With these methods, you are technically cooking the banana rather than ripening it, and they won’t convert the starches in the same way natural ripening would. But they will tenderize the banana’s flesh and turn it somewhat sweeter.
Verdict: For bananas with soft flesh, the microwave and oven methods can’t be beat for speed, but their flavor might be lacking.
Another option is to mash the underripe bananas with any eggs in your recipe. Proposed by Stella Parks of Serious Eats, this method takes advantage of the amylase present in the egg yolks. A starch-breaking enzyme, amylase plays a crucial role in banana ripening. Mixing the underripe banana flesh directly with the egg triggers a chemical reaction that quickly breaks down the fruit’s starches. After 30 minutes, you’ll have a mash ready for any and all banana baked goods.
Verdict: If it’s speed and sweetness you’re after, this is your best bet. However, the flavor won’t be quite as complex as naturally ripened bananas.
Do bananas placed in a bag ripen faster?
Logic has it that sequestering an unpeeled banana in a brown paper bag traps its natural ethylene gas—the plant hormone that triggers ripening—and, in turn, expedites the ripening process.
When I performed this test in my apartment at room temperature, I found that after 3 days, my paper bag bananas boasted the same level of spottiness as those left exposed on the counter. A plastic bag elicited identical results.
Verdict: Giving your unripe banana the paper bag treatment won’t hurt, but it probably won’t help either.
Where’s the best place to ripen bananas?
Lots of folks say to set your bunch high up, say on top of your refrigerator, to help them ripen faster. My fridge doesn’t have a “top,” per se, with cabinets built above it, so I wasn’t able to test this method for myself. However, in an earlier version of this article, my colleague, creative producer Tommy Werner, found this to be the most effective method for swift natural ripening.
“They were the first to show brown speckles,” he wrote, noting they took about four days to show this telltale sign of ripening. “And they continued to outripen all the other tested fruit. While the other tested bananas were still losing their green streaks, these bananas turned mushy on the inside while the peels took on a leathery appearance.”
Verdict: Want to ripen your bananas naturally? Look for the warmest spot in your kitchen (probably above an appliance, like your refrigerator). It’ll take a few days, but the flavor payoff is worth it.
