Whether you've just bought tomatoes - cherry tomatoes, unripe or fresh, you're ready to prepare a tomato sauce or a fresh summer salad, it's important to know how to store tomatoes and to understand their ripening process.
Tomatoes originate from warm climates and are best stored at room temperature. But the problem here is that they spoil faster this way. It's best to eat ripe tomatoes right away, but if you can't, here's what to do.
The key to this confusing situation is: store fully ripe tomatoes in the refrigerator to slow down the spoilage process, but before serving, slice them and leave them at room temperature to warm up just a little.
The refrigerator provides a low temperature that is lower than ideal for these vegetables. But it can give you some time before the tomatoes start to break down and eventually rot.
What about tomatoes that are not quite ripe? You should definitely not put them in the fridge. They should be kept at room temperature, ideally out of direct sunlight.
And most importantly, to keep them fresh longer, store them with the stem-side facing down, until they ripen. This prevents moisture from leaving the vegetable and blocks air (and mold and bacteria) from entering it.
Now that you know how to store tomatoes, check out some ideas for delicious recipes with them:
- Tomato soup;
- Stuffed tomatoes;
- Salads with Tomatoes.
