w/o holes may be too mositure tight, rot before ripen?

[Ed Pawlowski]

I'd use a paper bag. Plastic bags tend to allow the fruit to go moldy long before paper.

Supermarkets have ripening rooms and they control how the banana reaches the selling floor. Maybe Costco does not do it well.

[DD_BobK]

I'm not sure, I was told (or read) to use a paper bag...like a lunch sized bag.

My guess >>>

closed bag is to increase the concentration of ethylene gas, paper bag to allow bananas to "breath". Thus preventing rot by not allowing liquid water (condensation) to accumulate.

Don't know "why" for sure but in my experience paper bags just work. YMMV

cheers Bob