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Bananas are always useful to have in your kitchen, no matter if you love spreading them on toast, adding them to porridge or are looking forward to sprinkling them on top of pancakes. However, they are one of the most wasted foods, with over a million thrown away every day in the UK, as most people are storing them incorrectly by keeping them in a fruit bowl.

Many types of fruit release a substance called ethylene gas, which looks invisible to humans but stays in the air to help fruit ripen so it becomes soft enough to eat. Bananas are very sensitive to ethylene gas despite releasing a lot of it, and when they are stored next to other fruit, they will immediately begin to spoil and within days will become a mushy mess. However, Linda Loosli, a expert from Food Storage Moms, has shared there is an easy way to preserve bananas, as you just need to take them out a fruit bowl and wrap their stems in cling film.

Linda said: "You're probably wondering why you'd need to go through the hassle of wrapping the banana stems with plastic wrap, but it's pretty simple.

"When wrapped in plastic, the bananas contain more of their ethylene gas, which prevents the ripening process from happening too quickly.

"If you don't want the bananas to end up ripening fast before you're ready to eat them or use them to make something, this is an important trick that will extend the life of the fruit."

Bananas release ethylene through their stems, and wrapping them up will block the gas and help slow down the ripening process.

It helps keep bananas from becoming spotty and brown for a few more days, but some people have claimed wrapping up the stems can keep them fresh for up to two weeks.

All you need to do is first place bananas in a separate bowl from your other fruit, such as apples, avocados, mangoes and peaches.

Keep a bunch of bananas intact at the stem if you can, as it also helps slow down ethylene gas. Then, simply wrap up the base of the stem with cling film.

You can also use tin foil to wrap up the bananas, but try to avoid using baking paper, as it is too loose and will cause the ethylene gas to escape into the air.

This storage method is pretty simple, but it is one of the best ways to extend the shelf life of bananas so you do not have to throw them away.

If you want bananas to last even longer, then you can also place them in the fridge once they have ripened and you ensure you never waste your fruit ever again.