Do Not Refrigerate Tomatoes

All varieties of tomatoes should not be stored in the refrigerator. Storing them in cold temperatures will destroy their flavor components and will have an ill effect on their texture. Ripe tomatoes are best if used within a few days. Store them out of the sunlight and in temperatures range from room temperature down to 50 degrees for best results.

Other Tomato Tips:

• To peel skins on one or two tomatoes, poke a fork into the stem end and hold over a gas flame until skin splits. When cool to touch, peel skin off. For more tomatoes, use the boiling water and ice water method.
• When cooking tomatoes, adding a little sugar or honey will decrease the acidity of the tomatoes.
• To remove juices from tomatoes when adding to a dish that you do not want the extra juice added, cut the tomatoes as directed and allow them to sit in a bowl 30 to 45 minutes. Then pour off as much of the juice as possible and then use a paper towel to blot up excess juice. This works well when adding to a mayonnaise based salad.
• A serrated knife works great when cutting tomatoes into slices.
• When freezing whole tomatoes, you can wait to remove the skins when they are thawed after freezing. When ready to use, remove tomatoes and run water over them. The skins should peel off easily.