How to keep tomatoes fresh: ‘Best’ food storage method keeps them fresh for 10 days longer

Tomatoes are a household staple and Brits eat 500,000 tonnes every year, but it is a notoriously difficult food to keep fresh. 

It can be annoying when tomatoes go begin to spoil only after a few days after being bought, but this is because most people do not know the correct way to store them. 

This sensitive fruit should be stored differently depending on how ripe it is, as green or newly bought tomatoes should never be placed in the fridge until they have ripened. 

Keeping tomatoes in the fridge before they have matured will halt their growing process completely due to the cold temperature, which can cause them to become flavourless, watery or mushy, 

For best results, keep tomatoes on a kitchen countertop at room temperature and away from sunlight until they have fully ripened, but there is a trick to keeping them fresh without a fridge. 

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Mary explained: “The theory is that simple cellophane tape applied tightly creates a barrier to hold moisture in and potential bacteria and mould out.”

You can use any sellotape you wish but Mary used scotch shipping tape which is often used to wrap up packages. 

Then, place your tomatoes on the kitchen countertop and this “fast, cheap and overall better” food storage method should keep your tomatoes fresh without affecting the flavour for at least 10 days. 

Mary added: “Using this method, I can leave an unwashed, ‘taped’ tomato on the counter for 10 days, and it’s the same as it was on day one. 

“To use, simply remove the tape, wash it, and enjoy. That’s it! Best way ever to store fresh tomatoes long enough to actually use them, without any detectable change in texture or flavour. Amazing.”