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Have you ever gone to get a carrot for a recipe only to find that your stash of the orange vegetable is looking flaccid, shrivelled and bendy? Fear not, because an Australian woman has shared a ‘game-changing’ hack for rejuvenating seemingly lost carrots to help you reduce your food waste.
Lottie Dalziel shared her ingenious hack in a TikTok video, which has since gone viral and received more than 1.1 million views.
The trick to turn your zombie carrot into a pert, healthy, delicious one is to just pop it in a glass of water for five minutes to rehydrate it. Unfortunately, it’s too late for some carrots, in particular if they’re mouldy or bad. But if they’re just in need of some refreshment, then this trick can bring them back to life. The same trick can be used for almost any vegetable, including lettuce, celery, bok choy…
Carrots are root vegetables and contain 86-95% water. When the carrot is submerged in water, it absorbs it through osmosis. Many people replied to Dalziel’s post confirming that it does indeed work. The question remains: is it possible to place a carrot in a glass of orange juice or apple juice to impart an extra fruity flavour to the vegetable? Try it and find out.
Try these gourmet carrot recipes that are just great for entertaining
Dalziel also included a top tip for regrowing spring onions or scallions by chopping off the ends and placing them in a jar of water. It’s that easy. Place a rubber band around them to help them grow. In fact, starting your own vegetable garden from kitchen scraps is a cinch and anyone can do it. So start collecting those unused jars and pretty soon you’ll be sprouting vegetables all over the kitchen.
Once your carrots have sprung back into life, you’ll need some exciting new recipes to showcase them at their best. This recipe for young carrots with leaf pesto and labneh cheese uses the carrot tops to make a tasty and brightly coloured pesto. Carrot tops are rich in vitamins and minerals – even more reason to make sure they don’t end up getting thrown away. Vegan and gluten free, these potato cakes with carrots and sweet cabbage make a fantastic appetiser or canapé for your next party. Finally, this winter warmer pairs sweet carrots with salty blue cheese for a recipe that’s sure to stick to your ribs.
How to revive old, limp vegetables
Lettuce, spinach and cabbage
The individual leaves or head can be placed in a shallow bowl of water.
Potatoes
Your shrivelled potatoes can be revived in a bowl of water. Remove all eyes, or even better, peel them first.
Asparagus
Your bendy, forgotten-about asparagus can be revived if you trim the ends and place in a glass of water.
Herbs
If you buy a bunch of herbs like parsley, basil or sage at the market and only use some of it, you can store the left-over bunch in a glass of water until your next use. Even better in the fridge.
