Peaches are often bought before they are truly ripe. Instead of waiting several days, there is a simple trick that can significantly speed up the ripening process.
On store shelves and market stalls in the summer, we often only come across completely hard, unripe peaches, which are chosen by traders for their ease of transport and longer shelf life.
Instead of leaving peaches like that in a bowl for a whole week and patiently waiting for them to soften, there is a simple solution that allows hard peaches to become incredibly soft, sweet in just twenty-four hours.
Paper bag and banana: a combination that works
The trick is surprisingly simple. Place the hard peaches in a paper bag, add a ripe banana and seal the bag lightly.
Then she leave at room temperature, preferably on the kitchen counter or other dry place. In many cases, peaches will within 24 hours noticeably softer and sweeter.
Unlike plastic bags The paper allows air to circulate while retaining enough ethylene gas to speed up the natural ripening process. It's the ethylene that makes this trick so effective.
Why does a banana accelerate ripening?
Bananas during ripening they release ethylene, a natural plant hormone that promotes the ripening of many types of fruit.
Peaches are among the fruits that continue to ripen after harvest, so they respond very well to the presence of ethylene.
When they banana and peach When closed in the same space, the concentration of this gas increases, and the fruit begins to soften and develop sugars more quickly.
What you shouldn't do
If you want to speed up the process, peach do not store in the refrigeratorLow temperatures slow down ripening and can affect the taste and texture of the fruit.
It also does avoid plastic bags, as they retain moisture, which can cause fruit to spoil more quickly.
Once the peaches reach the desired softness, you can move them to the refrigerator to extend their freshness for a few days.
