Have you ever pulled a wrinkled tomato out of your fridge, cupboard, or fruit bowl, and wondered whether it’s still good to eat, or whether you need to compost it? It’s frustrating to waste food, but eating moldy food is not a good idea either.
Wrinkled tomatoes are generally okay to eat, although you should check them for other signs of mold and decay if they have turned soft. As long as there is no mold and they taste and smell alright, the tomatoes should be fine to use.
We’re going to explore how to tell whether you can eat wrinkled tomatoes, and then look at what the best ways to use them up are. We will also touch on proper tomato storage to minimize the risk of wrinkling.
What Causes Tomatoes To Wrinkle?
A few different things can cause tomatoes to wrinkle. Most commonly, they wrinkle when they are old. This is because they gradually lose moisture, and as the moisture evaporates and goes into the air, the tomato skins become looser and therefore form folds. Wrinkling often indicates that the tomatoes are past their best. However, wrinkly tomatoes can be caused by other things too, including:
- Not having enough nutrients while growing
- A deformity called catfacing
- Getting dehydrated while growing on the plant
Any of these things can result in wrinkled tomatoes, even those still on your tomato plant, so let’s explore each of them in more detail. Not having enough nutrients while growing will cause tomatoes to develop wrinkles because they will lack the juices and cell growth that usually makes these fruits plump.
Catfacing is a disorder that tends to affect large tomatoes, although it can also affect small ones. It causes puckering, uneven color formation, wrinkles, and more. It is often caused by sudden temperature drops when the plants are first blooming.
Your plants not having enough water may also cause wrinkled tomatoes, and it’s important to regularly water them throughout their flowering and fruiting season. Watering irregularly can cause splitting, wrinkling, and other deformities, so try to water daily or at least every other day while your tomatoes are growing.
Can You Eat Wrinkled Tomatoes?
You can generally eat wrinkled tomatoes no matter what has caused the wrinkling, yes. Sometimes tomatoes that have grown wrinkled are very deformed and these may not be edible, or at least not pleasant to eat. On the whole, however, wrinkled tomatoes are perfectly safe.
That said, it is important to exercise caution if you know that the tomatoes are old. Wrinkling itself is not dangerous, but it does indicate that the tomatoes are past their best – which could mean that they are starting to turn moldy. You should therefore closely inspect any tomatoes that have started to wrinkle and see if you see other signs of decay.
The most important thing to look out for on a tomato is spots of mold, especially if the skin has split open. These usually form anywhere that there is damage, or around the stem, and they are a sure sign that you should not eat the tomato. The mold could give you food poisoning, leading to diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, a fever, and other symptoms of illness.
You should also test how firm the tomatoes are. They will probably be slightly squishy if they have started to wrinkle, but very squishy fruits are likely to be spoiled, and may not taste pleasant. Always lightly squeeze the fruits before eating them. Pay attention to the smell and flavor too, and discard fruits that smell or taste strange.
How Should You Use Wrinkled Tomatoes?
The best way to use wrinkled tomatoes is generally to cook them. Because cooking tends to make the tomatoes wrinkle and pop anyway, it will hide the change in texture. When eaten raw, wrinkled tomatoes are generally mushy and unpleasant, lacking the firmness of fresh tomatoes – but cooked, this won’t matter.
You can gently stew the tomatoes and use them on toast or for pasta sauce, or you can fry them alongside mushrooms and garlic for a vegetable-rich dish. Either of these things will make the tomatoes much pleasanter than if you try to eat them raw once they have gone wrinkly.
How Should You Store Tomatoes To Avoid Wrinkling?
The best way to store tomatoes is dependent on their ripeness. There’s a lot of debate about the best storage methods, and their ripeness is the best guide. You should always store them at room temperature when they are not ripe. Place them in a cupboard or pantry with the stems down, as this helps to prevent moisture loss.
Once the tomatoes are ripe, you should refrigerate them if you are not going to use them up quickly. Being kept in a cool, slightly damp environment should help to ensure that moisture stays in the fruits and reduce the risk of them becoming wrinkled.
If you choose to keep your tomatoes out of the fridge and at room temperature, you should make efforts to use them up more quickly than if you keep them in the fridge. Be aware that room-temperature tomatoes will go off a little faster, and wrinkling is more likely to occur. This is why some people prefer to keep them cold.
If you do keep the tomatoes in your fridge, you should bring them up to room temperature before eating them. Being cold will dull the flavors. You can combat this problem by taking the tomatoes out of the fridge about half an hour or an hour before you are ready to eat them. This will let them warm up and make them taste better.
Conclusion
You can eat wrinkled tomatoes without any issue as long as the tomatoes still taste and smell good. However, you should always check tomatoes before you eat them and make sure that they do not have any spots of mold, especially if the skin has split in places. If the wrinkled tomato has mold spots or tastes strange, compost it.
