When I am asked how to store carrots in the fridge, one thing I always need to know first is, “what type of carrots do you buy at the grocery store?” This makes a difference! I only buy whole carrots. Baby carrots are soaked in chlorine and it’s hard to know the quality you’re going to get. My directions for making carrots last up to a month in the fridge is based on using whole carrots. That is what I recommend in order for them to last longer so you can always have delicious, crunchy carrots on hand.
Washing Whole Carrots
In order to wash your whole carrots, you will want to fill a large bowl with cool water and ¼ cup 5% distilled white vinegar. Washing with vinegar will kill off mold spores, bacteria, and other harmful pathogens like E. coli and listeria. If you are in the United States, make sure the distilled white vinegar you are using is not 7%, that is used for cleaning. You want to use the 5%. In other countries, it is usually labeled as white vinegar.
If I see any ends that need to be trimmed, I will cut them off before washing. I prefer to remove the larger green tops but you don’t have to. Additionally, whole carrots are pretty large, so if you need to make it easier for them to fit in your bowl, you can cut your carrots in half before washing them.
Make sure you set a timer for 2 minutes, that is all the time they need to soak. Once the 2 minutes is up, remove your carrots and rinse them off. Take notice of how dirty the water is!
Once washed and rinsed, lay your carrots flat to dry on a clean towel. If you are short on time, you can store carrots loose in the crisper drawer when they are bone dry. However, you will ultimately want to store them in a glass airtight container, like this one. More on storing them in glass below. Do not store them in a plastic bag.
Cut Your Own Baby Carrots
After your carrots are dry, you can cut off the tops and bottoms and peel them. I save my carrot peels in a freezer bag and use them to make stock. This is a great way to use all of the carrot and not have any food waste.
Whether it is right after you wash them or after they’ve been in the crisper drawer for a couple of days, you will want to cut your carrots into sticks and store them in a glass airtight container. I cut them into sticks which are the perfect size for snacking. As I mentioned before, baby carrots are soaked in water and chlorine, so they don’t last as long or stay fresh. Cutting your whole carrots into sticks is an easy way to essentially create your own baby carrots that will stay fresher longer.
How to Store Carrots
The best way to store carrots is in a glass airtight container. I store them in one with a snapping lid, which you can find on my Amazon Storefront. They can also be stored in mason jars.
When you follow these steps, your raw carrots will be fresh and crunchy for up to a whole month! Plus, your carrots will be recipe ready for slicing and shredding or snacking on the go for the whole family.
Revive Your Carrots With Filtered Water
If you accidentally leave your carrots in the crisper drawer for too long, they may get a little dehydrated. You’ll know this has happened if your carrots have softened and you can bend them. But there is no reason to worry, you can rehydrate them by simply putting them in a bowl of filtered water for a couple of hours! This will allow them to rehydrate and become crunchy again. I recommend using filtered water so it doesn’t have the items in it that tap water might contain, like chlorine. This tip will allow you to extend the shelf life of your carrots.
I Bought It, Now What?
Carrots are also included in my eBook, I Bought It, Now What? along with 50 other produce items. If you want all of the washing and storage directions in one place, this is what you need. You can download the PDF and store it on your computer or print it out for easy reference. Learn more about I Bought It, Now What? here.
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