The fruit retains its taste and texture best when stored at room temperature—and stays juicier if you keep its stem side face down.
Sweet and juicy tomatoes have the ability to transform a meal. Whether the fruit is sliced and layered on bread, puréed into a gazpacho, or starring in a refreshing summer salad, tomatoes are a delight.
But while theres no denying their allure, there is confusion about how to properly preserve their taste and texture. Should you refrigerate tomatoes or leave them out on the counter? Does the storage method change depending on their level of ripeness? To help you answer these questions, we consulted the experts.
The Short Answer: Don’t Refrigerate Tomatoes
The standard rule is to keep tomatoes out of the refrigerator. It all comes down to science: Tomatoes contain an enzyme that reacts to cold temperatures, causing the cell membranes to break down and leaving you with a piece of fruit thats mushy and mealy.
“Youre 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. “My general rule is to never refrigerate a fresh tomato,” he says.
Why You Should Store Whole Tomatoes at Room Temperature
Whether you purchase a ripe or unripe tomato, you should store it at room temperature. “Tomatoes are most flavorful at peak ripeness and when stored at room temperature,” says Maddy Rotman, head of sustainability at Imperfect Foods. “Try eating a cold tomato and a room temperature tomato. Youll see that all the flavor of the tomato is hidden when its cold, and you can taste all of the sweetness when its ambient.”
A tomato at peak ripeness should be eaten right away, while still-ripening tomatoes will benefit from the warmer temperature in your kitchen (as opposed to the cooler temperatures in your refrigerator).
Always store large tomato varieties stem side down until theyre ready to be consumed, says Rotman. Doing so will keep them fresher for longer and prevent moisture loss (which results in a juicier tomato).
How Long Can You Leave Food Out?
Do Tomatoes go bad if left outside?
Letting them hang outside the fridge for a day or two (or even an hour) before eating them can bring back some of the flavor. Over-ripe tomatoes (like the squishy, shriveled one you have hanging out in your kitchen right this second) left on the counter will go bad pronto.
What are the disadvantages of consuming excess tomatoes?
Eating too many tomatoes can cause heartburn or acid reflux due to the production of excess gastric acid in the stomach. Additionally, joint pain may occur due to the presence of an alkaloid called solanine, which can cause inflammation and joint pain in sensitive people.
Should Tomatoes be left out at room temperature?
The easiest solution is to leave tomatoes out at room temperature, letting nature run its course. If you grow tomatoes at home, you already know that the fruit will continue to ripen and age, turning even, if not consumed during its brief window of prime ripeness.
What happens if a tomato is not fully ripe?
He notes that anything other than fully ripe tomatoes really suffer after refrigeration in every way—flavor development, coloration, and mealy texture. And the same goes for cherry tomatoes—those small, sweet ones born to brighten up any summer salad. However, the key phrase to pay attention to here is “ anything other than fully ripe tomatoes .”