Cool Tip: Baby, It's Cold Inside

Jun 23, 2015

Now that we are getting into tomato season, the debate is once again launched about whether you can keep tomatoes in the refrigerator. Almost no one says “Yes”. Only a few say “Maybe, for just a little while”. And most say “No way, no how!!” I have to admit that we’re in that last category.

Here are some of the reasons for this that I’ve been able to find:

Harold McGee in his book On Food and Cooking explains that refrigerating tomatoes damages the membranes inside the fruit walls, causing the tomato to lose flavor and develop the mealy texture we associate with mid-January grocery store tomatoes. The Kitchn
When you refrigerate tomatoes, the membranes in the cell walls become damaged, which creates an overall mealy texture. Huffington Post
Refrigeration is the enemy of the tomato as it nullifies flavor and turns the flesh mealy. The culprit is a compound called Z-3 hexenel, which accounts for the tomato's scent and taste. The development process which turns tomato's linolenic acid to the Z-3 that makes our mouth and nose sing is hindered by cold. If you must refrigerate a tomato, take it out about an hour before using it to let it return to room temperature to revive any lurking Z-3. about.com

Instead of refrigerating, you should store tomatoes at room temperature, out of the sunlight (which can ripen the fruit unevenly), and stem side up for minimal bruising.

If you’re still questioning this, try this experiment from one Chowhound reader: “Harvest 4 ripe tomatoes, warm from the plant. Taste #1. Put #2 on the kitchen table. Put ##3-4 in the fridge. 5 hours later, take #3 out of the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature. One hour later, taste and compare the cold tomato (#4), the never refrigerated tomato (#2), and the rewarmed tomato (#3). You will then know what we are talking about.”

It’s true! Never refrigerate your tomatoes!

Enjoy tomato season!

Posted in Cool Tips By Piper Cole