How To Store Tomatoes: [15] Best Ways To Increase Shelf Life

Q: Q3: What is the best temperature to store tomatoes?

The best temperature to store ripen tomatoes is 55°F . But for unripe tomatoes, you can keep them a room temperature and allow them to ripe in a natural way.

Tomatoes are the most consumed vegetables. In fact, tomatoes are quite possibly the most utilized vegetables in any household.

Be it any dishes, from marinara to your own special servings of mixed greens, tomatoes have gotten you covered as far as possible.

Being profoundly rich in cell reinforcement lycopene and nutrient C, tomatoes help in decreasing the dangers of numerous heart diseases.

As we keep adding the advantages of tomatoes, it is important to realize how to preserve fresh tomatoes, to have the option to enjoy their benefits for a longer period of time. Read on to see How To Store Tomatoes!

We are also going to cover below points in details.

How to store tomatoes for months
Best tips on storing tomatoes without a fridge
How to store tomatoes in cold storage
Store tomatoes from garden
Preserve fresh tomatoes without freezing
How to store tomatoes in summer
Store tomatoes after cutting

Contents show

How To Store Tomatoes For Months

Being an active component in most of our dishes, we use tomatoes all year round.

The process of storing tomatoes from the garden should be done effectively to increase their longevity and retain their freshness.

This article will provide you the most proficient method to preserve fresh tomatoes so you can get the delicate delicious kind of them at whatever point you need them.

#1 Tomato Puree

Pureed tomatoes have a more extended time frame of real usability. Also, it can be put away in your fridge for a extended period of time.
It is an absolute hassle-free method to store tomatoes. All you need to do is buy fresh and tender tomatoes, dice them into small cubes.
Then, add these tomato pieces with water into pressure cooker and just boil them.
After this, throw the cubes of tomatoes into a blender and grind them till you get a red thick consistent paste.
Add a little bit of salt to the puree and now you can add them to any dish you want!

#2 Freezing Tomatoes

Freezing tomatoes is the simplest method to preserve fresh tomatoes. Best part is you can access this frozen tomatoes at any time when you need to use them.

Besides being effective, frozen tomatoes are easy to peel. So that means you can preserve them and also use them in any manner you want. Wash your tomatoes in freshwater appropriately and eliminate the black eye

Cut them into small pieces, and move them to the plastic packs.
Seal your pack. Remember to eliminate as much air as possible from the packets and then stuff them in the cooler.

This method of storing tomatoes is quite successful in the long term. In fact, you can effectively store tomatoes for up to one year tops!

Personally, I like making a tomato puree with the above-mentioned steps and then lining them in an ice cube tray.

This procedure of freezing tomatoes stays for a year too. Hence, the freezing tomatoes method involves less/no cooking while their tenderness remains intact for a longer duration.

#3 Using Canned Tomatoes

This is probably the most used method of storing tomatoes long term before they start going bad.

In this, we turn new ripe tomatoes into a canned puree that can be utilized for the whole year. This method of keeping tomatoes fresh longer is easy to do!

All you need to do is

Wash the tomatoes and cut them into smaller pieces.
Let the water comes to boil and then add washed tomatoes in it (for 10 seconds). This will make peeling their skin easier.
Eliminate the black eyes of the garden tomatoes.
Bring a clean jar and sterilize it properly before usage.
Store the puree in the jar. Also, squeeze a tad bit of lemon juice to it.

Make sure there are no bubbles when you’re closing the lid.

#4 Oven-Dried Tomatoes

One of the effective ways to preserve fresh tomatoes is to oven-dry them. Not to worry because as tough as its name sounds, it’s easier than that!

Wash tomatoes altogether and eliminate their black eye
Cut the tomatoes into smaller pieces.
Preheat an oven at 225° F and bake the tomatoes in it. Let the tomatoes sit in the warmth of the oven overnight.
You can add olive oil, basil, garlic, pepper, and salt as per taste.
Lastly put oven-dried tomatoes in jars and store in the fridge.

By any chance if you add basils and other herbs to tomatoes, it is better to consume them within a week. As tomatoes with herbs tend to spoil faster.

