Tomatoes: Refrigerator or Room temperature? (restaurants, garden, grocery store, best)

[prospectheightsresident]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

This was always the gospel for me too. But, like I said, I'm tired of having them spoiled, and I have NOT found much difference in quality on the refrigerated ones.

I agree. I don't notice a difference in taste/texture (I'm cutting my tomato into pretty thin slices anyway, so any difference in texture probably wouldn't be discernible to me for this reason). Still, I keep my tomatoes out of the refrigerator because I absolutely hate cold tomatoes. Yes, I can always take a tomato out of the refrigerator an hour before using, but sometimes I just want to make a sandwich as a spur-of-the-moment thing and don't want to wait an hour!

Now, I wish that I could keep cut tomatoes out of the refrigerator, too, but those would go bad way too quickly.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

I have never kept tomatoes in the fridge until recently. I got sick and tired of having them go bad, and I had tomatoes at a friend's house, and she has always kept them in the fridge.
I thought this made them get mushy and lose flavor, but they have really been fine.

I voted in the fridge, but I prefer them room temp. Like you say though, the spoilage is the issue. When I pick them fresh, in the summer I am inclined to leave them out, by only picking a few at a time. Sometimes this works, other times so many get ripe at once I have no choice but to keep them cold.

[Clemencia53]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

This was always the gospel for me too. But, like I said, I'm tired of having them spoiled, and I have NOT found much difference in quality on the refrigerated ones.

probably buying too many or not eating them fast enough

[Clemencia53]

if I buy store tomatoes, I get them in different stages of ripeness. same with bananas

[Pfalz]

I store mine on the vine until I'm ready to use them. Store bought tomatoes are a waste of money and a travesty to your taste buds.

[Stagemomma]

With things that shouldn't need to be refrigerated, like tomatos, I leave them out until they are ripe. THen if I'm not going to use them right away, I stick them in the fridge to keep them from getting rotted spots.

Homegrown or store bought, the texture of a tomato from the fridge is just wrong. When I was married, we went to the beach in the summer with my inlaws. She always put the tomatos in the fridge. I ended up buying my own cherry or grape tomatos and keeping them in my dresser drawer for snacking. She never knew.

[jdallas]

I keep them at room temperature but put them in the fridge for a couple hours if I will be slicing for a salad or side dish. They slice better cold.

[SabresFanInSA]

I always put them in the fridge. I really only ever use them in sandwiches or burgers and in both cases I want them cold. They also need to last a little longer so Im fine with the ripening slowing down.

[linda814]

Never refrigerate mine....

[elcajones]

I've always been told to leave them out but, it seems like I'm always battling fruit flies when I leave much of anything out so fridge it is. If I am using the day I buy or the next day they won't go in the fridge.