The Only Time You Should Store Tomatoes In The Fridge

Although I've been writing about food for years (and cooking and eating it even longer), I'll admit that I still don't know everything about it. In fact, it was just today that I learned I've been making a major mistake when it comes to storing tomatoes. Who knew that the produce drawer wasn't the proper place to put them? I did know you were supposed to ripen green tomatoes on the kitchen counter, but apparently even the ripe ones taste best if stored at room temperature. The only time you should keep them in the fridge is if they've been cut open, since this is necessary to keep bacteria from growing on the exposed flesh.

The reason why refrigeration is a no-no for most tomatoes is that it can give them a mealy texture and make them either taste bland or sour. In some worst-case scenarios, however, you may need to refrigerate your tomatoes. Perhaps you've a mouse in the house (this happens to me with some regularity, since my home is over 130 years old), or maybe your kitchen is too hot. (Tomatoes are best if kept between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.) If so, the best way to revive your refrigerated tomatoes to some extent is to take them out of the fridge an hour before you eat them.

Okay, so tomatoes can be kept on the kitchen counter, but how long will they last? About a week, if conditions are right, and they were picked shortly before you bought them. If you want to extend their shelf (or counter) life as long as possible, however, the best way to do this is to remove any vines that may still be attached, then turn the tomatoes upside-down. If you'd like, you can even place small pieces of tape where the stems used to be. This keeps any potential mold or bacteria from entering. Even without the tape, upside-down tomatoes retain more moisture, which means that after a week, they'll be more juicy than mushy when you cut into them.

If you have too many tomatoes to eat in a week, you always have the option to freeze them so they'll last indefinitely. They can be frozen whole or sliced, peeled or unpeeled; whichever is easier for you. Once you thaw them, they'll definitely be mushier than when they went into the freezer, but they'll be just fine for use in raw tomato sauce (we have a recipe for this to accompany our air fryer gnocchi), homemade gazpacho, or fresh salsa, which should last for a week in the fridge. Of course, salsa itself can be frozen. In fact, Rick Martinez recommends using frozen salsa as the base for many an easy weeknight dish, like his salsa-baked chicken. Tomato sauces and soups can also go into the freezer, which will preserve that ripe tomato taste well after the season is over.