The dried tomatoes can be put away in the fridge and will keep up the flavor and freshness for quite a long time.

Oven-dried tomatoes in oil are also available in the market however you can make your own dried tomatoes at home by adding your own spice to them.

Also read-

How To Store Tomatoes Without A Refrigerator?

Despite prevalent myths, it is advisable to store the tomatoes out of the fridge. If you have fresh tomatoes that you have to store but don’t have a fridge to do that, don’t worry.

You can store them in the cellar at room temperature and use them later. If you plan to cook your tomatoes later you can also dry them, freeze them, or pressure them to store them for an even longer time.

Tomatoes are raised in warm temperatures so it is best suited to store them at normal temperatures rather than subjecting them to the harsh cold environment of the refrigerator.
Which is more likely to deplete the flavor and coloration. The best place to store the tomatoes from the garden to best preserve their freshness is on the counter-top!
The tenderness of the tomatoes matures slowly with the time adding more flavor to it. Let the tomatoes mature at the normal temperature on the countertop. This will add the most flavorful taste to this fruit.

How To Store Tomatoes In Freezer?

Tomatoes are raised in warm temperatures with little or no humidity in the air. It is generally not advisable to store tomatoes in the freezer for long.

As freezing results in decoloration and also results in depletion of the tenderness of the garden tomatoes. Yet, freezing is an efficient way of preserving fresh tomatoes.

Instructions for freezing tomatoes:

#Step 1- Blanching

Drop tomatoes into hot and boiling water for 60-90 seconds. Utilizing a big spoon, move the hot tomatoes promptly into a bowl of ice water to cool. Skin will slip effectively from the tissue.

#Step 2- Get The Tomatoes Ready

Eliminate the stem of the tomatoes. Use a shallow dish for this process, as it would hold the juices.

#Step 3- Move Into Ziplock Sacks

Utilizing a scoop or estimating cup, fill half a quart of the Ziploc sacks.

#Step 4- Seal Sacks

Try to remove maximum air from the Ziploc bags. This way your tomatoes will retain the most freshness and flavour.

#Step 5- Into The Cooler

Store the tomatoes in the cooler. Remember, the shape in which they freeze is the shape you’re left with until it’s an ideal opportunity to defrost.

Frozen tomatoes will hold flavor for about a year so make sure you consume them within this time period.

How To Store Tomatoes In Cold Storage?

Is it ok to refrigerate tomatoes? Storing tomatoes long term in the cold storage might be a great way for you to store your tomatoes for a long time.

However, experts say that the flavor loss from the tomatoes will be minimal if the cold storage lasts for less than 3 simultaneous days.
Should you refrigerate tomatoes? In order to refrigerate tomatoes or keep them in cold storage for a longer duration.
Use a plastic clamshell container and put them in the crisper section. You can also use a paper bag or plastic bag that contains slits.

How To Preserve Fresh Tomatoes Without Freezing?

The best space to preserve the freshness of the tomatoes is to let them stay on the counter-top.

The delicacy of the tomatoes develops gradually with time adding more flavor to it. Allow the tomatoes to develop at the typical temperature on the ledge.

This will add the most delightful taste to the organic product. Be sure to buy fresh and soft tomatoes before storing them.

Below we have listed best possible methods that you can use to preserve fresh tomatoes without actually putting them in the refrigerator:

# Making Canned Tomatoes

**How To Store Tomatoes- Making Canned Tomatoes**

Canning is an incredible way to preserve fresh tomatoes! They are really effective in case you’re looking to store the tomatoes from the garden for a long period of time. It basically involves creating and storing the tomato containers while ensuring the fixed containers stay sealed shut.

This method is effective as long as you guarantee that no air gets into the holder as this could ruin the tomatoes.

Procedure for canning of tomatoes:

Wash the tomatoes with water and dry them.
Cut tomatoes into halves and spread them on a plate side by side.
Sprinkle salt on these cut tomatoes.
Now, you can likewise cover the tomatoes with a net to shield them from birds, creepy crawlies, and other different parasites
Place the plate loaded with tomatoes in direct daylight and let it stay outside the entire day. Keep repeating this process for seven days.
Also, continue checking and turning the tomatoes to guarantee they stay wrinkled and equally dried.
Also even after 7 days period if tomatoes don’t seem wrinkled, continue keeping them outside in sunlight for days.
Appropriately sun-dried tomatoes will seem wrinkled and all-around dried. Take note that there should not remain any dampness when this occurs.
Subsequently, you can stack these into a dry container.
Also, make sure that the container stays fixed and sealed shut.

