Standard wisdom dictates that ripe tomatoes shouldn’t be refrigerated, but cooking blogs have recently started challenging this thinking. We conducted tests over two summers to find out.
Standard wisdom dictates that ripe tomatoes shouldn’t be refrigerated. In theory, this is because cold kills their flavor-producing enzymes and ruins their texture by causing cells to rupture. But recently, numerous cooking blogs have challenged this thinking, so we decided to conduct our own tests.
Over two summers, we acquired heirloom and farmers’ market tomatoes that had never been refrigerated (most supermarket tomatoes are refrigerated during storage and/or transport). Once they were ripe, we halved some tomatoes and left others whole. We then refrigerated one set and left the second set at room temperature, storing them until they started to degrade. We stored the whole tomatoes loose and the cut tomatoes either in airtight containers or wrapped in plastic wrap. We then sampled the refrigerated and unrefrigerated tomatoes plain at room temperature and in batches of gazpacho and cooked tomato sauce.
Some tasters noted that the cut tomatoes in the plain tasting had picked up off-flavors in the refrigerator, but once the tomatoes had been cooked, tasters could not tell the difference between the samples. And while cut tomatoes didn’t last more than a day at room temperature, they held fine for up to two days in the refrigerator.
The flavor of whole tomatoes was unaffected by refrigeration. Plus, refrigerating them prolonged their shelf life by five days.
In the future, we’ll move both cut and whole ripe tomatoes to the refrigerator to prolong their shelf life. To keep them from picking up off-flavors, we’ll put them in an airtight container, which works better than plastic wrap at keeping out odors.
Go ahead and refrigerate ripe tomatoes. Put both cut and whole ripe tomatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator to prolong their shelf life.
“You’re essentially zapping flavor and texture from a tomato when you refrigerate it,” says Gregory Lofts, the former deputy food editor at Martha Stewart Living. Lofts also points out that tomatoes very quickly take on odors from other foods in the refrigerator, which can further degrade their quality and taste.
Methylation is the process by which a cluster of atoms known as a methyl group adheres to an organism’s DNA and alter its function. Methylation plays a role in regulating gene expression, and abnormal patterns of methylation have even been linked to the development of diseases.
Further research showed that the prolonged chilling reduced the activity of certain genes that make those compounds, Tieman said.
To put it in technical terms, they write, “chilling-induced tomato flavor loss is associated with altered volatile synthesis and transient changes in DNA methylation.”
In the meantime, “Just leave them out on the counter, or leave them in a shaded area, something like that,” said Banscher, whose farm is in Gloucester County. “A tomato has a decent shelf life.”
Now scientists have figured out why: It’s because some of their genes chill out and are altered by cold temperatures, ultimately affecting the flavor. A new study unravels the process, and may someday help solve the problem.
The flavor of whole tomatoes was unaffected by refrigeration. Plus, refrigerating them prolonged their shelf life by five days.
Standard wisdom dictates that ripe tomatoes shouldn’t be refrigerated. In theory, this is because cold kills their flavor-producing enzymes and ruins their texture by causing cells to rupture. But recently, numerous cooking blogs have challenged this thinking, so we decided to conduct our own tests.
Some tasters noted that the cut tomatoes in the plain tasting had picked up off-flavors in the refrigerator, but once the tomatoes had been cooked, tasters could not tell the difference between the samples. And while cut tomatoes didn’t last more than a day at room temperature, they held fine for up to two days in the refrigerator.
Over two summers, we acquired heirloom and farmers’ market tomatoes that had never been refrigerated (most supermarket tomatoes are refrigerated during storage and/or transport). Once they were ripe, we halved some tomatoes and left others whole. We then refrigerated one set and left the second set at room temperature, storing them until they started to degrade. We stored the whole tomatoes loose and the cut tomatoes either in airtight containers or wrapped in plastic wrap. We then sampled the refrigerated and unrefrigerated tomatoes plain at room temperature and in batches of gazpacho and cooked tomato sauce.
Go ahead and refrigerate ripe tomatoes. Put both cut and whole ripe tomatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator to prolong their shelf life.
Why You Should Never Put Tomatoes in the Fridge!
FAQ
Is it bad to refrigerate tomatoes?
Do tomatoes last longer in the fridge or on the counter?
Why do tomatoes taste bad in the fridge?
Can tomatoes sit out after being refrigerated?
What happens when you Refrigerate a tomato?
A few things happen when you refrigerate a tomato. One is that the volatile flavor compounds (meaning they readily escape into the air) that are essential to our perception of taste continue to escape through the stem scar.
Can one freeze tomatoes?
Yes. Tomatoes may be frozen raw or cooked, whole, sliced, chopped, or puréed. They do not need to be blanched before freezing. Frozen tomatoes will retain their flavor for 12 months.
Are refrigerated tomatoes good?
That was also the highest average score of all the tomatoes, which means that even when compared with much more ideal conditions, refrigerated tomatoes are capable of coming out on top: absolutely not what we’d expect if refrigeration were really as bad as the common wisdom claims.
Should ripe tomatoes be refrigerated?
However, if you purchase ripe tomatoes, especially in the summer when they’re picked at their peak, higher room temperatures actually speed along ripening, and eventually rotting. You’re better off putting them in the refrigerator if you won’t eat them in a day or two to keep them from overripening.