How to Ripe your favorite Fruit faster

Nothing’s worse than going grocery shopping, only to find that all the avocados are still hard and the mangoes are still green.

No one likes to have to wait for days for their fruit to ripen, but luckily there are ways you can quicken the process — for most kinds, that is.

Some fruits don’t get any riper once they are picked, so when it comes to these options, make sure you’re only buying the ripest batch from the grocery store.

You don't have to wait any longer, here's how to speed up your favorite fruit's ripening.

Paper Bag it

One of the most tried-and-true ways to ripen fruit is to stick it in a paper bag. Loosely fold over the top of the bag and store the fruit in a dry place at room temperature, being sure to keep it out of direct sunlight. Fruit contains ethylene, a gas which is released during the ripening process. When you place an unripe piece of fruit in a paper bag, the ethylene becomes trapped, allowing ripening to occur faster. Try this method with bananas, pears, peaches and avocados. Apples and bananas give off more ethylene, so add one of these to the bag to ripen your fruit even quicker.

Add a Banana

This tropical fruit is a high producer of ethylene, so pairing an avocado with a banana in a paper bag will make that avocado ripen even faster than if it were in the bag alone. Using a banana that is already ripe will speed it up even more. FYI, apples are another top ethylene producer.

Submerge in Rice

Although this method seems a little odd, it works like a charm for fruits with tougher skins. You can use any kind of rice, as long as it is uncooked. Place your fruit deep down into a bowl of rice, being sure to cover it on all sides. The rice surrounding the fruit traps the ethylene, allowing for delicious fruit to hit your mouth sooner than watching it ripen on the counter. This trick works especially well for mangoes and avocados.

Wrap it in Cloth

For fruit with soft skin, use a clean, soft linen or cotton cloth for ripening. Lay fruits like peaches or plums on the cloth, folding the remaining sides around it or laying another cloth on top. Leave the wrapped fruit on the counter until it is soft and ready to eat!

Try Heat

Want banana bread ASAP? You can bake green bananas at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-50 minutes, and they will turn soft and sweet on the inside—perfect for mashing into that bread batter. If you’re really pressed for time and don’t want to deal with the oven, you can poke a green banana with a fork (like you would with a potato) and microwave for a minute or two.