Many people use tomatoes daily, and they often wonder how to tell if a tomato is bad. With their sweet-and-sour taste and juiciness, tomatoes, obviously, are ideal components for making salads, soups, jams, or juices.
In addition, the nutritional value of tomatoes is great though their price is very affordable. It is often used in weight loss recipes as well. That’s why you can find many kitchens always full of bright and beautiful red tomatoes.
However, keeping tomatoes fresh all the time is impossible. At some point, tomatoes will go bad, and you can’t eat them anymore. So what are the most obvious signs for you to recognize which tomatoes are spoiled? Scroll down to explore!
Quick Overview Of Tomato
When many people think of tomatoes, they immediately think of them as vegetables. However, there is a thing that you probably do not know.
In fact, the tomato is botanically identified as a fruit, and more precisely, a berry. Native to South America, Central America, and Mexico, they belong to the family Solanaceae (1).
The great thing about tomatoes is that they have a remarkable umami flavor. Therefore, many people eat them raw or add them to recipes like salads, stews, sauces, and more. For chefs, tomatoes are the perfect vegetable and cooking ingredient.
Like other berries, tomatoes are fragile and ripen quickly, making them difficult to maintain freshness. So let’s find out how spoiled tomatoes will be by reading the information below.
Let this helpful information help you recognize the benefits of tomatoes
3 Most Accurate Ways To Determine If A Tomato Goes Bad
When you think of tomatoes, you probably immediately think of sauces for pasta, spaghetti, or thinly sliced and used as a filling for a burger or sandwich.
There are too many recipes that require the presence of tomatoes. And, of course, they will gradually get worse. Here are ways to let you know the signals that you should discard those tomatoes.
What Does Bad Tomato Look Like?
A luscious tomato, in addition to being fresh, has to be plump, succulent, and fully ripe. So if it doesn’t have those characteristics, you probably shouldn’t use it anymore.
Appearance
The simplest way to determine if a tomato is spoiled is to observe its appearance. You should notice mold spots on the surface of the tomatoes. These mold spots are mostly white, gray, or green.
In addition, spoiled tomatoes no longer have bright colors. They appear bruised spots that look unattractive. If you find cracks and wrinkles on the tomato peel, you should also throw them away.
Inside The Tomato
However, you may not easily notice rotten tomatoes until cutting them in half, as tomatoes can be spoiled from the inside.
As with the exterior signs, the tomato flesh is moldy or discolored, usually brown, in some spots. Moreover, when you see mucus leaking out, then the tomatoes are completely unusable.
How Does It Smell?
The second way to recognize spoiled fruit is by its smell. In fact, a good tomato typically has a mild earthy aroma.
However, if it has a musty, rancid, sour, or unpleasant smell, it is not a good idea to continue using it. On the other hand, these odors are present not only on a whole tomato but also on sliced, minced, or diced ones.
How Does It Feel?
Touching is another great way to check your tomatoes. A fine tomato is mostly solid and not easy to sink in when slightly squeezed.
If the tomato becomes too soft or slushy, it’s time to discard it. A spoiled tomato can ooze liquid when grasped, even if it hasn’t been cut.
The Shelf Life Of Tomatoes
Different types of tomatoes have different shelf lives. However, some factors may affect these durations, such as time of harvest or transportation, storage during transportation, type of fruit, and ripe level.
When the tomatoes are unripe and have a few green spots, they will begin to ripen gradually from 1 to 5 days at room temperature. Ripe tomatoes should be stored in a cool, dry, and out of sunlight.
You can keep these ripe tomatoes for about one week at room temperature. If you put them in the refrigerator’s food drawer, their storage time is doubled, i.e., two weeks.
However, if you want to find a more convenient and better solution to use tomatoes longer, you can buy canned tomatoes. If unopened, their shelf life is usually 12-18 months. But if they have already opened, it’s best to use them within 7 days.
