Gold Brown

Gold Brown

How to Keep Bananas Fresh and Prevent Them from Turning Brown

Bananas are an affordable, delicious fruit that offers not only great taste and value but also offers many excellent health benefits including being a wonderful source of potassium, which helps to control blood pressure (and of course prevent painful muscle cramps) and a natural antacid effect which helps to protect the stomach from ulcers. In fact, the only downside to them is that they have a comparatively short life expectancy – it is not easy to keep bananas fresh. Unfortunately, storing bananas in the refrigerator only accelerates the browning reaction because the lower temperature causes the breakdown of cells, so bananas should be stored at room temperature until they are ripe and then kept in the refrigerator to keep them from ripening further.

Bananas naturally grow in warmer climates, so they will brown sooner in the summertime than in the winter -- warmth speeds up the ripening process, and yellow skinned bananas will turn brown quickly, both inside and out, giving them only two days or so of freshness. For best results and longer shelf-life one should purchase greener bananas and allow them to ripen, then place them in the refrigerator once they have ripened; the skin will turn brown but the fruit will remain white and firm, extending the bananas' freshness for up to four days after it ripens.

If you buy bananas and they are not as ripe as you would like them you can speed up the ripening process by placing the bananas in a paper bag for a day or two, the skin may still be green but the flesh of the fruit will be soft and sweet.

If your bananas become overly ripe put them in the freezer, the banana will turn brown or even black, but it will retain its sweet flavor and be perfect for cooking and baking after it is thawed, it will be mushy and sweet tasting, perfect for foods like banana bread.

Once a banana has been peeled it has a natural tendency to start turning brown, this process can be delayed or even stopped by misting it or dipping it in an acidic fruit juice like lemon, lime, pineapple or orange. There are also a couple of commercial products that have the same effect. Banana slices should be rubbed or brushed with fruit juice, avoid immersing the slices in juice, because this will make them soggy.

Always store bananas away from other fruits because they release a lot of ethylene gas which will speed up the ripening of any produce located close to them.

In order to keep bananas fresh longer, along with almost all of your food try a revolutionary new device in food preservation called eggstrafresh®. It is scientifically proven to increase the shelf life of food by dramatically reducing oxidation and retaining moisture. Moisture loss and oxidation are the two leading causes of bacteria, mold, rapid food spoilage and nasty odors. eggstrafresh® also improves the flavor, taste, natural color and texture of all foods, both in the refrigerator and in the pantry. Visit http://www.eggstrafresh.com to learn more about this exciting new scientific breakthrough.

About the Author

Mark Gold has more than 27 years of experience in the Food and Beverage Industry. He has written numerous articles on foods and food preservation.

What color flowers go with mocha brown, crimson red, and gold themed wedding?

I'm getting married in october and i am haing a hard time deciding on what flowers will coordinate well with my bridesmaid dresses. They are mocha brown with a crimson red sash, and i am using gold damask tablecloths with red accents at the reception. i want to use the fall colors but the cheesy fall theme.

Leonardis Roses - Brown/Orange/Red Tonings.

Tie in a simple handtied, round bouquet. Ribbon colour - probably wouldn't make a feature, as your bridesmaids already have enough 'adornment' with their sashes.

Ask your florist - they are an unbelievable colour. Searching images hasn't returned many images that do them justice!

The Stranglers - Golden Brown (lyrics)