Paula's Weekly Kitchen Tip: Keeping Tomatoes Fresh

This tip is from our friends at America’s Test Kitchen: Storing a tomato with its stem end facing down can prolong shelf life by a week.

Theory is that the scar left on the tomato skin where the stem once grew provides both an escape for moisture and an entry point for mold and bacteria. Placing a tomato stem-end down blocks air from entering and moisture from exiting the scar. You get the same results when storing tomatoes upright, with a piece of tape sealing off their scars.