How to preserve grape tomatoes

Tomatoes could easily top a list of the hardest to store fruits and vegetables, if we had to make one.

Even in the best conditions, their storage does not promise to keep them fit for consumption for a long time. Still, with a little more effort and the right steps, you can get good results.

If you want to provoke violent reactions in a room full of foodies, announce to everyone that you’re keeping your tomatoes in the fridge, and watch the waves of sarcasm erupt.

After all, keeping tomatoes in the fridge is absolutely taboo, right?

Regardless of the type of tomato, the preservation methods are practically the same. There are certain types that keep better under certain conditions, but in general, you should follow the same rules. Today we will focus on the storage of grape tomatoes.

How should you preserve grape tomatoes? Normally, tomatoes should be kept at room temperature. The cold environment of the fridge stops the ripening process and, in a few days, the tomatoes lose part of their flavor, aroma and texture. But since grape tomatoes are often sold almost ripe, it’s best to keep them in the fridge.

This is the reason for all the fuss about keeping tomatoes in the fridge. However, there is a situational counterpart. Although the fridge is usually not a good place for immature tomatoes, you should store ripe ones inside if you want to extend their shelf life.

What are grape tomatoes?

Since grape tomatoes are quite uncommon compared to most other types commonly seen on the market, it’s easy to confuse them with the regular cherry tomatoes that sundried tomatoes give us, since both are small.

The most obvious difference is that grape tomatoes are not round in shape like cherries. Instead, they are shaped after the fruit from which they took their name: the grape.

Since you’ve no doubt eaten cherry tomatoes, we’ll use those as an example for comparison as well. That being said, grape tomatoes are not as sweet as cherry tomatoes, but they do have a meatier texture. They also tend to have fewer seeds.

How to preserve grape tomatoes

The following guide can be considered general for all types of tomatoes, but we will refer to grape tomatoes by general theme.

In short, keep tomatoes at room temperature as long as possible or until they are fully ripe. Then, you should store them in the fridge if you want to extend their useful life for a few more days.

Storage of unripe tomatoes

Immature tomatoes of all kinds should be allowed to ripen as long as you don’t prefer them greener.

That being said, you definitely shouldn’t put them in the fridge. Always keep them at room temperature, but away from direct sunlight. We recommend that you place them side by side, but never stack them.

And most importantly, to keep them fresh for longer, store them upside down until they are fully ripe. Of course, it can be problematic to balance the grape tomatoes upside down due to their shape, but you can achieve this by arranging them side by side.

The advantages of keeping them stem-down are twofold: by putting them this way, you block off the area where the twigs would normally connect.

As a result, the moisture in the tomato will not escape as quickly as well as less air will enter the tomato. In other words, this will prevent the growth of bacteria and mold and therefore extend the shelf life of your grape tomatoes or tomatoes in general.

Storing Ripe Grape Tomatoes

This is where we’re going to go against most opinions on the correct method of storing tomatoes, because we recommend keeping them in the fridge as long as you don’t plan to eat them for 24-48 hours.

Unfortunately, most people have been taught that the fridge is the worst place for tomatoes in any state and follow this “rule” blindly.

Speaking of grape tomatoes, in most cases they are sold in a near-ripe state, which means you won’t have to wait long for them to reach their perfect shape.

But once they hit their sweet spot, you only have a few days to eat them before they go bad. With the way many families buy their groceries weekly or even at longer intervals, this leaves them with a large amount of produce that requires proper storage to extend its shelf life.

In the case of grape tomatoes, in particular, there is only one way to go once they are perfectly ripe: store them in the fridge.

Believe it or not, any tomato that has been kept in the fridge after reaching its fullness will taste better than any ripe tomato that has been left out at room temperature too long.

Can grape tomatoes be frozen?

When it comes to tomatoes, you can generally freeze them in a variety of ways: whole, cut into different shapes, or pureed. As for grape tomatoes, you can also freeze them, but the options are more limited.

When working with regular tomatoes, you have the option of peeling them before freezing.

It’s not necessary, but some people prefer it that way. Since grape tomatoes are not normally peeled, you will have to work with the skin. Be careful not to freeze any spoiled tomatoes, as this will destroy the entire batch later.

To do the freezing itself, wash each tomato and remove the stems. We recommend that you cut a little on the side where the stem was. Use a sheet pan or cookie sheet or baking sheet and arrange them in a single layer with some space between each grape tomato.

Let the tomatoes freeze completely. Then transfer them into resealable freezer bags or any type of airtight container.

In general, frozen tomatoes should be eaten within 3 months if you care about quality and flavor, but they will still be safe to eat for longer.

How to tell if tomatoes are bad, spoiled or rotten

Perhaps tomatoes, in general, are more difficult to store than we would like, but for this reason it is very easy to know when any tomato is losing its qualities.

Once fresh tomatoes reach their prime, they begin to soften. In some cases, they begin to lose fluid. In other cases, mold starts to grow, which isn’t necessarily bad for a large whole tomato, but for our little grape tomatoes, it means you shouldn’t eat it.

Fruit flies may appear depending on the region you live in, which could happen regardless of what fruit or vegetable you have on your counter. Many people have problems with fruit flies and don’t know how to get rid of the little intruders.

There is a simple solution to get rid of fruit flies. Take a bowl and fill it with water. Add a tablespoon or more of vinegar to the bowl and place it next to the basket or whatever you store your grape tomatoes in.

Leave it overnight and in the morning you should find a bunch of dead flies in the bowl. If some remain, repeat the process until you get rid of them all.

Nutritional value of grape tomatoes

It would be useless to indicate the nutritional value of a single grape tomato as we would a normal large one by means of a table. However, we can tell you the general benefits of consuming grape tomatoes.

Fiber is one of the most important nutrients for our health and grape tomatoes can help you get the necessary daily value when you add them to your menu. Additionally, grape tomatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A and C.

And most importantly, grape tomatoes are rich in antioxidants, such as lycopene, which gives them their red color.

Furthermore, it is incredibly beneficial for the protection of health in general and the health of the heart in particular. It is even considered especially useful in reducing the risk of certain types of cancer, although more research is required in this field.

Related questions

We hope you have found this guide to properly store grape tomatoes useful, and we hope you won’t find it too shocking to know that you can store them in the fridge.

We invite you to review the following section of questions and answers for additional information that may be useful to you.

Are tomatoes good for weight loss?

First of all, tomatoes are incredibly nutritious. At the same time, they are extremely low in calories, with less than 30 calories per full-size tomato.

This makes them a great addition to your menu if you’re looking for foods that make you feel full while reducing calorie intake.

Due to their high antioxidant consistency, they help water retention and leptin resistance, further toning weight loss.

Can I eat tomatoes on an empty stomach?

Despite the obvious nutritional value of tomatoes, they are not a suitable snack on an empty stomach. As part of your meal, yes, but if not, consider eating something else.

Why are tomatoes not good for empty stomachs? Due to the tannic acid that is abundant in tomatoes, it could lead to stomach problems such as gastritis.