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Here you can find out how the wonderful aroma of tomatoes unfolds and why they shouldn't belong in the fridge.
Actually, as a child, you learned that vegetables and fruit last longer in the refrigerator and therefore have to be stored in a cool place. However, this is not the case for all fruits. Tomatoes in particular need a warm storage temperature. Because a tomato from the fridge usually just tastes bland and watery. You can find out here why this is the case and why tomatoes should never be kept in the fridge.
What makes a good tomato taste?
Everyone knows the good taste of a freshly harvested tomato in summer. Ripe and straight from the tomato plant, it couldn't be better! The ratio of carbohydrates (glucose and fructose) and fruit acids is particularly important for good taste. For example, if a tomato is overripe, then acids such as malic acid are missing. The result: The tomato tastes floury and somehow not really like a tomato. In addition to these two important characteristics, there are another 24 fragrances and flavorings that researchers from the USA have identified as relevant to taste. What these other ingredients have in common is that they are quite volatile. This means that if a tomato does not produce enough of these flavors, they are gradually lost. And therein lies the problem!
The fridge as a taste killer?
At least for tomatoes, this question can be answered in the affirmative. A freshly harvested tomato lives on even after harvest and has a lively metabolism. If this were not the case, tomatoes would not be able to ripen. Depending on the variety, the metabolism only works properly at temperatures of around 15 °C or higher. In the refrigerator, i.e. at around 7 °C, the volatile flavors are no longer reproduced properly. The flavors already contained will gradually evaporate. The tomato loses a lot of its aroma because of the broken stem. The effects of cold and "stemlessness" are therefore the main reasons why the fruit tastes better every day in the refrigeratorforfeits. After a week of storage in the refrigerator, you can therefore assume that the tomato will have already lost a large number of aromatic substances. If you only want to keep your tomato dishes in the fridge for a day, that's certainly not a big problem.
Proper storage of tomatoes
Storage at 12 to 15 °C makes sense so that your tomatoes do not lose their taste. You should remember that higher temperatures lead to a shorter shelf life. In addition, the red fruits are happy when they are placed on a soft surface. Fully ripe tomatoes are particularly sensitive to pressure. Incidentally, tomatoes lose water during storage and therefore need to be airy. A plastic bag must never be used as a storage cover. But also note that tomatoes give off a ripening gas. This is completely natural and can lead to faster ripening of other types of fruit such as apples and bananas. As everyone knows, after maturity comes overripeness and with it rot. That's why you shouldn't store tomatoes next to other fruits, unless you want them to ripen more quickly.
Did you know: With their 25 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, tomatoes are not exactly vitamin bombs. However, the vitamin C is retained for a long time by the fruit acids and is hardly broken down during storage. Tomatoes can therefore still be used as a good source of vitamin C even after they have been stored for a long time.
If you heed this tip, you can expect tasty and aromatic fruits for your very personal favorite tomato dishes.