Bananas seem perfectly ripe one second and halfway rotten the next. The key to freshness lies in how you store them.
Remove bananas from the plastic bag and place them in a spot in your kitchen that doesn't get a ton of sunlight.
A banana hanger helps keep bananas from getting bruised and slows their exposure to ethylene gas, which quickens ripening.
Store bananas away from other fruits that produce a lot of ethylene gas. This gas speeds up the ripening process.
Buy bananas that are on the green side if you don't plan to eat them immediately. They will ripen at home over time.
Move a perfectly ripe banana to the refrigerator to slow down the ripening process. The peel may darken, but the fruit is still good.
Wrapping a banana's stem in plastic wrap slows down the release of ethylene gas, slowing the ripening process.