Tomatoes are unusual because the best storage place changes as they ripen. An underripe tomato benefits from room temperature so it can continue developing colour and flavour. A fully ripe tomato that you are not going to eat soon can be refrigerated to slow further softening. The simple rule is: ripen tomatoes on the worktop, then use the fridge when you need to buy yourself more time.
Check how ripe they are first
Pick up the tomato gently. An underripe tomato feels firm and may still have pale or green areas. A ripe tomato gives slightly under gentle pressure and smells tomato-like around the stem end. An overripe tomato feels very soft, may leak or have wrinkled skin. Storage cannot reverse ripening. The decision is about whether you want the tomato to keep developing or slow down.
Store underripe tomatoes at room temperature
Keep firm tomatoes at normal room temperature away from strong direct sunlight. A bowl, plate or shallow tray works well. Do not pile a large number into a deep bowl because the weight of the top tomatoes can bruise the ones underneath. Check them daily. Once they reach the ripeness you like, eat them or move them to the fridge if you need to keep them longer.
Warm sunny windowsills can speed ripening but also create uneven heat and soft spots, so ordinary ambient light is usually better.
Does the stem end need to face up or down?
For tomatoes with an intact green stem and calyx, leave the stem attached where practical. With the stem removed, avoid rubbing the delicate scar against rough surfaces. Keeping tomatoes clean and unbruised matters much more than a strict rule about which way they face.
Do not balance delicate ripe tomatoes in a way that bruises them simply to follow a rule about orientation.
Refrigerate ripe tomatoes if necessary
The old advice that tomatoes should never enter a fridge is too absolute. Cold temperatures can dull aroma and change texture, especially if a tomato is chilled for a long time before it is ripe. But once a tomato is fully ripe, refrigeration can slow deterioration and reduce waste. If you know you will eat a ripe tomato today or tomorrow, room temperature is fine in a reasonably cool kitchen.
If it is already perfectly ripe and will otherwise become overripe before you use it, refrigerate it. Take refrigerated tomatoes out before eating and allow them to come closer to room temperature. Their aroma and flavour are often better when they are not fridge-cold.
Keep tomatoes dry
Do not wash whole tomatoes before storing unless you have a specific reason. Extra surface moisture encourages mould and softening. Store them dry, then wash under running water just before cutting or eating. If a tomato arrives damp from condensation, dry it gently. Do not seal wet tomatoes into a plastic container.
Store tomatoes in a single layer
A shallow layer reduces pressure damage. Very ripe tomatoes bruise easily. Once the skin breaks, spoilage accelerates. If you have a large home-grown crop, use shallow trays or boxes rather than a deep bucket. Keep any damaged tomatoes separate and use them first. Check the batch every day or two and remove anything leaking or mouldy.
Store cherry tomatoes
Cherry and grape tomatoes can remain in their punnet or another ventilated container while they ripen. Keep them at room temperature until ripe. Once ripe, refrigerate them if you need several more days of storage. Bring them back towards room temperature before serving if flavour matters.
Store cut tomatoes safely
Once a tomato is cut, refrigerate it. Cover the cut surface or place the pieces in a clean airtight container. Use cut tomato reasonably soon for best quality. Do not leave sliced tomato on the worktop for long periods, especially once it is part of a sandwich, salad or other dish containing perishable ingredients. A cut tomato loses moisture and aroma quickly, so storage is mainly about short-term food safety and preventing it drying out.
Store home-grown tomatoes
Do not refrigerate tomatoes that still need significant ripening. Bring them indoors if weather, pests or splitting are a risk, then let them finish ripening at room temperature. Store sound fruit separately from tomatoes with splits, bruises or damaged skin. A cracked tomato may still be usable if it is fresh and clean, but use it promptly rather than putting it into long storage. At the end of the season, mature green tomatoes can be ripened indoors.
Place them in a single layer in a suitable box or tray and inspect them regularly.
How to ripen tomatoes faster
Put underripe tomatoes into a paper bag with a ripe banana or apple. Those fruits release ethylene, a natural plant hormone that encourages ripening. Fold the bag loosely and check every day. Do not use an airtight plastic bag. Trapped moisture can encourage mould. This works best for tomatoes that are mature enough to ripen, not very immature hard green fruit harvested far too early.
What about tomatoes that have gone wrinkly?
Slightly wrinkled tomatoes have lost moisture. If they are still sound and smell normal, they are often excellent for cooked dishes even when they are less appealing in a salad.
Use them for:
- pasta sauce;
- soup;
- salsa that will be cooked;
- roasted tomatoes;
- stews;
- pizza sauce.
A soft tomato with mould, leaking fermentation or a rotten smell should be discarded rather than rescued in a sauce.
Can you freeze tomatoes?
Yes, especially for cooking. Whole tomatoes can be frozen, although their texture becomes soft after thawing. You can also freeze chopped tomatoes or cooked tomato sauce. Frozen tomatoes are best used in soups, sauces and stews rather than fresh salads. Label the container so a bag of red frozen shapes does not become a mystery six months later.
Common mistakes
Refrigerating hard underripe tomatoes immediately: Let them develop at room temperature first.
Refusing to refrigerate an already ripe tomato: Cold storage can be useful when the alternative is waste.
Storing wet tomatoes: Keep whole tomatoes dry until use.
Piling them deeply: Pressure creates bruises.
Keeping one mouldy tomato in the batch: Remove spoiled fruit promptly.
Eating tomatoes straight from the fridge when flavour matters: Let them warm towards room temperature.
A simple storage routine
When you get tomatoes home:
- Check each one.
- Leave firm tomatoes at room temperature.
- Eat ripe tomatoes soon.
- Refrigerate fully ripe tomatoes you cannot use immediately.
- Bring chilled tomatoes out before serving.
- Refrigerate cut tomatoes.
- Use damaged or very ripe tomatoes first. Tomatoes do not need one permanent storage rule. Treating them according to ripeness gives you better flavour when they are young and less waste once they are ready to eat.
Sources checked: University of Maine Extension's tomato storage guidance and Martha Stewart's tomato storage guide.