Vegetables · Tomato
How to pick a good Tomato
Deep red right to the stem and sweet stem-end smell — that's peak ripe
How to pick
Look for deep uniform red right up to the stem — no green or yellow shoulders. Smell the stem end; a ripe tomato smells sweet and earthy. Slight give under gentle pressure.
Red flags
- Pale pink or green shoulders at the stem
- Rock-hard with no fragrance
- Cracks radiating from the stem
- Water-soaked or slightly sunken patches on the skin
When will it be ripe?
- Green top · not yet Green or pale shoulders around the stem, rock-hard, and no smell at the stem end.
- Turning · nearly Color coming up from the blossom end while the shoulders are still pale, flesh firm.
- Red all over · eat now Deep uniform red right up to the stem with no green or yellow shoulders, a sweet earthy smell, slight give under gentle pressure.
- Very soft · use today Very soft under a light press, with cracks radiating from the stem or a water-soaked patch on the skin.
How to store
Keep at room temperature on the counter. Never refrigerate — cold below 50 °F (10 °C) suppresses volatile aromatics and can permanently damage flavor. Use ripe tomatoes within 3–4 days.
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Picking, storage, and freshness guidance is drawn from peer-reviewed postharvest research and agricultural extension sources. The sources are named in the app.