When it comes to carrots, there are plenty of pre-peeled options in the produce department. But if you have a bag of unpeeled carrots stashed in your produce drawer, you may wonder, "Do you have to peel carrots?" We asked experts to clarify if you need to peel carrots to enjoy them and get all the nutritional benefits. It's well-known that we could use more veggies in our diets. There are enough hurdles to getting the minimum recommendation into our meal plans and produce prep shouldn't be another.
Do You Have 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. Of course, you should always wash your produce to reduce your risk of illness and pesticides, so hopefully, that’s nothing new.
If we can just skip the carrot peeler, why do you have to peel carrots? There are some good culinary reasons to peel. “The peel does have a slightly different texture from the rest of the carrot, so it may stand out in a recipe, depending on the application,” Hilowitz says. “Some varieties have skin that may be tougher, grittier, or more bitter than the rest of the carrot,” he adds.
“Steaming or certain raw applications may be better peeled,” says Hilowitz. “If you are going for a uniform visual look and texture, we suggest peeling.”
Lynn Blanchard, the Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen director, agrees that scrubbing is sufficient, but there are cases when peeled carrots are best. If you want a smooth puree for a soup or baby food, then peeling would be the way to go, Blanchard says.
“Juicing and roasting carrots are good times to avoid peeling,” says Hilowitz. “If you are making a rustic dish, then leaving the peel on could potentially enhance the look and experience of the dish. If you are using the carrots for a stock, broth, or sauce that will require straining in the end, this is another instance in which it may be better to leave the peel on.”
Blanchard sometimes determines whether she'll leave the peel on based on the carrot's exterior. "If [the carrot] is smooth and can easily be scrubbed, then I don't bother to peel if using in a soup or stir fry," she says. Blanchard points out another benefit of not peeling carrots: less food waste.
To answer the question, "Do you have to peel carrots?" it's mostly a matter of preference. Don't put carrot peels in the garbage disposal if you decide to peel your carrots. They can cause clogs. Peel into a trash can or add to your compost.
Whatever your choice, you'll enjoy the health benefits of carrots. Both peeled and unpeeled carrots have many benefits. Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A—which is essential for vision, your immune system, and reproduction.
What to Make With Carrots
Peeled or unpeeled carrots are used in many recipes, including salads, stews, side dishes, and desserts. These roasted carrots made with maple and blood orange are a delicious alternative to classic glazed carrots. Simmer carrots and cabbage for a hearty vegetable dish to go with your next steak dinner. For a springtime side, Carrot Ribbon Salad is a colorful recipe with peas and vinegar. And don't miss our Best Loved Carrot Cake for the traditional favorite, complete with cream cheese frosting.
"If you prefer the taste, texture or look of peeled carrots (or the convenience of baby carrots), you can certainly incorporate them into a healthy dietary pattern. But, this root vegetable is perfectly safe to eat unpeeled, as long as it is adequately washed."
When it comes down to it, you don't ever really have to peel carrots. As long as you wash and scrub them well to remove dirt and any debris (this natural fruit and veggie wash is a good start!), unpeeled carrots are perfectly safe (and delicious) to eat.
Before you can even start heating your pressure canner, you need to get your carrots ready for canning. You'll need to cut the stem end off each carrot, peel, and rinse each one, and then cut them into the size and shape you want to have as a finished product after canning.
“Some varieties have skin that may be tougher, grittier, or more bitter than the rest of the carrot,” he adds. “Steaming or certain raw applications may be better peeled,” says Hilowitz. “If you are going for a uniform visual look and texture, we suggest peeling.”
Furthermore, some ingredients like pears, carrots, and ginger have thin skins that the juicer can easily remove without getting clogged. With these facts in mind, you can save time and preparation by juicing your ingredients with the peels on.
It's been said (perhaps by a chef who needed an excuse for not taking this extra step) that peeling a carrot removes all the nutrients of the vegetable, but research scientists at Tufts University say that even if consumers are removing the peel, "plenty of nutritional value is still left behind."
A Sparta polyester brush was less effective than a scouring pad for removing Salmonella from carrots (P < 0.05). In all cases, brushing and peeling failed to eliminate the pathogens from the produce items, which may be the result of contamination of the utensil during use.
Unfortunately, there are some vegetables you really should peel. These include vegetables with very tough or fibrous skin (think "bark-like") that won't soften when roasted. Examples of these vegetables: celeriac, kabocha squash, and pie pumpkins.
"From a health point of view, and I think from a taste and texture point of view, it's much better to leave the skin on," Simon says. "The skin of the potato is very high in fibre, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B — all of those good, healthy things are in high concentration in the skin."
Cut the greens off the top after harvest to about ¼ - ½ inches above the shoulder. This will help the carrot to keep longer as the greens can take moisture from the root. Carrots store best at 32-38 degrees F at 98% humidity.
Start by dusting off large specks of caked-on soil. Then, under lukewarm running water, use a vegetable brush and some elbow grease to firmly scrub off any stray root hairs or dirt lodged deep in the carrot's crevices. Make sure to clean all around the carrot, applying enough pressure so as not to scrape it to bits.
"There is no need to peel carrots before eating—many people enjoy eating them with the skin on," says Alan Hilowitz, 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.
According to Emily S. Mohn and Elizabeth J. Johnson, scientists at Tufts University's Antioxidants Research Laboratory, “this root vegetable is perfectly safe to eat unpeeled.” In fact, the peels are very healthy for us, containing the highest concentrations of vitamin C and niacin in the carrot.
Whole carrots stay nice and crunchy in their cold water bath, and this is also a great way to store packaged baby carrots. If the water starts to look cloudy, just swap it out with fresh water as needed. Stored this way, carrots have lasted weeks in my refrigerator with no ill effects, so give it a try!
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. On the other hand, the peeled versions remained bright orange, tender, and sweet.
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.
Introduction: My name is Terrell Hackett, I am a gleaming, brainy, courageous, helpful, healthy, cooperative, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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