Keep food fresh for longer! Storage tools.

Top tips

Try our top tips and ideas for making the most of the food we buy. Find out what types of food can be frozen and how to make your fridge a true food saving hero. Why not share your own tips to reduce food waste with fellow Love Food Hate Waste supporters.

Our tips for Bananas

  • Bananas

    Submitted by Jane Suthering, London

    Always keep bananas separately from other fruits unless you want the other fruit to ripen quickly.

  • Buried treasure for little Pirates

    Submitted by Alice Squires, Warrington

    If you have a few odd pieces of fruit which need eating up, slice them into the correct number of bowls for your little pirates and smother in freshly made custard (instant, tin or carton will do, but work out more expensive and it's easier to get a specific amount if you make it up yourself). My children love hunting for the buried treasure so much that they told me I should sell the recipe! You can easily adapt this idea with a few sweets, chocolate buttons or whatever else you have to hand...

  • Freeze bananas

    Submitted by Andrea, Glasgow

    They go brown quite quickly so if you see them start to go speckly, put them in the freezer. I use a casserole dish, peal them, lay them flat and put the lid on, when they have frozen take it out and put them into bags. You can use frozen bananas in smoothies or bake them in the oven with a bit of honey dripped on top for a nice dessert. You could even defrost them and eat them raw, but you'd have to time this right and do it within half an hour.

  • Black Bananas?

    Submitted by Love Food Hate Waste,

    Banana skins will blacken if kept in the fridge. Keep at room temperature, preferably away from other fruits which can ripen much quicker next to them.

  • Storing Bananas

    Submitted by Love Food Hate Waste,

    If you buy your bananas in a bag you may be surprised to know that they stay firmer and look better for at least a few days longer if you keep them in the bag.

  • Nutty surprise!

    Submitted by Womens Institute,

    Slice banana and gently heat in a frying plan with a little butter and brown sugar or maple syrup. Add an oat cereal and some extra nuts and dried fruit. Presto!

  • Smoothies!

    Submitted by Womens Institute,

    Freeze the banana either whole or cut up into chunks and place in an airtight container. Place the banana in a blender along with two or three other fruits (berries work well) and some fruit juice. Add yogurt if you like and blend until smooth. The frozen bananas will keep the smoothie cool without ice.

  • Daily Fruit

    Celebrity tip by Anthea Turner

    A great way of getting children to have their daily fruit portion and of using up leftover fruit is to invest in a smoothie maker. These make great breakfast and snack options

  • Preparing bananas

    Submitted by Pat Minshall, Sydney, Australia

    To stop bananas going brown when peeled [in fruit salad or sandwiches etc] place in very hot water for 15 seconds before peeling, let cool, then peel and use as usual. The skin will go black, but the fruit will fine.

  • Freeze ripe bananas for cakes

    Submitted by Gail, Manchester

    When bananas become ripe, throw them in the freezer and defrost when needed to make banana bread/muffins etc, you hardly even need to mash them as they are so runny!

  • Banana Tree

    Submitted by SlayerKat, London

    Keeping bananas hanging on a banana tree is a great way to keep them fresher for longer. The banana tree keeps bananas in their natural hanging position and also prevents them from getting squashed or contaminated by other fruit. Banana trees also look good on display!

  • Ripe bananas

    Submitted by Lee, New Zealand

    Freeze them whole to use later in cakes, muffins or pikelets. They thaw quickly.

  • Left over yoghurt

    Submitted by Sarah, Limerick, Ireland

    Mix yoghurt with any over ripe fruit such as banana and strawberries. Pour into lolly moulds and freeze.

  • Over-ripe bananas

    Submitted by Susie, Dundee

    Mash bananas on toast with a sprinkle of cinammon for a delicious breakfast.

  • Banana skins

    Submitted by Tami, san jose, ca

    Feed them to your roses for potassium...helps them grow better.

  • Breakfast bananas

    Submitted by Hannah Wood, Ipswich

    Slice an over ripe banana and blend with milk until smooth. Pour over cereal such as weetabix or muesli for a healthy breakfast. It's a great choice for before a workout! Also works well if you mix in other soft fruit that is about to go off - such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries . It uses up old fruit, adds more taste to the cereal, plus the different colours the milk ends up amuses my kids no end!

  • One sad brown banana

    Submitted by Abi, Sheffield

    Add it to a curry. Best with veggie or lentil - adds a certain fruitiness without being a definite taste.

  • Banana

    Submitted by Mary , Exeter

    If bananas are going riper than will be eaten I pop them in the freezer whole. I then defrost them at a later time to mash & add to pancake batter or use in muffins or even add as part of the fluid to a choclate cake mix. ( 1/2 cup banana = 1/4 cup fluid).

  • Frozen banana and choc lollies

    Submitted by Lynne, Berkshire

    Put bananas as they are in their skins into the freezer. Eat out of the skin from frozen - particularly good on a warm summer's day and a great alternative to unhealthy creamy lollies! For a more decadent treat, melt some leftover chocolate, peel the banana and cut in half, poke a wooden skewer into the end of the banana (to make a lolly) then coat the banana with the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to set then wrap well in clingfilm, stick into a freezer bag or tub and freeze. Wait until they are frozen before you eat them!

  • banana skin

    Submitted by kath coulthard, saltburn

    clean your leather handbag or your shoes with a banana skin, and just buff with a soft duster to shine save buying polish

Got a top tip to suggest? Let us know

Show tips for…