# How do you pick ripe tomatoes at the market? Canonical: https://zestasy.com/wiki/picking-ripe-tomatoes/ Section: Zestasy Wiki > Food · Updated: 2026-10-13 · Publisher: Zestasy *Zestasy Wiki: our reference answers. Checked for facts and sources; less curated than the magazine.* Pick tomatoes that feel heavy for their size, smell green and sweet at the stem, give very slightly under gentle pressure without being soft, and have deep, even colour for their variety. Then buy the kind that suits what you are cooking, and keep them out of the fridge until they are eaten. A ripe tomato in season is one of the great pleasures of summer, and an unripe one is a pale red disappointment. The good news is that your senses can tell them apart in a few seconds at the stall. Use all of them. ## The four checks ### Heft Pick it up. A ripe tomato feels heavy for its size, full of juice. A light one is often mealy or dry inside. Compare two of similar size, one in each hand; the heavier one usually wins. ### Smell Sniff the stem end, where the tomato was attached to the plant. A ripe tomato smells green, sweet and slightly peppery, like the leaves themselves. No smell often means little flavour. This is the most reliable check, and the one supermarket packaging makes hardest. ### Give Hold it in your palm and press very gently with your fingertips, not your thumb. It should yield slightly, like a ripe peach, and spring back. Rock-hard means unripe. Soft, dented or wrinkly means past its best for salads, though possibly perfect for a sauce. Squeezing hard bruises the fruit for the next shopper, so be kind. ### Colour Look for deep, even colour right up to the shoulders, for whatever colour that variety is meant to be. Many heirloom tomatoes are ripe while still partly green, yellow, striped or almost black, so ask the grower what ripe looks like for that one. Pale patches around the stem on a red tomato usually mean it was picked early. ## What else to look at - **Skin:** taut and glossy on round tomatoes; on ribbed heirlooms, a few cracks at the top are fine if they are dry and healed. - **The stem:** if it is still attached, it should look fresh and green, not dried out. - **Avoid:** weeping cracks, mould, sunken or watery soft spots. ## Which kind for what Tomatoes are not interchangeable. Choose by what you plan to make. - **Cherry and small plum tomatoes** are often the sweetest and most reliable, even early and late in the season. Good for quick pasta sauces, roasting and salads. - **Big ribbed tomatoes,** like the Italian *costoluto* types, are meaty and full of flavour; slice them for salads, a [caprese](https://zestasy.com/wiki/good-caprese/) or bread. - **Plum tomatoes** have firm flesh and fewer seeds, which makes them the cook's choice for sauces and slow roasting. - **Round salad tomatoes** are all-rounders, at their best at the height of summer from a good grower. - **Firm, green-shouldered salad tomatoes,** if you see them, are for crisp, tangy salads, not for sauce. ## Timing Tomatoes are at their best in summer, and that is when the checks above are easy to pass. Early and late in the year, the smaller varieties are the safer bet, and a good tin often beats a pale fresh tomato for cooking. We say so without any embarrassment in [tinned tomatoes versus fresh](https://zestasy.com/food/tinned-tomatoes-vs-fresh/). For a wider seasonal picture, see [what's in season](https://zestasy.com/wiki/whats-in-season/). ## Talk to the grower At a market, the person behind the stall is the best guide you have. Ask which ones are best today, which are for eating now and which for sauce. Most growers enjoy the question, and many will hand you one to taste. ## Getting them home Carry them on top of the bag, not under the potatoes. At home, keep them stem side down at room temperature, out of direct sun, and eat the ripest first. Slightly underripe tomatoes will soften and deepen in colour on the counter over a few days. Cold dulls their flavour and texture, which is a subject of its own in [tomatoes in the fridge](https://zestasy.com/wiki/tomatoes-in-the-fridge/). ## FAQ ### Are vine tomatoes better? The vine smells wonderful, which is lovely but tells you about the stalk. Judge the fruit by the same four checks, not by the stalk. ### What should we do with tomatoes that are past their best? Soft, overripe tomatoes are perfect for sauce, soup or a quick passata. Cut out any damaged spots and cook them down with olive oil and garlic. ### Should we wash tomatoes before storing them? Wash them just before using, not before storing, so they stay dry on the counter. ## Related - [Should you keep tomatoes in the fridge?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/tomatoes-in-the-fridge/) - [Are tinned tomatoes as good as fresh?](https://zestasy.com/food/tinned-tomatoes-vs-fresh/) - [What makes a caprese salad worth eating?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/good-caprese/) - [How do you know what's in season?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/whats-in-season/) - [How do you shop at a farmers' market without overbuying?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/farmers-market-shopping/) - [All Food answers in the Wiki](https://zestasy.com/wiki/#food)