Ripe tomatoes should still be kept at on your counter, uncovered, if you are going to enjoy the tomato in the next day or two. But any longer than that – the recommendation is to refrigerate. A so-so tomato is much better than a rotten, moldy tomato. Refrigeration will slow down the decay.
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 that's mushy and mealy.
If the tomatoes are not yet ripe, they are best stored on the counter for a few days until they ripen. (You'll know they're ripe when they're fragrant and give a little bit to the touch.) Once they're ripe, either consume them or go ahead and put them in the refrigerator to preserve their freshness.
Levy recommends storing ripe tomatoes upside down (stem-side down) on paper towels in an open container such as Tupperware, a shoe box, or a cardboard flat. Ripe tomatoes should last for a few days, but we recommend eating them as soon as possible. Ready to store your fresh tomatoes?
Ripe Tomatoes
And unless you're eating them immediately, ripe, locally grown tomatoes will also last longer in the fridge; eat within a few days. Store ripe tomatoes in your fridge stress-free and enjoy them within a couple days of purchasing.
As a general rule of thumb, tomatoes are best stored at room temperature. Typically they will last on the counter for up to 7 days, but be sure to keep them away from direct sunlight. If you're not going to use them right away, then you can store them in the refrigerator.
Tomatoes stored at refrigeration temperatures below 41 °F will have approximate shelf life of 5 days. Tomatoes stored at temperatures under 75 °F will have approximate shelf life of 1 to 2 days. Storing tomatoes above 75° F is not recommended. Store tomatoes at room temperature for best taste.
How To Store Tomatoes. To lengthen the lifespan of summer tomatoes, store them on the kitchen counter at room temperature and turn them shoulders down. Our Test Kitchen says 60 to 65° is an ideal temperature for storing and recommends placing your tomatoes out of direct sunlight.
And most importantly for keeping them fresher longer, store them stem side down while they finish ripening. America's Test Kitchen purports that the benefits are twofold: blocking where the tomato's stem was prevents moisture from leaving the tomato and blocks air (and thus mold and bacteria) from entering the tomato.
Although you shouldn't put potatoes in the fridge, potatoes will still keep the longest when stored in a cool, dark place—specifically somewhere that has a cold temperature of about 50°F and 90 to 95 percent humidity, like, you know, a temperature- and humidity-controlled root cellar.
Chilling, a major stress for a tropical plant such as the tomato, reduced the activity of hundreds of genes. Some of these produce enzymes responsible for synthesising the volatile chemicals that make tomatoes taste sweeter and give them a more complex, appealing aroma.
Researchers at The University of Florida have found in a study published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that when tomatoes are stored at the temperature kept in most refrigerators, irreversible genetic changes take place that erase some of their flavors forever.
As Klee explains it, cold temperatures suppress the expression of many genes, some of which are responsible for the enzymes that synthesize the chemicals in a tomato that impart taste and aroma. His research showed that many of the enzymes didn't recover after being chilled.
Keep them away from all members of the cabbage family, spinach, okra, pepper and sweet potatoes. Keep in mind that tomatoes ripen to their best flavor at room temperature, so it's a no-no to put them with pears. And they shouldn't be stored with onions, due to their high moisture content.
Place dry, unwashed tomatoes in a storage bin.
Washing before storage only increases the potential for mold and spoilage. Instead, gently brush off any dust from the garden and place them into shallow, breathable bins for storage. Wash them just before eating.
The answer is yes, tomatoes do go bad just like any other ingredients you stored in your kitchen. However, you can extend its shelf life with proper storage. Generally, fresh tomatoes can last for up to seven days on your counter and two weeks when stored in the fridge.
They prefer the refrigeration. Apples keep longest when held at 31-36 degrees Fahrenheit. So, you want to keep them in the coolest part of the refrigerator. Most home refrigerators don't get that cold because the rest of your food would freeze, but the colder the better.
The top of the tomato always ripens last, naturally, so it's the firmest, so the most suitable for bearing the weight of the fruit. If a tomato's sitting on its already ripe bottom, as the bottom continues to ripen, it will start to rot. So turning your tomatoes stem-side down should extend their shelf life.
Even though cucumbers are prone to chilling injury, the fridge is still the best place to store them. At room temperature, cucumbers will only last for about two days. So, what's the solution? Store cucumbers in the warmest part of the fridge — towards the front, furthest from the cooling elements.
Storing lemons in the fridge is a great way to extend their shelf life. And if you want to keep lemons fresh for longer than a week, you'll definitely want to refrigerate them.
Because they are picked long before being properly ripe for longer shelf life. They are then artificially ripened by chemical substances(ethylene gas or something similar) . That results in a lack of sweetness and flavor in general. They don't get enough sun and are not on the vine long enough to develop.
Don't store potatoes in the fridge.
Raw potatoes have lots of starches, and the cold temperatures can turn the starches into sugars.
Unripe tomatoes are still green and should be stored stem side down in a cardboard box or brown paper bag. This will encourage ripening. Ripe tomatoes should be kept stem side up, at room temperature and away from sunlight. Eat them within a few days for best taste.