A YouTuber has shared a simple hack to keep tomatoes fresh for months – all you need is two kitchen items and here is how to do it
Whether we’re rustling up a salad or indulging in a classic BLT, tomatoes are the healthy yet tasty ingredient we find ourselves reaching for time and again.
However, like many fruits and vegetables, we’re all too familiar with the frustrating and increasingly expensive sight of them going off and sometimes even starting to rot.
But that’s where EatWithEvidence comes in, the YouTuber has recently shared a straightforward method to ensure our tomatoes stay as fresh as the day they were bought.
In one of her latest videos, she explains how to use two common household items to keep tomatoes at their peak for months.
Firstly, she advises gathering a large bowl, measuring cups and a kitchen towel. Then, measure out a quarter cup of distilled white vinegar and mix it with 10 cups of water.
After this step, she suggests stirring the solution with your hands before adding the tomatoes. Ensuring the tomatoes are fully submerged, she recommends giving them a gentle toss in the liquid and letting them soak for “exactly two minutes”.
Giving us a peek into her method, she explained: “As they soak, the vinegar solution gets to work, it helps to neutralise the existing mould spores and washes away surface bacteria that may be hanging out on the skin. The surface of your tomatoes is normally a neutral playground where microorganisms can grow. When you put the tomatoes into the acidic vinegar bath, you completely change that environment.”
After the necessary time has passed, she revealed it’s finally time for the third and final step. Emphasising its importance, she stated that it’s crucial to dry each tomato thoroughly after removing them from the bowl.
She advised paying particular attention to the stem, as it’s more prone to allowing mould in later if not dried adequately.
However, if you’re worried that your tomatoes have spoiled, there are usually some clear signs, such as mould, becoming mushy and/or wrinkled, or starting to emit an unusual smell, indicating they’re past their prime.
According to Healthline, there are a number of health benefits to adding tomatoes to our diets, with them writing: “Tomatoes are juicy and sweet, full of antioxidants, and may help fight several diseases.”
“They are especially high in lycopene, a plant compound linked to improved heart health, cancer prevention, and protection against sunburns.”