How to Store Tomatoes  

How to Store Tomatoes  

When you’re shopping at your local farmers market or grocery store, you’ll likely come across a wide variety of interesting-looking tomatoes, each with their own characteristics, sizes, and flavors. Whether you prefer smaller cherry or grape tomatoes in an easy grain salad, large and colorful heirloom tomatoes for a tomato pie, or tomatoes on the vine for a tasty rice dish like , there’s always a flavorful recipe you can use them in. To make sure your dishes are fresh and tasty, though, you’ll need to know how to store tomatoes to keep them in tip-top shape. The first hint: Refrigerating your tomatoes is typically not necessary!

How to Store Whole Tomatoes

To store whole tomatoes at home, you don’t need any special tools or containers. it’s best to keep fresh whole tomatoes out on a countertop or kitchen table — they should not be refrigerated. You can put them in a bowl or simply leave them loose. sometimes keeps his freshly picked tomatoes on a table in his garage. suggests keeping the tomatoes out of direct sunlight so they don’t ripen too quickly.

Why Whole Tomatoes Should Not Be Stored in the Refrigerator

Putting fresh whole tomatoes in the fridge will likely compromise their flavor and texture. “The texture [of refrigerated tomatoes] changes to something a bit more mushy, which I don’t find at all pleasant, “The chilling leads to subtle chemical changes in the fruit, which alters the flavors. Thus, avoid refrigerating your tomatoes to maintain their authentic natural flavor.

How to Store Sliced Tomatoes

One exception to the “no-refrigeration” rule is sliced tomatoes. If you happen to only use half of a tomato, you shouldn’t leave the rest of it on the counter.