How to Store Fresh Tomatoes

Summer brings a bounty of fresh tomatoes, from the garden or market (or neighbor's garden if you're lucky). We want to share tips for selecting, storing, and even ripening fresh tomatoes.

Fresh tomatoes — sweet, juicy, and bursting with flavor — are summer's highlight. Whether they're from your local farmers market or your backyard garden, tomatoes are delicious sliced for sandwiches, diced for salsa, chopped for salads, and so much more.

However, perfectly ripe tomatoes can quickly go bad if you don't store them properly. But you can take several steps to ensure that they last as long as possible. Here, we'll show you how to select, store, and ripen tomatoes so that you get the most out of them.

Read More: 19 Ways to Win Tomato Season

How to Choose Perfect Tomatoes

First things first: Start with quality tomatoes. Color and feel are the two best indicators of a good tomato. These signs can vary slightly across different tomato varieties, so we've broken it all down for you.

Roma and Beefsteak Tomatoes

Beefsteak tomatoes are big and plump, while Roma (or plum) tomatoes are smaller and oval-shaped. Both should have a vibrant red color and a smooth, shiny skin that's free of blemishes. They should feel firm, but also slightly soft to the touch.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes are the colorful, wacky-shaped tomatoes you often see at farmers' markets. When picking them, you can follow the same guidelines you'd use for Beefsteak and Roma tomatoes. However, some farmers may not be exactly thrilled to see you poking and prodding their precious tomatoes, so it's probably best to ask them to choose for you.

Cherry and Grape Tomatoes

Grape tomatoes are small and oblong, while cherry tomatoes are round and a touch larger. Due to their small size, these tomatoes are commonly sold in containers or packages for protective purposes. They tend to be firmer than larger tomatoes, but they should still give a little when pressed. Look for a uniform red or yellow color and smooth skin that does not contain mold spots.

Green Tomatoes

Green tomatoes are simply under-ripe tomatoes. They should be very firm to the touch and the skin should be a uniform light green color. Green tomatoes with an orangish tint are on their way to becoming ripe and will eventually turn fully red. If you're making fried green tomatoes, avoid these — and stick to fully green ones.

How to Store Fresh Tomatoes

Here's a good rule of thumb: Store whole tomatoes at room temperature or above 60 degrees. This applies to all types of tomatoes: beefsteak, Roma, cherry, grape, and green tomatoes.

But what about the fridge? Is it okay to store your tomatoes in the refrigerator?

Allrecipes test kitchen professional Julia Levy strongly advises against it. "Whole tomatoes (i.e. uncut) should NEVER be stored in the fridge. Temperatures below 60 degrees cause the flesh to turn mealy and mushy, rather than maintaining their beautiful juiciness," she says.

Here's the other thing: Tomatoes are fragile. (So be nice to them!) They can bruise easily, so storing them in an organized manner will help protect them. 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? Here's how to do it.

What you'll need:

• Tomatoes
• Storage container (Tupperware, shoe box, or cardboard flat)
• Paper towels

Directions:

1. Place container on countertop away from direct sunlight. Line with paper towels.

2. Arrange tomatoes upside-down (stem-side down) in a single layer. They can touch, but they should not be overcrowded or piled on top of each other.

3. Check tomatoes daily, discarding any that are leaking liquid or have mold spots.

If your tomatoes are ripe, but you aren't sure when you'll eat them, there are other ways to make them last longer. Learn how to can, freeze, and preserve fresh tomatoes.

Read More: How to Peel Tomatoes

How to Store Cut Tomatoes

If you're slicing a tomato for a sandwich, and you aren't going to use the entire fruit, can it be salvaged? Absolutely. Whether they're sliced, diced, or chopped, store cut tomatoes in the refrigerator.

Wait, what? Didn't we just say not to refrigerate tomatoes? It turns out there is a very good reason behind this. "Cut tomatoes need to be stored in the fridge in order to prevent bacterial growth," says Levy. Simply place your cut tomatoes in a food storage container, cover, refrigerate, and try to use as soon as possible for optimal flavor and texture.

How to Ripen Tomatoes

Ripe tomatoes aren't always an option—and sometimes you're stuck with ones that feel like rocks. Luckily, there's an easy way to ripen tomatoes at home. This trick works for both red and green tomatoes.

What you'll need:

• Under-ripe tomato(oes)
• Banana
• Brown paper bag

Directions:

1. Place tomato and banana in paper bag. If you're ripening several tomatoes and need more space, you can use a cardboard box with a lid.

2. Roll up ends up of bag to loosely seal.

3. Place on countertop or in a warmer part of your home and let sit until tomatoes have reached desired ripeness. Check tomatoes daily to ensure they don't over-ripen.

Related:

• How to Seed Tomatoes
• How to Make Roasted Tomatoes, 4 Easy Ways
• Browse our entire collection of Tomato Recipes.