Storing tomatoes in the fridge or in a bowl on your kitchen surface won't make a difference to taste, a new study finds. Getty
Storing tomatoes in the fridge or in a bowl on your kitchen surface won't make a difference to taste, a new study finds. Getty
Storing tomatoes in the fridge or in a bowl on your kitchen surface won't make a difference to taste, a new study finds. Getty
Storing tomatoes in the fridge or in a bowl on your kitchen surface won't make a difference to taste, a new study finds. Getty

Should you store tomatoes in the fridge? A new study has the answer​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​


Katy Gillett
  • English
  • Arabic

Tomato lovers could be divided into two camps: those who store their beloved red fruit in the fridge, or those who leave them in room-temperature conditions.

While a previous study found chilled tomatoes lost their flavour, new research from a team at the University of Gottingen in Germany has found there isn't actually much difference when it comes to where or how you store them in the short-term.

It is the variety of tomato in particular that has an important influence on the flavour

The new study, the results of which were published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science earlier this month, brought together a panel of experienced tomato tasters (it's a thing), who assessed several breeds of the fruit. These had been tracked throughout the entire post-harvest process, and had been picked ripe, spent one day at the distributor and then a further two days in the supermarket before they ended up in the lab.

Each was stored for four days at both room temperature or in the fridge at 7°C.

The panel of experts scored their slices using a variety of criteria, including colour, sweetness, sourness, aftertaste and juiciness.

They discerned no perceptible difference in flavour between the tomatoes that had been kept in the fridge and those that hadn't.

"It is the variety of tomato in particular that has an important influence on the flavour," Larissa Kanski, lead author of the study, said, according to Sci Tech Daily. "Therefore, the development of new varieties with an appealing flavour can be a step towards improving the flavour quality of tomatoes."

It was also noted that the shorter the storage period, the better the flavour.

In the long term, the jury is out on how it's best to store tomatoes. The study's authors agree more research needs to be done.

"The next step is to look on the entire transportation route from the producer to the consumer, finding a way to preserve the flavour of the tomato fruits."

In the meantime, we can all agree it's better to enjoy eating them sooner rather than later.

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

RESULT

Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay:
 Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')

Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS

England v New Zealand

(Saturday, 12pm UAE)

Wales v South Africa

(Sunday, 12pm, UAE)

 

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS

Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)

Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye

Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine

Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye

Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)

Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)

Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra

Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh

Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar

Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine

 

The biog

Date of birth: 27 May, 1995

Place of birth: Dubai, UAE

Status: Single

School: Al Ittihad private school in Al Mamzar

University: University of Sharjah

Degree: Renewable and Sustainable Energy

Hobby: I enjoy travelling a lot, not just for fun, but I like to cross things off my bucket list and the map and do something there like a 'green project'.

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

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Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.

Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.

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The Good Liar

Starring: Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen

Directed by: Bill Condon

Three out of five stars

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.