You’ve brought home a pack of beautiful fresh tomatoes – but where do you put them?
For many of us, the automatic answer is the fridge. However, how you store tomatoes can make a difference to their texture, flavour and how quickly they ripen.
Here are a few things to consider when storing your tomatoes at home.
Think About Ripeness First
Before deciding where to store your tomatoes, take a look at how ripe they are.
If your tomatoes still need some time to ripen, keeping them at room temperature can allow that process to continue.
Place them somewhere away from intense direct sunlight and allow them time to develop.
What About the Fridge?
Once tomatoes are fully ripe, refrigeration can be useful if you need to slow down further ripening and keep them for longer.
However, very cold temperatures can temporarily dull some of the aroma and flavour we associate with a ripe tomato.
If you’ve refrigerated ripe tomatoes, try taking them out before you plan to eat them and allowing them to come back towards room temperature.
Handle Them With Care
Tomatoes may look sturdy, but ripe fruit can bruise relatively easily.
Avoid piling heavy items on top of them and check your tomatoes regularly so you can use the ripest ones first.
Buy What You’ll Use
One of the simplest ways to enjoy tomatoes at their best is to buy an amount you’re likely to use.
If you do find yourself with tomatoes that have become very ripe, don’t automatically throw them away. Provided they’re still safe to eat, softer ripe tomatoes can be fantastic for cooking.
Roast them, turn them into a sauce or add them to a cooked dish rather than letting them go to waste.
Enjoy Them at Their Best
A huge amount of care goes into growing and harvesting a tomato, so it makes sense to look after it once it reaches your kitchen too.
Understanding how ripeness and temperature affect your tomatoes can help you get more flavour from every pack while reducing unnecessary food waste.
