Tomatoes and bananas - fridge or pantry?

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

I've heard that tomatoes and bananas shouldn't be stored in the fridge, but I do it anyway to make them last longer.

Am I in the minority here, or do you do the same? Do you know why it's better to keep bananas in a fruit bowl or in the pantry?

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Tom Flanagan

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Tomatoes yes for the fridge, bananas never! I've heard it actually makes them go off faster - anyone else heard this too?

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Comments (26)

Sonia Goul-Wheeker
9 years ago
Tomatoes yes definitely, but bananas no!! Rumour has it bananas should be kept separate from your other fruit in your fruit bowl as they make other fruit ripen and go off quicker! That's what I do anyway, true or not!
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minnie101
9 years ago
Tomatoes in the fridge yes but I take them out for at least an hour before to warm up as they taste so much better.
Brad Crompton
9 years ago
Nothing worse than a chilly 'nana!
Kate Burt
8 years ago
I was told by a foodie that tomatoes lose their flavour when stored in the fridge and so never should be. Wouldn't stick bananas in there, surely a recipe for chilly brown fruit...
Sarah Alcroft
8 years ago
I've heard that, too, Kate - pantry for both (and place bananas next to avocados and they help to speed avocado ripening)
Michelle Whelan
8 years ago
On the other hand, putting carrots in the fridge helps to develop their sugar content (as if they were left in the ground during a frost). I think it is good for celery also.
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Stella Michael
8 years ago
Tomatoes definitely in the fridge in summer. If you grow your own will be fine outside. Bananas in the fridge go black and mushy. As well as not storing bananas near other fruit (unless you want to speed up their ripening) also do not store near each other. Separate them so they are not touching will make them last longer.
phazelb
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Both out of fridge, keep bananas away from all other fruit as they give off a gas that ripens other fruit more quickly. Tomatoes taste fantastic. Obviously make sure all fruit is out of the sun at all times. Put bananas in a brown paper bag with avocados to ripen. Green tomatoes left on the vine or put in a brown paper bag will ripen as well. You can peel and freeze bananas. Whole, halved with a lolly stick or sliced and open frozen. They taste like ice cream.
User
8 years ago
Frozen bananas - great for smoothies
Ann Hayes
8 years ago
Simple. If you buy from a supermarket look at how and where they store them. Bananas on an aisle and more often than not tomatoes are not in a chiller cabinet either. So follow their guidelines and store as per the type of supermarket storage where the goods were placed
Barry Higgs
8 years ago
No no no, like cheese they lose their flavour if chilled. How do you feel stuck in a blizzard outside, certainly now warm & enticing?
rproscoe
8 years ago
Ray Roscoe
We have recently returned from 5 weeks in Australia, my son and his wife always keep bananas in the fridge because it prolongs their life, they taste and look fine and would probably go off rapidly if stored in ambient temperature. We have tried it back in England and always buy our bananas slightly green, works well, give it a try
onwh
8 years ago
Apparently chilling tomatoes changes the chemical elements in them and consequently lose their flavour. Go to any Mediterranean supermarket and their toms are never chilled..pick a tomato from a warm greenhouse and eat straight away, far better flavour..
Never even thought of putting bananas in the fridge..they dont last long enough in our house to go off anyway!!
phazelb
8 years ago
When we lived in a city I noticed the carribbean natives would not entertain the green bananas, it was yellow spotted bananas all the way for them.
Glenys Jones
8 years ago
I store my bananas in the fridge in a "Banana Bag" purchased, at minimum cost, from a "Lake District" store. Wonderful!
soozmacrae
8 years ago
Tomatoes in fridge, bananas on their own in a bowl or if Ive got fruit that's not quite ripe, I put the bananas in with them.
Maggie Booth
8 years ago
Tomatoes- fridge
Bananas- never in fridge! They go off very quickly, the whole banana turns black in one night
shafei72
8 years ago
Tomatoes ok in the fridge or even in a cool place.
If you want bananas to ripe slower store away from other fruits & vegetables as bananas don't ripen with heat but with reacting to ethylene gas which can be produced when other fruit & veg ripen specially citrus fruit being in the fridge with other fruits speed up the process as the gas has no place to escape.
Natalie Patton
8 years ago
I know very heathy savvy people keep bananas in the fridge to keep them greener for longer and therefore keep the sugar content down. The riper the bananas the more sugar. Tomatoes are best of in the supermarket for me I'm not a fan. So I'd say store them where you bought them. Bananas are not sold from a fridge but tomatoes are
crowningfashion
8 years ago
Always hang bananas on a banana tree (the pole with a hook to hang them on.) It keeps them fresh and stops them from flavouring other fruit ( they shouldn't share a fruit bowl... bananas are posh didn't you know?!) I store toms in the fridge but not in the bottom compartment (the salad section) as it's too cold. Fridges are designed to have the coldest storage on the bottom and the warmest (although still cold) on the top. The fridge door storage is the least cold thus eggs and cheese are stored there. I use the salad tray for keeping drinks cold as they are very nicely chilled there, the salad I then place on the shelf directly above, and everything else is above that.
Sam Hill
8 years ago
Tomatoes always in the fridge, bananas always in the fruit bowl.
Adrian Barrett
8 years ago
You could keep everything and anything in the fridge if you really wanted to. But when was the last time a grocer or a supermarket sold you tomatoes from a fridge? Bananas in the fridge is ridiculous - they're a tropical fruit! And the person who stores eggs in the fridge also needs to look at how the shops store them. It's like people who put bread in the fridge - weird...
chemistrykaren
8 years ago
I'm late to this thread but... I'm with Ray Roscoe. I *always* store my bananas (*always* purchased green) in the fridge and they never go black. But I love underripe bananas and can't eat them otherwise! As for tomatoes... can go either way. I buy tomatoes that are already sweet and they're just fine cooled in the fridge. Is there no thread asking about we store eggs? :-)
Juliet Docherty
8 years ago
Sling old bananas in the freezer, then when you want a smoothie they can go straight into the blender with your coconut milk, almonds and maple syrup. Yum.
stefan slater
8 years ago
Tommies in fridge Nana's in pantry

Tomatoes and bananas - fridge or pantry?

Tom Flanagan

Comments (26)

Sonia Goul-Wheeker

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