While you can remove your
Do You Need to Peel Carrots? "There is no need to peel carrots before eating—many people enjoy eating them with the skin on," says Alan Hilowitz, former communications director at Bolthouse Farms. "However, since carrots are grown in the ground, washing/scrubbing is important if you do choose not to peel," he adds.
Peeling a carrot does not remove the majority of vitamins, according to the Tufts University Nutrition Letter. The carrot skin contains concentrated vitamin C and niacin but just under the peel, the next layer, the phloem, also has these vitamins, along with vitamin A.
Tasters unanimously preferred the peel-free carrots in the glazed and roasted samples. In both cases, the skins on the unpeeled carrots became wrinkled, tough, and gritty. Their flavor was “again earthier, but not in a good way” and they weren't particularly appealing looking.
Peeling carrots isn't necessary, they only need to be washed. However, if you leave the peels on, they become stringy and can take on a strong flavor once canned.
Store in an airtight container
You can prep the carrots however you'd like, but the best way is to hold off on peeling the skin for the longest storage time.
“Overall, while removing the peel reduces some phytonutrients and small amounts of the vitamins and minerals in carrots, there is plenty of nutritional value left behind. Remember, the peel is only a small portion of the total vegetable.
When properly stored, raw, unpeeled carrots will last between 3 and 4 weeks in the refrigerator, while peeled or sliced carrots will last between 2 and 3 weeks. Cooked carrots will last between 3 and 5 days properly stored in the refrigerator.
Abrasion caused by mechanical washing often removes the epidermal layer (outer skin), exposing the carrot tissue to oxidation of phenolic compounds, which turn brown, or black in severe cases.
Another study showed both boiling and steaming increased levels of beta carotene. But try to cook carrots whole, as cutting can reduce nutrients by 25%. Wait and wash veggies just before cooking to preserve nutrients. In fact, cooking veggies whole is often the best choice to preserve nutrients.
Carrots provide more antioxidants when boiled or steamed than when eaten raw, according to a January 2008 report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. In fact, researchers found that boiling carrots until tender increased the concentration of carotenoids by 14 percent.
Carrots are a versatile vegetable. People can eat them raw, steamed, boiled, roasted, or as an ingredient in soups and stews. Boiling vegetables can reduce or eliminate some of the vitamin content. Raw or steamed carrots provide the most nutritional value.
You can tell that a carrot is bad if the texture of the carrot changes to super soft and bendy and if there is some discoloration on your carrots, like white spots or even some black and slimy spots. These soft spots will also eventually turn very mushy and disgusting.
There's a lot of fiber in the exteriors of vegetables, so when you peel them away, you lose that benefit. Vitamins, minerals and antioxidants can also reside in or just below the skin. Keeping the peel on can be an aesthetic thing, too.
You'll have to store your carrots in the refrigerator, but how you store them can actually make a difference. Raw carrots, when properly stored will usually stay fresh for around 3 to 4 weeks in the fridge. If your carrots are sliced or chopped, you can store them in the fridge and they'll last for about 2 to 3 weeks.
Vegetables That Should Not Be Stored in the Refrigerator
Potatoes, taro, sweet potatoes, and yuca (cassava, manioc) should not be refrigerated.
Carrots can last up to two to three months in the refrigerator if stored properly. If you grow your own carrots or buy them fresh from the farmers market, immediately place them in a bag and store them in your refrigerator.
They're full of antioxidants, which support your body in fighting free radicals, inflammation and cellular damage. Carrots are a great source of vitamin A. Vitamin A is the critical for good vision. Carrots contain a whopping 210% of the recommended daily dose.
A lot of the carbs in carrots are fiber and fiber is beneficial for all kinds of things, including reducing LDL cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. Broccoli is rich in vitamins including a high amount of Vitamin K, a number of B-vitamins and Vitamin C.
Instead of simply tossing carrots in the vegetable drawer, take a few minutes to cut off the greens and submerge the carrots in water. You'll be rewarded with carrots that stay crisp for weeks, not days.
Lay the carrot at an angle between your hand and the cutting board. However, after you peel down the carrot, don't pick up the peeler blade to reset for the next stroke. Just keep the blade on the carrot and run it right back up to where you started while slowly rotating the carrot with your other hand.