How To Instantly Spot Bananas That Will Spoil Quickly

Buying bananas can drive you bonkers. Some are too green, some already have black spots on the peel, and others are missing their stems, making it difficult to find a bunch with a shelf life beyond a couple of days. But there is a way to figure out if they will spoil before you can eat them. The taste and texture of a banana are its two defining characteristics, so it's imperative that you know what to look for when adding a bunch of these fruits to your cart. It starts with the color, which is the most obvious indicator of whether or not a banana is under-ripe, over-ripe, or just right when it comes to its level of ripeness.

A bunch of ripe bananas will have peels that are bright yellow with just a smidge of green at either end. These fruits are sweet and ready to eat. However, if you don't have plans to consume them within a day or two, either use our plastic wrap trick to keep bananas fresh or make certain you pick a bunch that is slightly greener at either end and store them at room temperature. A green banana is going to be too firm to sink your teeth into, and if you do, you will feel and taste the starchiness of it. In fact, bananas that are not ripe are 70% to 80% starch. This percentage decreases as they ripen. 

That said, bananas have a range when it comes to their hue. If your yellow bananas have just a few brown specks on the peels, that's okay. It just means these bananas are at their sweetest, so if you plan on consuming them right away, they are a good choice. However, if they have a lot of brown or black spots on the peel, and they feel mushy when you press on them, these bananas are going to be past their prime. These bananas will work better if you are baking a classic banana walnut bread or a banana crunch cake and need the fruit to be soft enough to mash.

What other factors should you consider when selecting your bananas? If you come across a banana that looks a little gray– skip it. This tends to mean the fruit was stored at an extreme temperature and is not going to ripen. If the peel is split, this can make the banana susceptible to germs, so avoid buying split fruits. Additionally, pay attention to how a banana smells. It should have a sweet perfume. If it smells a little sour, you will want to toss it.