How do you pick the best tomatoes at the store?

Question

I often get tomatoes from a local farm stand or the grocery store. When picking them out, I try to go for the reddest and the least mushy (but not too hard). Sometimes, I really miss the mark and the inside is runny (sometimes the liquid is green too). There are also the times where the texture of the inside of the tomatoe is weird - almost freezer burnt. Anyone have any good tips or tricks to share?

Answer 1

Tomatoes are picked so early these days that it is a crap shoot any time you buy them. No matter what method I have tried they always vary in taste and texture.

Answer 2

Sometimes it's difficult, almost impossible, to determine what kind of fruit or vegetable is the best. It depends on how it was grown, if/what kinds of chemical pesticides were used, and how well the plant was cared for. The best thing you can do is plan ahead and decide when you're going to eat the fruit or vegetable. If it'll be a week or so before you eat it, be sure to get a tomato that is slightly green with a firm, unwrinkled skin. Double-check for soft spots. The inside will sometimes appear freezer-burnt, or "mealy", but this happens when the tomato is over ripe. Refrigerating the food can usually prevent this for at least a few days.

And while it is true that tomatoes will be edible for a while, this does not mean that they will taste their best for a while. Ripe tomatoes are a bright red, with a little bright green near the top, where the stem was. If you're looking for better flavor, avoid tomatoes with a darker color red.

I hope this helps!

Answer 3

I would get them from the farm stand as often as possible. If they are local they are more likely to have ripened on the plant. That makes them a lot more tasty. The ones in the grocery store were picked when they were green and then exposed to a certain gas to make them red. So they never are ripe. Tomatoes cannot ripen off of the plant like bananas do. They get soft after a while because they are starting to break down and go bad not because they are more ripe. BTW, the ones sold on the vine are also cut from the plant when green.

Answer 4

I buy my tomatoes about 95% red and must be firm. Other wise it will be soggy. When the tomatoes is too soft and you cut it, it goes all over the place. It just taste better in a solid form

Answer 5

It might be they type of tomato that you are buying to but i like them slightly on the orange side and firm then put in the fridge the finish ripping up on there own...Works for me.

Answer 6

Next time check for the petals if they are stiil fresh beside the redness.

Answer 7

you just have to feel them and if they are squishy dont get that one if they have a brown spot on them dont get them but if they'r just right get that one okay okay

Answer 8

check if their is a black spot on them and if there is dont buy it