It's amazing that we're all still willing to put up with bananas, because this tricky food is just right for only a short time before they start to rot.

There's nothing worse than craving a banana when all of yours are still green, or finding out your can't make a recipe because your bananas aren't ripe.

The problem is that bananas give off a molecule called ethylene that breaks down the sugar inside the fruit. Luckily, with a little science knowledge you can make this work in your favor and ripen green bananas in no time.

Just don't forget to say "abracadabra!"

The 2 ways to use ethylene gas to your advantage are by adding heat, which speeds up the ripening process, or by pairing up your fruit, to give them a bigger dose of ethylene.

The simplest way is to leave your bananas in a bunch. If you need them for a recipe tomorrow, but your grocery store only has green bananas, just let them be and they should ripen together.

To speed things along you could wrap them in foil or put them in a paper bag, both of which seal in the ethylene.

For some extra teamwork, mix a few apples or tomatoes in with your bananas, since these fruits also leak out the gas.

If you're really desperate for ripe bananas, or a recipe calls for them dark, you can even ripen yellow bananas quickly.

Stick them in the oven at 300°F and they'll ripen in a snap. Just watch them closely, because there's no set time. Don't be worried when they turn black, the banana inside is still tasty.

These tips will let you enjoy your bananas whenever you like, but to keep ripe ones fresh longer try these instead!

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