Brown paper bag helps ripen fruit
QUESTION:
Why does fruit ripen better in a brown paper bag?
ANSWER: Couldn't you have picked an easier question, like "Do you like fried chicken?"That would have been a simple "yes" answer. For the record,
your one question is actually pretty complicated! And since I am not a food scientist (and do not play one on TV), consider your source here.Shirley Corriher explains the fruit ripening issue best in her book, "Cookwise," but she wasn't available for comment. I think she was busy making fruit pies from all her ripened fruit. I'll try to paraphrase here for you:As fruit ripens, it releases a natural gas called ethylene, which causes the starches and acids of unripe fruit to break down and turn into sugar. The best example is a plantain or a banana. If you bite into a totally green banana, it tastes like a potato and has very little, if any, sweet flavor. As it ripens and the starches and acids break down, it tastes very much like ... well, like a banana.The cell walls also break down, and the fruit becomes soft.When you put fruit in a brown paper bag, you are trapping and concentrating those gases, and thus speeding up the ripening process.Some fruits have more ethylene than others. For instance, apples are the best at breaking down these starches. If you put an apple in a bag with an unripe tomato (yes, tomatoes are fruit) or avocado (also a fruit) or plum, the ethylene in the apple will cause them to ripen quicker than they would have on their own.Be careful not to mix apples with leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower (and no, Jo Ann, these are not fruits) since ethylene gases can harm these veggies.The release of ethylene also takes place when the fruit just falls from the tree. And when fruit is left to rot on the ground, the ethylene feeds the seeds, making them more fertile.So, Jo Ann, the short answer to your one question is that the brown paper bag merely acts as a kick-start by trapping the gases, allowing you to enjoy your fruit more quickly.I hope that your curiosity about the brown paper bag theory is satisfied. And since you'll soon have a lot of ripened fruit lying around your kitchen, here's a recipe to help you enjoy it.
2/3 cup mashed, ripe bananas¾ cup mashed, cooked sweet potatoes1 cup evaporated skim milk2 tablespoons brown sugar, plus Z\c cup brown sugar (for topping)1/3 cup egg whites½ teaspoon kosher salt½ teaspoon ground cinnamon½ teaspoon ground ginger½ teaspoon ground nutmegIn a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the bananas and sweet potatoes. Add the evaporated skim milk, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, eggs and spices. Mix thoroughly.Spray large brulee dish (or 6 small dishes) with nonstick cooking spray. Pour banana mixture into the dish. Bake in a preheated, 325-degree oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.Remove the dish from oven and place the oven rack as close to the broiler as possible, leaving room for the dish. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar evenly on top. Place the pan under the broiler and broil until brown sugar has caramelized.Once caramelized, immediately remove.