This process is visibly slower than all other storing procedures. However, the fully dried, delightful, and outwardly engaging tomatoes with retained freshness totally outsmart them all.

# How To Make Ketchup

Making ketchup is definitely a amazing process of preserving fresh tomatoes. In addition to that you’re saving up the money which you’d be spending on buying ketchup.

This process is definitely more complicated than freezing tomatoes but the result is definitely worth the pain.

Heat your tomatoes in boiling water briefly. Make sure the tomatoes are totally inundated in the water as this would facilitate the peeling of them in the later steps.
Remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and promptly place them in a bowl loaded with ice to encourage a quicker cooling process.
After eliminating the skins, de-seed the striped tomatoes. Also, crush the tomatoes to eliminate any dampness from them.
The leftover fluid can be utilized to make plain soup, curry, or you can even get tomato juice ready as per your desire.
You can add flavoring to the ketchup to give it a flavor and shading of your preference. In case, you don’t have any flavoring, salt also works comparably well.
Pour the ketchup in a container and add your favorite veggies and spices, or anything you like. Use a pan to heat until it starts boiling and extra fluid evaporates.
From that point, let it cool. Save your ketchup in a sealable and water/air proof holder and store it.

The water shouldn’t come in the way to your ketchup making process! Remember to drain enough water and drain off the mixture.

Also, it is advised to use the ketchup as earliest as possible to prevent it from getting spoiled.

# How To Make Tomato Paste

Tomato paste is a common but essential ingredient for any kitchen. So, it is better to just make up some of it, and save it for future cooking.

Just peel your tomatoes.
Cut the tomatoes into smaller pieces and cook them over medium heat. Also, add some salt and your favorite spices to it.
Cook these tomatoes until you get a smooth and consistent paste. Also, make sure that in the end there remains no extra liquid in the paste.

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How To Store Tomatoes In Summer?

It is very essential to store tomatoes in summer so that they get spoiled easily. Here we have listed few easy ways to store tomatoes this summer:

#1 Tomato Paste

Tomato paste is so stapled that it is used in almost every dish- from making sauces and seasoning soups to thick stews.
Making tomato paste at your house is the easiest cooking that you would do in your kitchen.
Also, handcrafted tomato paste has much more flavor than locally acquired from the market.

#2 Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Oven-dried tomatoes resemble the more youthful, prettier taste to the garden tomatoes.
Without a doubt, they will not last long as the perfectly sun-dried tomatoes and therefore they should be refrigerated.
Yet their delicious, smooth surface more than compensates for their limited life expectancy.

#3 Tomato Puree

Tomato purée is another amazing way of storing garden tomatoes by making them more delectable at home while retenting of their freshness. Reserve homemade tomato puree in the fridger for long term usage.

#4 Canned Tomatoes

Canned tomatoes ought to be in each cook’s storeroom. You can use them to make soups, stew, and even as base for braised meats. We say stock your cabinet with the canned tomatoes that works well for how you cook.

How Do You Keep Tomatoes Fresh Longer?

What is the best way to preserve tomatoes? Tomatoes are highly perishable goods.

They cannot be made to last for a very long time. However, if you want to keep your tomatoes fresh for a week or two.

You can place them in the refrigerator or cold storage for a few days. How long can you freeze tomatoes?

Some people store their tomatoes in the freezer for some time so that they get completely frozen and last longer. You can always choose any method that works suits you best.

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Different Tomato Storage Container

The best way to store tomatoes after cutting is to store them upside down on paper towels in an open container.

For this, you can use Tupperware, a shoebox, or a cardboard box. Ripe tomatoes can last for a few days if they are placed in refrigerators or cold storage.

However, the recommended time for eating the tomatoes is within a week.

Do Tomatoes Ripen In The Fridge?

