Carrots are one of the best vegetables out there. They’re healthy, they’re affordable, they make delicious snacks and they belong in thousands of delicious recipes; Simply put, carrots are (or at least they should be) a kitchen staple all over the world.
But how good are carrots are staying fresh and crispy over long periods of time? Can you freeze carrots for storing? After all, what good is a delicious vegetable if you don’t use it before it goes bad?
Well, we’re here to answer those questions so keep reading and find out!
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Benefits of Freezing Carrots
We’ve already covered why carrots are such a versatile vegetable but why should you store them? Wouldn’t it be easier to just buy them when you’re going to use them?
The short answer? Saving money!
Carrots, just like almost every other kind of produce, is affordable and that goes double when it comes to buying them in bulk. Be it at the farmer’s market or the grocery store, the more you buy at once the more you’ll save.
Can You Store Carrots?
Yes!
Yes, you can absolutely store carrots and the best thing is that you can actually store them for weeks.
Now, I will show you how to store carrots. In fact, you can store them in a variety of ways, all you need to do is follow some very easy steps:
How To Store Carrots
1. Storing Carrots in Fresh Water
This is the easiest way of storing carrots and also the best for baby and pre-cut carrots.
- Wash your carrots thoroughly.
- Remove the carrot leaves if there are any
- Place your carrots in fridge safe containers, glass works best.
- Fill the container with cool, fresh water.
- Place the container in your fridge.
- While simple, this method will help you store your carrots for weeks. All you need to do is keep an eye on the water and replace it if it starts looking murky.
- If you see a carrot start to go bad, remove it from the bunch and replace the water.
2. Storing Carrots in the Humidity Drawer
This is the second easiest way of storing untouched carrots, though it might leave your carrots looking slightly wrinkly if you leave them there for too long.
- Wash your carrots thoroughly.
- Remove the carrot leaves without cutting the carrot itself.
- Dry your carrots with paper towels.
- Wrap your carrots in more paper towels and place them in the humidity drawer.
- While this is entirely a matter of personal preference, some people choose to not wash the carrots until it’s time to use them, believing they will keep better that way.
- Likewise, some people will line their humidity drawer with paper towels to control the carrot’s humidity.
Regardless of your choice, do keep an eye on the carrots and remove any that might start to go bad.
Can You Freeze Carrots
If you’re serious about storing carrots for as long as possible then you should freeze them. This is the lengthiest of storing process and also the most complicated but if you want to get the most out of your produce then this is probably the best way of doing that.
As with all other vegetables, carrots need to be blanched before being frozen so gather a deep pot (check this article about the best pots and pans for gas stoves), a strainer or metal basket, a lid and a bunch of airtight freezer bags or containers.
- Wash your carrots thoroughly.
- Remove the carrot leaves without cutting the carrot itself.
- Fill a large pot with water, leaving enough space for it to bubble and jump once it’s boiling.
- Boil the water until it’s jumping around vigorously. The water needs to be as hot as possible, as it will get cooler once you insert your carrots.
- With the aid of your strainer, streamer or basket, place the carrots in the boiling water until it covers them completely and leave them there between 2 to 5 minutes:
- 5 minutes for large carrots
- 2 minutes for small carrots - Take out the carrots and let them cool.
- Place your carrots in freezer safe bags or containers. Remember to separate them in portions so you can thaw them more easily when you plan on using them.
This method will help you keep your carrots for up to 9 months. Just keep in mind that frozen carrots tend to change color and textures, so you won’t get that fresh and crispy feeling no matter what you do.
See the below video to know more about how to freeze carrots:
Conclusion
That said, the carrot’s healthy properties will remain exactly the same so if you really care about appearances, you can use these carrots for soups, creams and stews; and if you don’t mind the slightly different color? Well, then you can use them in any way you want!
Easy, right?
Any questions? Ask away! Or comment below if you have other ways to store carrots!