Bananas are one type of produce we rarely have to think much about regarding proper storage. We just plop them down on the counter. Once they threaten to turn to mush, we either freeze them or make banana bread.

But, because we've been on a bit of a produce-storage bender around here lately, we wondered if there was a way to keep bananas fresh longer.

We've heard that wrapping the top of a bunch of bananas in plastic wrap can prevent the ethylene gas the fruit naturally gives off from ripening the fruit too quickly. And, alternatively, that you need to break apart the bunch before wrapping each stemindividually in plastic wrap to truly slow the ripening process. We decided to try both ways.

In each photo below, the bananas on the left have no plastic wrap on them; the bananas in the middle have plastic wrap around the entire top of the bunch; and the bananas on the right were first separated and then the tops were individually wrapped in plastic.

And then we waited. 

Four days later, the bananas without any plastic wrap definitely ripened faster than the two plastic-wrapped bunches, with the individually-wrapped bananas ripening slightly slower than the bunch that was wrapped as a whole.

It's clear the plastic-wrapping methods work, but are they worth it? Probably not. Once bananas are ripe, just put them in the fridge: Your bananas will stay at the perfect level of ripeness, and you won't waste plastic wrap in the process.