Why It’s Better to Not Store Tomatoes in the Fridge

Tomatoes are used in cooking in a lot of different ways. And we would like to keep them fresh for as long as possible after we bought them.

5-Minute Crafts is going to find out why you shouldn’t keep tomatoes in the fridge.

Why storing tomatoes in the fridge is a bad idea

People have been arguing about whether they can store tomatoes in the fridge or not for a long time and researchers have managed to find the answer. Scientists have proven that cold really ruins the taste of tomatoes.

A group of scientists has studied over 25,000 genes in different kinds of tomatoes. They were cooled at 5°C for 1, 3, and 7 days and then were left for 1 more day at room temperature. One day of cooling didn’t make a big impact but longer periods suppressed the genes that made tomatoes smell good.

Later, volunteers ate the tomatoes given to them by the researchers. In most cases, it turned out that the tomatoes stored in the fridge were less tasty.

Where to store tomatoes

The perfect temperature for storing tomatoes is 16.7—20°C. Don’t put tomatoes on top of each other. It’s better to keep them next to each other to prevent early decay.

To store tomatoes that are not fully ripe yet, you can use a cold, dry place. It’s perfect if you have a non-heated cellar, a warm garage, or a closed patio.

Tomatoes can be stored in the fridge if they are overripe.

How to make tomatoes from the fridge tasty again

There are still some situations where you just can’t avoid using a fridge like, for example, when you need to store a bunch of overripe tomatoes.

Even though storing them in the fridge harms tomatoes, there’s still a chance to partially get the old taste back.

Don’t eat the tomatoes the minute you get them out of the fridge, but let them rest until they are room temperature. The heating process will partially restore the taste, so let them warm up before eating them.