Here’s Why You Should Never Store Tomatoes in The Fridge (Or Almost Never)

Very often, especially when tomatoes are purchased at the supermarket, they seem bland —or even nonexistent—in flavor, despite their red, juicy, and pulpy appearance. One cause could be prolonged storage at too low temperatures, which significantly reduces the substances responsible for the intense aroma typical of ripe tomatoes. For this reason, it's recommended not to keep tomatoes in the refrigerator to fully enjoy their organoleptic properties, although this isn't always possible. Let's examine the issue in a little more detail.

Why It's Best Not to Put Tomatoes in The Refrigerator

Famous chemists explain that tomato flavor is the result of a combination of flavor, which we perceive with our taste buds, and smell, which we sense with our nose. The ideal fruit has a high sugar and acid content, as well as volatile compounds that are released primarily when cut and peak during the final stage of ripening. Refrigerated tomatoes do not significantly alter flavor, while the latter suffer significant damage.

As demonstrated by several scientific studies, including those from the University of Florida reported by the New York Times in 2016, the cold temperatures of most home refrigerators (below 53°F/12°C) impact the genetics of tomatoes, permanently eliminating the production of a large portion of their aromatic volatile compounds (up to 65%). The correct storage temperature, in fact, is between 55°F/13°C and 71°F/22°C: in these conditions, they keep well for a week after being harvested.

Should You Refrigerate Tomatoes in The Summer?

It's clear that this solution is (almost) impossible to implement in summer, with the temperature rising, and the refrigerator becomes the only ally for making these vegetables last longer, preventing them from quickly becoming mushy due to the heat. If you can't use them immediately after buying them, once ripe, tomatoes can stay in the refrigerator for up to three days. Before eating, they should be kept at room temperature for 24 hours, so that they can regain some of their aroma while maintaining their firm consistency. Be careful, however, because the tomatoes on the supermarket shelves may have been previously refrigerated and, in this case, have already lost their aroma: putting them in the refrigerator or not will make no difference.

Finally, it should be remembered that tomatoes are climacteric fruits, meaning they continue to ripen after being harvested: the cold stops the process and, therefore, if bought still partially unripe, they should never be put in the refrigerator, but left at room temperature until fully ripe.