Can You Ripen Bananas In The Microwave?

Nothing is worse than picking up some bananas at the store only to learn that they aren't as ripe as you would like them to be. For those of us who like our bananas on the spotty brown side, it can be frustrating when all the bananas in the store are greener than we would like. There are tips and tricks out there to help you ripen the banana faster than what time will do for the fruit. From the brown paper bag trick to some time in the oven, these tricks can take almost as much time as just leaving the banana out and letting it do its thing (via LittleSweetBaker).

Lucky for us, there are some other tricks to get a banana where you want it on the ripe scale. Something that can move the process along a little quicker than the trusty paper bag. Though the idea may sound crazy, the execution may save you a lot of time waiting around for the ideal ripened fruit — with the chance of overripening the banana.

Using the kitchen tool that saves everyone some cooking time, the microwave, you can ripen your bananas in less than 5 minutes. The key is to poke tiny holes in the unpeeled banana so it doesn't explode. Then microwave it in 30-second intervals until the banana is ripened to your liking (via AllRecipes).

It's best to point out that if you ripen the banana in the microwave, it won't have the time to become the sweet fruit you may enjoy on its own. Roasting a banana in the oven allows the starch to convert to sugar, since it's at a slower pace (via Foods Guy). The microwave doesn't give the banana the same type of time. It mostly makes it softer for smashing, so it's better suited for baking instead of just eating.

The microwaved fruit would probably be best to use in your favorite banana pancake recipe or your grandmother's banana bread. There are all kinds of banana recipes out there waiting for you to bake them now that you have this microwaving trick. You no longer have to sit around and wait for that perfectly textured banana. Just throw it in the microwave for a few minutes and let the zapping do the trick.