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Carrots are one of the best ingredients to have to hand in your kitchen. Colorful, nutritious, and incredibly versatile, the varied types of carrots available means this root vegetable often finds its way into recipes across a huge number of cuisines. And there’s nothing worse than reaching into the cupboard to find that your carrot has already rotted away and is no longer fit for use. Read on below to find out how to store fresh carrots, how to store cut carrots, how to store raw carrots, and how to store carrots in the fridge to help keep them fresher for longer.
Storing fresh carrots
To prepare your carrots for the fridge, make sure you’ve trimmed off the carrot greens. If you leave these on your carrots they’ll draw moisture into the carrot and cause the root of the carrot to rot much faster. Ideally, you don’t want to wash unpeeled carrots until you plan to cook with them. Wrap the carrots in a dry paper towel and store in an airtight container in the coolest part of your fridge. If you follow these steps the carrots should last for a few weeks in the fridge until you’re ready to cook with them. We’d also recommend only storing carrots with other carrots in the container. If you bundle them in with other vegetables or fruits like apples or ripe bananas, you’ll find the carrots will deteriorate much faster. When you’re ready to get cooking there are so many inventive ways to use up the carrots in your fridge. Carrot and potato croquettes are a unique appetizer to start any dinner party with, and carrot pickle is a creative preservation technique to make your carrots last even longer.
If you forget to store your carrots properly and leave them on the side for too long then they may dehydrate and become limp. Before you go to throw them away, there is one final trick and small step you can try to rejuvenate your carrots. Place them into a glass of clean cold water for around five minutes. If they’re already moldy, or they’ve been left too long, this trick won’t always work, but it’s worth a go before you throw the carrot away. Given carrots are root vegetables and made largely of water, it’s no surprise then that this tip can help prevent any unnecessarily wasted carrots in the future. In fact, you can use this rehydration tactic with other vegetables like lettuce and celery, if ever you need.
Storing cut carrots
Another method for storing raw carrots is to store them once they’ve been cut, ready to grab for a healthy snack during the week. Wash your carrot sticks, then transfer to an airtight container with clean water in. If you do this, you’ll need to change the water daily to stave off any bacteria build-up. If they’ve been cut and then cooked, then you’ll want to transfer them to the fridge once they’ve cooled completely. Put into an airtight container and place into the fridge once they’re ready for storing. Cooked carrots will keep for around four days if stored correctly.
Storing baby carrots
If you’re wondering how to store baby carrots, then you’ll be happy to hear it’s very straightforward. Usually the baby carrots you purchase at the shop were once larger carrots that have been peeled and cut down. As such, they can be stored in the same way as peeled normal-sized carrots. Make sure you wash them thoroughly before you submerge them in cold, clean water in an airtight container. As before, change this water regularly, ideally daily, to stop any bacteria growing. It’s also best to give your carrots a final rinse before eating when stored using this method.
Long-term carrot storage
For longer-term storage solutions you might be surprised to find that you can indeed freeze carrots. To make the most out of this method you’ll need to blanch the carrots first. All you’ll need to do is peel and cut the carrots, blanch in boiling water for around three minutes, and instantly plunge into a bowl of iced water. Then quick-freeze the carrots for a few hours spread out on a baking sheet first, to help prevent the batons sticking together during the longer-term storage. Once fully frozen through, transfer into an airtight container and place into the freezer. Carrots that have been blanched and then frozen will keep for around ten months, and we’d suggest marking the date you froze the carrots directly onto the container so you have this to refer back to in the future.
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