Have we been storing tomatoes all wrong?

Have we been storing tomatoes all wrong? [Photo: Tookapic via Pexels]
Have we been storing tomatoes all wrong? [Photo: Tookapic via Pexels]

There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing you’ve left your fruit and vegetables that little bit too long without using them. Squishy, squidgy food just isn’t the one.

But according to one YouTube chef, there may well be a way to ensure that your tomatoes, at least, stay fresher for a few days longer.

Kenji López-Alt has revealed a simple technique that takes mere seconds to do, but could prolong the life of your toms for two or three days more.

How? By storing them upside down.

In his YouTube video clip, the chef explains that you should remove any large pieces of stem from the tomatoes when you buy them, then store them upside down on a plate or flat surface. Simples.

Apparently this simple act will keep the fruit from turning wrinkly.

López-Alt explained that the tomato skin is great for keeping the tomato’s juices inside the fruit. But that the part of the tomato where the stem attaches allows the juices to escape leading to wrinkly, squidgy tomatoes.

He suggests that laying the tomatoes upside down and ensuring they are flat will limit moisture loss and therefore keep your tomatoes firm for that little bit longer.

Chef J. Kenji López-Alt has a handy hack for keeping tomatoes fresh [Photo: YouTube]
Chef J. Kenji López-Alt has a handy hack for keeping tomatoes fresh [Photo: YouTube]

In order to test his theory, López-Alt put tape over the stem ends of one collection of tomatoes and left the others as they are. The tomatoes with the tape stayed wrinkle-free and firm while the tape-free toms were visibly wrinkly and soft.

So there you have it folks, if you want shrivel-free, squidge-less tomatoes turn them upside down when you store them.

Now all we have to figure out is whether or not to keep them in the fridge!

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