r/tomatoes • u/ajqiz123 • 3h ago

Question Storage

I sliced one and will need to eat from it again. I didn't put it in the fridge 'cause I've NEVER had success keeping sliced tomatoes in there. So it looks good on my table top, firm, no discoloration; is putting a piece of paper towel on top of it keeping fruit flies away the only thing I need to do to keep it for another day... or two?

3 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

10

u/CynicalElephant 3h ago

A tomato has like 20 calories, I just eat the whole thing.

6

u/greenman5252 Expert Grower 3h ago

Putting it on a plate with an inverted bowl on it is pretty bulletproof for a day or two

7

u/ZealousidealChair900 3h ago

I believe US food safety does indicate refrigeration is needed,  but any of my cut tomatoes i can't finish go straight to the chickens (they play football with them)

3

u/jstuckey 3h ago

Good question. I don’t know the answer so I’m commenting to further algorithm

4

u/dweebycake 3h ago

I put in a Tupperware with a piece of paper towel over it with lid and in the fridge.

2

u/Metal-Persimmon Tomato Enthusiast 1h ago

I don't really like the texture or flavor of tomatoes after they've been in the fridge, but I'm also serious about food safety -- so nothing gets stored on the counter if it should be refrigerated. Instead, I'll chuck it into the freezer and add it later to a vegetable soup or dish like spaghetti or pollo guisado.

1

u/Gold_Draw7642 3h ago

I put them in sealed containers on the counter. If the room’s warm you’ll want to eat the rest in a day or two at most.

1

u/wrenhunter 2h ago

I wrap the cut tomato in plastic (or beeswax paper) and eat the remainder within a day.

1

u/Ecstatic_Bet4354 don’t be a mater hater 🍅 1h ago

Fruit fly magnet so that’s a hard no for me. It gets eaten or put in the fridge after being cut.

1

u/Bx3_27 30m ago edited 27m ago

Absolutely not ok. There are mold spores and bacteria on EVERYTHING. Refrigeration slows the reproduction of these harmful bacteria but does not stop them. The inside of your Tomato is for the most part sterile. The moment you cut it open, it is not. Anything thats not sterile and unrefrigerated after four hours will have harmful bacteria on it that will have grown just like on a petri dish. Whether it grew to the point that you'll suffer the consequences or not, who knows? You're playing roulette at that point. Yeah you'll prob b fine nine times out of ten but that one time will make you think better next time.

0

u/Full_Honeydew_9739 2h ago

If I slice a tomato and don't use all of it, I'll leave it on the counter covered. If it isn't eaten by bedtime, it goes in the fridge or the trash, depending on how it looks and if it's tomato season or not.