How to Store Bananas So They Don't Turn Black

The first—and maybe only—rule that you need to know when it comes to storing bananas is to avoid keeping bananas in the fridge, especially before they're ripe. Bananas are tropical fruits, and, in general, tropical fruits don't handle cold storage well. That's why the best way to store bananas is at room temperature, not in the fridge, especially when they're green and not yet ripened.

As a banana ripens, it gets sweeter, softer, more aromatic—and also browner. That discoloration isn't a sign that your fruit's gone bad, though. It's a natural part of the ripening process, and the more discoloration, generally the riper and sweeter the fruit. If you do insist on refrigerating your bananas, the time to do it is when it's got some of those speckles, indicating the starch has turned to sugar.

Once a fruit is ripe, it can be refrigerated with relatively little discoloration of the flesh, although the peel will still turn black.