While fresh food is great for your body, it can go off pretty quickly unless you store it properly. Bananas are a great example of this, but thankfully, we know several storage solutions that will help prolong their life.

Leave Them In The Fridge

A good way to keep your bananas alive for longer is to store them in the fridge once the peels lose their yellow color. The lower temperature will help maintain the fruit’s freshness, so even if the outside is brown, the inside will still be good to eat.

Wrap Up The Stems

Ethylene is responsible for bananas ripening, and this is released from the stems of the fruit. Fortunately, you can slow the release of this gas if you wrap the stems in plastic. If you cover each one firmly, you can be sure to get a few extra days out of your bananas.

Store Them On The Hook

Want to know another way to stop ethylene from acting so quickly? Put your fruit on a banana hook. Doing this allows for a greater flow of oxygen around the bananas, thereby holding back some of the ethylene. It also avoids bruising.

Avoid Other Fruit

Plenty of other fruits like apples and pears also produce ethylene gas, so it’s a smart idea to keep all this fresh produce away from one another. Doing this will prevent your bananas – and the rest of your fruit – from going off too soon.

Use Citrus Juice

If you prefer eating your bananas in slices, you might want to coat them with citrus juice. Doing this slows down the oxidation process, especially if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. This is great if you don’t wish to eat the slices straight away.

Now there’s no more worrying about your bananas going off before you eat them. With these tips, you can easily keep your fruit fresher for longer.

Saudi Arabia is not just a country rich in oil and gas reserves. Its wealth spans its diverse and incredibly scrumptious cuisine as well. One of its most prominent dishes is known as the Al Kabsa, a spicy, flavorful meal made with rice and chicken or lamb that will pamper your senses with each bite. Here’s how to make it yourself!

Al Kabsa Ingredients

For the Dish

• 3 lbs chicken cut into 8-10 pieces
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• ¼ cup tomato puree
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 3 carrots grated
• 14 ounces canned chopped tomatoes with liquid (or fresh)
• 2 whole cloves
• ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 4 cups hot water
• 2 ¼ cups basmati rice don’t rinse or soak this
• ¼ cup slivered almonds toasted
• ¼ cup raisins
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Kabsa Spice Mix

• ¼ teaspoon ground green cardamoms
• ½ teaspoon saffron
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground dried limes

How to Make Al Kabsa

Step 1

Grab a large stockpot or dutch oven and melt the butter in it. Then, add the onion, garlic, and chicken pieces, and sauté until the meat is browned and the onion is tender.

Step 2

Add the tomato puree, stir in nicely, and let it simmer over low heat for a few minutes. Then, add the carrots, cloves, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and all the spices, including the kabsa spice mix. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Step 3

Add the chicken stock cube and the water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Let it simmer over low heat for about half an hour.

Step 4

Carefully stir in the rice and cover again. Let it simmer for another 35 to 40 minutes. Add the raisins in the last 10 minutes and continue to cook until the rice is tender and ready.

Step 5

Serve the Al Kabsa by placing the rice at the bottom and topping it with the chicken. Garnish with almonds or cashews. Enjoy it straight away with a hot sauce called ‘Shattah.’