Martin Lewis' MSE says tomatoes stay fresh longer with this food storage tip

Tomatoes should not be stored in the fridge (Image: Getty Images)

A warning has been issued to anyone storing their tomatoes in the fridge even though it’s a common place you’ll find this food item in any household.

Martin Lewis's Money Saving Expert says tomatoes should be stored in a bowl on the worktop rather than in the fridge as they tend to go 'mealy' in the fridge.

It added that the average UK household throws away £730 of food that could've been eaten each year, while collectively, we throw away 4.4 million potatoes, 2.7 million carrots, and 1.2 million tomatoes every single day.

According to Better Homes and Gardens, you should store tomatoes at room temperature until ripe.

Although whole tomatoes might appear to be fresher longer when you store them in the refrigerator, looks can be deceiving.

Once a tomato is cut, it should be covered or wrapped as soon as possible (Image: Getty Images)

By refrigerating the tomatoes, it stops the ripening process which can impact the taste and texture of them.

As a result, this can lead to a mealy, mushy, or hard texture while also impacting flavour.

Storing your tomatoes on a counter or cabinet away from heat or light will ensure they stay fresher for longer.

Once you’ve cut a tomato, it’s best to wrap it tightly in the fridge but a cut tomato begins to degrade very quickly so you shouldn’t keep it for much longer than a day or two..

But this isn’t the only food item that Money Saving Expert says you should store differently.

Keeping tomatoes in the fridge can make them mushy (Image: Getty Images)

It also said that avocados should be stored with a slice of onion in a plastic container which will prevent the avocado from going brown.

Or, if you’d rather not do this, you can rub the open side of the avocado with lemon juice. 

If you’re making guacamole, spray it with a light layer of lukewarm water to prevent the air from making contact and so keeping it fresh for longer.