Should Tomatoes Be Refrigerated?

Do you wonder if tomatoes should be refrigerated? I am sharing the answer to this question, and a few reasons to back it up.

One of my favorite things to grow in my garden, are tomatoes. Every year I grow several different varieties, and I wait with bated breath to see that first tomato ripen on the vine. It’s tasting that first tomato of the season that’s an explosion of summer and garden fresh deliciousness, all in that one bite.

True bliss.

Homegrown tomatoes are the best all around, just ask anyone that grows them. But, other than homegrown, do you want to know one reason why freshly picked tomatoes are so delicious?

They’ve never been in the refrigerator.

Tomatoes have grown and ripened under the light and heat of the sun. Coupled with great soil and you’ve got yourself a tasty treat. No matter how you slice it, every kind of tomato ripens bursting with flavor.

Then how come the tomatoes from the grocery store are flavorless?

Simply put, tomatoes found in grocery stores have been refrigerated for an extended period of time, slowing down the ripening process and to prevent rotting. At the same time, it also interferes with chemical compounds that give tomatoes their taste.

Flavors in fruits (yes, tomatoes are a fruit) are made of three components: acids, sugars and chemical compounds which are responsible for the fruit’s aroma. Acids and sugars are unaffected by refrigeration, but it’s the chemical compounds that certainly are. These compounds are synthesized during ripening, which gives fruits their strong smell. When fruits are refrigerated, they’re robbed of this process, hence also robbing them of their flavor.

Here’s another example. Have you ever picked a fresh strawberry off the vine, and smelled their sweet and delicious trademark smell? And then, have you smelled a strawberry from the store that has been refrigerated? I’m hard pressed to smell any scent at all. The refrigerator robs the synthesis.

Should Tomatoes Be Refrigerated? 

The answer is NO.

Please, for the love of food, do not refrigerate tomatoes. Keep them in an open container out on your counter. If you have the space, keep them in a single layer. I, however, do not have such space, so in an open container, it is. However, there is a con to room temp tomatoes, which is that they will rot sooner. Very small price to pay to not sacrifice on flavor. Just eat them within a day or two of picking or purchase from a farm stand. Same for the tomatoes purchased from the grocery store, too, that have been refrigerated. Though they won’t taste like homegrown, don’t stooge them completely and store them in the fridge. Keep the commercial tomatoes out of the counter as well.

So if anyone tries to serve you a cold tomato, just tell them….

No. No. No. No. No.

Want to know what else is safe to leave out at room temperature? You can find that answer here.