KEEPING THE TOMATOES FRESH IN THE REFRIGERATOR

This is just a continuation of my previous post about keeping vegetables fresh inside the refrigerator. . . . . COLD TEMPERATURE DESTROYS TOMATO FLAVOR AND TEXTURE It’s true that the texture as well as the flavor of tomatoes when put inside the refrigerator is not as good as those which are left in open air. The refrigerator’s cold temperature destroys the smoothness of the skin of the tomato and its flavor is likewise affected by its unnatural coldness. It is often suggested by experts that tomatoes should be put out of the refrigerator to maintain its freshness. But I beg to disagree. It is not always practical to leave tomatoes in open air because of our weather – we live in a tropical country. The hot weather contributes the fast ripening of the tomatoes. There is one way to make the tomatoes fresh even if it is put inside the refrigerator and it has worked pretty well for me. Everytime I buy a kilo, or half, of tomatoes, I make sure that I fifty percent of which are green ones and the rest are a combination of greenish yellow, yellow and red. In other words, I don’t get all the ripe or unripe ones. WAYS TO KEEP TOMATOES FRESH Here’s how to make the tomatoes stay fresh even for two weeks: o Before keep the tomatoes inside the refrigerator, wash them and let it dry (remember not to wipe them with towel for doing so will affect the luster of the skin) o Separate the green ones from the red ones. Consume the red or ripe ones first. o Wrap separately the green and red tomatoes with a newspaper. o Store them in the bottom portion of the refrigerator, never in the freezer.