How to keep tomatoes from ripening too fast? Tomatoes do not ripen too fast in the fridge.

By any chance, if you purchase unripe tomatoes, storing them at the right temperature in the fridge will stop any further ageing, because they’ll never ripen.

But the low temperatures in the fridge will do decent harm to tomatoes. Your best decision would be to allow them to sit at room temperature so some more ageing can happen.

How long will tomatoes last in the freezer? So, if you have extra tomatoes that you can’t utilize promptly, you should place them in the refrigerator.

This will fundamentally slow down or even stop the maturing cycle of ripening and hold them back from turning sour excessively fast.

The question is: Will tomatoes last longer in the refrigerator?

It is advised to remove tomatoes from ice chest 24 hrs prior and let them sit before using. This will allow the tomatoes to regain the flavor lost during the refrigeration.

How Can I Preserve Tomatoes Without Canning?

How to store homegrown tomatoes? There are various methods to preserve tomatoes without canning them.

The best way to store cut tomatoes is to preserve them in cold storage or the refrigerator. However, if you plan on cooking your tomatoes in the next week or two.

You should consider putting them in cold storage or freezing the tomatoes until you are ready to use them. Storing cut tomatoes has never been simpler!

How Long Do Tomatoes Last In Refrigerator?

How to store fresh tomatoes from the garden? The life of the tomatoes depends on when they were harvested and whether they were produced organically or not.

Hence, you must ensure that you check these facts before you choose a way to preserve tomatoes.

Unripe tomatoes expire in 3-7 days and in around 2 weeks if kept in the refrigerator.
Ripe tomatoes can only last a day or two on the counter but in the refrigerator, they can last for a week.

Now, you know the answer to the question: Can you refrigerate tomatoes?

How To Store Cherry Tomatoes?

Here are few methods which you can use for storing cherry tomatoes. Keeping cherry tomatoes at room temperature preserves the flavour of the tomatoes to the fullest.

However, you can also keep them in the refrigerator if you want to keep them long enough to last a week.

If you store them on the countertop, they will last for about 3 days, but if you store them in the refrigerator, they may last for up to a week.

How To Store Cut Tomatoes?

How to keep cut tomatoes fresh? Here is how you can store sliced tomatoes.

Take a plastic storage container and place paper towel in it to store half-cut tomato upside down.
You will have to use the tomatoes within two days to make sure they have the flavour intact.
Also, take tomatoes out of the fridge 30 mins prior to eating to restore flavour. You can use the same method to store diced tomatoes in the fridge.

How To Store Green Tomatoes?

Wash the green tomatoes and allow them to dry completely before you think about storing them.
If you don’t have a large quantity of green tomatoes to store, place them in a paper bag with a banana and store them at room temperature.
You should make sure they don’t stay in direct sunlight and maintain average humidity.

Lets us talk about few FAQS on How To Store Tomatoes

Q1: Can We store tomatoes and avocados together?

Yes, We Store Tomatoes And Avocados Together until you want to ripen them. By keeping them together will make the ripen process fast. It is due to a chemical produced called ethylene as they ripen.

Q2: What is the best way to store tomatoes after cutting?

Once we cut the tomatoes, the best and only way is to either freeze them or refrigerate them. For storing you can use Tupperware, a shoebox, or a cardboard box. Ripe tomatoes can last for a few days if they are placed in refrigerators or cold storage.

Q3: What is the best temperature to store tomatoes?

The best temperature to store ripen tomatoes is 55°F. But for unripe tomatoes, you can keep them a room temperature and allow them to ripe in a natural way.

Conclusion

Tomatoes are essential for cooking and are used almost regularly in every household. Therefore storing these garden tomatoes become essential because you need to preserve their freshness and flavour.

Try all the above tips and tricks on how to store tomatoes so that they remain fresh for longer. And even after days of storage, they taste as delicious and fresh as ever.

Stay connected with us for further articles like this and keep reading!

Olivia

My name is Olivia, and I live in the United States and love having plants in my garden. Lots of plants are there on my balcony, indoor and outdoor garden also. Here I am trying to share useful gardening tips, how to grow and care for various plants, etc.