How do I ripen fruit faster?

Some fruits continue ripening after picking and some do not. The ones that do respond to ethylene, a gas that ripe fruit releases, which is why a paper bag with a banana in it works so reliably.

What you'll need

• Paper bag
• Ripe banana or apple
• Warm spot (optional)

Step by step

1. Check whether the fruit ripens after picking at all.Avocados, bananas, peaches, pears, plums, mangoes and tomatoes do. Citrus, grapes, berries, cherries and pineapple do not.
2. Put the unripe fruit in a paper bag.Paper, not plastic. Paper holds the ethylene while letting moisture escape; plastic traps moisture and rots the fruit.
3. Add a ripe banana or apple to the bag.Both are strong ethylene producers. A banana is the most effective.
4. Fold the top over and leave it at room temperature.Somewhere warm speeds it up. Check daily.
5. Check after 24 hours and again each day.It usually takes one to three days. Overripe happens fast once it starts.
6. Once ripe, move it to the fridge to hold it.Cold stops the ripening process, so it pauses at the stage you want.
7. For tomatoes, keep them out of the fridge entirely until fully ripe.Refrigerating an unripe tomato stops it ripening and permanently damages the texture.
8. For a whole batch of bananas ripening at once, separate them.A bunch ripens faster than individual bananas because they share the ethylene they produce.

Tips

• The reverse also works: keeping ethylene producers away from sensitive produce slows everything down. Store bananas away from the fruit bowl.
• Freezing overripe bananas whole and peeled is the standard rescue — they are better than fresh for baking and smoothies.
• An avocado that feels slightly soft at the stem end is ready. Squeezing the whole fruit bruises it.

Common mistakes

• Using a plastic bag — It traps moisture as well as ethylene, and the fruit rots rather than ripens.
• Trying to ripen citrus or berries — They do not ripen after picking. What you buy is what you get.
• Refrigerating unripe stone fruit or avocado — Cold stops the ripening process, so they never ripen properly.

Questions people ask