Tomatoes are the best juicy addition to a salad, sandwich or even a burger at this time of year, but keeping them fresh can be tricky if you do not know how to store them. It is often debated whether tomatoes belong on the counter like fruit or in the fridge with vegetables, but the best storage method is actually a lot more nuanced.
Rachel, a cook and creator of The Fond Life, has shared that tomatoes will lose a lot of their flavour if you store them in the fridge when you unpack them from the supermarket. She said, “Don’t store in the refrigerator. No one wants to eat an unripe tomato. Cooler temperatures slow things down, and storing them in the refrigerator all but ensures your tomatoes will never ripen.”
Tomatoes need time to develop their flavour and texture, and when first brought home, they are usually still not fully ripe, so they need to be kept away from the cold.
Cold temperatures cause tomatoes to stop ripening and damage them, which can result in dull, squishy, and mealy produce that is not appetising to eat.
Instead, it is much better to first store tomatoes on a plate or basket on a kitchen worktop to make sure they become juicy and tasty.
Rachel said: “Store at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, in a single layer.”
Store tomatoes upside down, with the stem scar touching the surface, to reduce their exposure to air. Blocking air entering through the stem reduces the risk of moisture, mould and bacteria entering the tomato, which can cause it to quickly spoil.
If you can, purchase tomatoes still on the stem or put a bit of sticky tape over the stem scar, and they will stay fresher for a lot longer.
After a few days, once the tomatoes are softer and a deeper red colour, they will be at their best flavour and can be kept in the fridge if you wish.
Rachel said, “If your tomato is ready to be eaten but you’re not ready to eat it, it’s OK to store it in the fridge. Remember, cooler temperatures slow things down, so it will stay in that state for longer.”
Storing tomatoes in the fridge once they are fully ripe will keep them fresh, and there is less chance of losing their flavour at this stage.
However, before you eat them, remove refrigerated tomatoes and let them sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Cold temperatures always suppress some of the flavour of tomatoes, so leave them out before you eat them to ensure you get the plumpest, juiciest, and best-tasting tomatoes possible.