How To Preserve Tomatoes Properly
If you have whole ripe tomatoes and are going to use them within a few days, a good rule of thumb is to store them at room temperature.
According to professionals, if your tomatoes are still green, a temperature of 66 to 70°F creates the ideal environment for the tomatoes to continue to ripen evenly.
Because tomatoes stored above 81°F will be reduced in their shelf life and also quality. On the other hand, storing red tomatoes is ideal for storing at 55 °F. (2)
What about your tomatoes reaching their prime, but you do not use them in the next meal? Obviously, at this point, you need the help of a refrigerator.
Refrigeration helps extend the shelf life of tomatoes, preserving their inherent quality, and preventing them from going rancid.
You can store them for up to 3 months in a freezer as well. But please remember to keep them in a food container or freezer-safe bag.
You absolutely may extend your tomatoes’ shelf life by freezing them.
Things To Avoid When Storing Tomatoes
Sometimes you may have inadvertently shortened the shelf life of your fresh tomatoes and made them spoil faster. Here are some common mistakes that you should avoid.
- Stuff lots of tomatoes in plastic bags and tie them up. It creates a tight space and hot air causes the tomatoes to ripen quickly and spoil.
- Do not heap tomatoes. Otherwise, they will be bruised.
- Store tomatoes with other ethylene-producing fruits or vegetables. As the fruits ripen, they produce ethylene. This is a gas that accelerates ripening.
On the other hand, if the tomatoes are still unripe and too hard to consume, you can apply the above rule to speed up the ripening time.
Home-made Recipes From Tomatoes
Overall, it is best to consume tomatoes when they are fresh and fully ripe. And there are many recipes to turn your tomatoes into delicacies. It is the simplest and most effective way to not only waste food but also add nutrients from tomatoes to your daily meals.
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
The secret to elevating this dish is to know the type of tomato you use. Roma tomatoes are the best option here.
Combining your tomatoes with basil leaves creates a surprisingly harmonious scent. The rich flavor of this dish awakens all your senses.
Check out this guideline for delightsome tomato soup with easy-to-find ingredients.
Tomato Jam
Total time: 40 minutes
Instead of the usual fruit jam, why don’t you try making some sweet tomato jam? With a slightly thick texture and sugary and mildly spicy flavor, tomato jam is the perfect component to go with sandwich and goat cheese.
You can make them at any time because tomatoes are available all year. At the same time, this is definitely a breakfast that both children and adults love.
Tomato Chutney
Total time: 55 minutes
Chutney is a condiment or dipping sauce that contains many flavors. The taste of the tomato blends with the chili to create the perfect mix of sour, spicy, and sweet.
Not only simple in terms of preparation, but this recipe is also versatile. You can serve it with bread and rice for a main meal or as a side dish.
Easy Gazpacho
Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes
If you have too many tomatoes in stock, this Gazpacho recipe can help. Obviously, a dish that feels refreshing yet easy to make is always a top priority. The ingredients for Gazpacho are quite simple, just basil, garlic, and lots of tomatoes.
Use your tomatoes to make this Gazpacho and see how amazing it is.
FAQs
Below are some questions you may have about spoiled tomatoes and their related information. Continue reading the article to get all the answers.
Checking If Tomatoes Are Bad Is Not A Problem!
Delicious tomatoes are always what people expect when they buy them from the store. But sometimes, it’s inevitable that they get bad. And as you can see, there are many signs that the tomatoes are spoiled.
Tomatoes are an ingredient in many delicious recipes. Moreover, they also contain many nutrients, such as fiber and vitamins. Therefore, for safe consumption, you should know whether your tomatoes are spoiled before eating them.
In addition, you already know more ways to help them last longer, so please share this article with your loved ones to prevent any problems regarding consuming spoiled food. Your likes are also my big motivation. Thank you, and see you next time!
References
- Encyclopedia Britannica. 2022. tomato | Description, Cultivation, & History.
- Guan, W., 2022. Optimal Storage Conditions for Vegetables.
