Bananas stay fresh and won't go brown for 2 weeks if kept away from 1 kitchen area

Bananas make an ideal light breakfast or snack, yet they often go to waste if stored improperly. The reason bananas needlessly go off before their time can simply be down to where you place them in the kitchen.

According to Mandy Applegate from Two City Vegans, bananas should be positioned well away from fruit bowls. They rapidly turn brown and mushy, she explained: "A fruit bowl is one of the worst places to store bananas since many other fruits, like apples and peaches, also release ethylene gas. Keeping bananas away from other fruit prevents a chain reaction of over-ripening."

Fruits such as bananas, apples or peaches emit a natural compound called ethylene gas, which ripens fruit so it becomes tender and flavoursome enough to eat.

When ethylene gas accumulates in the air, it will cause fruit to accelerate through the ripening process and become a spoiled mess.

Bananas are vulnerable to ethylene whilst also producing substantial amounts of it, so to keep fruit fresh, it's advisable to remove them from the fruit bowl and store them individually on the kitchen worktop.

Simply store bananas away from other fruit and any heat sources such as an air fryer or oven, which should preserve their freshness.

So to make bananas to last considerably longer, it's best to slow down their ethylene production entirely with some cling film.

Mandy explained: "Wrapping the stems of bananas in plastic wrap effectively slows down the room-temperature ripening process. The stems release the ethylene gas, so covering them traps the gas.

"This simple technique can keep room-temperature bananas firm and yellow for longer. Just a small piece of plastic wrap can make all the difference in extending bananas' shelf life."

Bananas emit ethylene gas from their stems, so covering them with cling film or tin foil prevents the ethylene gas from escaping into the atmosphere.

By removing bananas from a fruit bowl, keeping them away from warmth and wrapping their stems, they should remain fresh for up to 10 days or even 14 days beyond their usual lifespan.