Bananas slowly change color as they ripen. They start out hard and bright green, changing to yellow when they are ripe and then developing brown spots on the peel. When picking your bunch of bananas at the store, consider how quickly you are going to eat them.
The best bet is to look for yellow bananas that have just a touch of green on the edges. These will last for a few days, maybe even a week. If you are trying use them in a recipe right away, you will want to get ones that are just starting to turn brown. Don't pick bananas that have blemishes, grey skins or bruises as the fruit inside will be affected.
The banana should be easy to peel. If they don't, they are not ready and will be starchy instead of sweet. If you need to ripen them quickly, a paper bag on the counter will help. And if you need to save them for more than a few days, refrigerating them will slow down the ripening process but the skins will turn brown.
Please share your own banana selection and storage tips with us too.
