Carrots keep longer if you store them properly. However, you can find out here what you need to bear in mind when storing carrots.
You just went shopping and bought carrots and after a few days they look shriveled and get brown spots. Annoying!
Especially in the supermarket you never know how long the carrots have been and whether they have been stored correctly so far. Of course, it is extremely important that you pay attention to the condition of the carrots when you buy them. If you already have small spots, it's best to leave them where they are.
In addition, not all vegetables are created equal. Carrots need to be stored differently than potatoes and onions, for example. So here are 4 tips for storing carrots correctly.
Tip 1: Get out of the box
Carrots are usually bought in a plastic tray that is still wrapped in foil. Plastic always makes you sweat, even if there are holes in the bottom of the bowl.
So the first thing to do after purchase is to free the carrots from their packaging. Just removing the foil is not enough. The vegetables must be completely removed from the tray or bag.
» With bunched carrots, you should immediately remove the green part, it is not needed anyway and leads to faster spoilage.
Tip 2: Store in the fridge
Everyone has a fridge at home, so this is the most common way to store carrots. The bulbs can keep in the fridge for up to 10 days. The carrots find their place in the vegetable drawer because the temperatures are ideal there.
So that the root vegetables do not dry out, you can wrap them in a damp kitchen towel beforehand, as is often done with asparagus.
» Never store the carrots next to ripe pears, apples or tomatoes, as this can lead to a bitter taste. Incidentally, you can store the carrots in a plastic box in the fridge, but put paper towels between them to keep mold from forming.
Tip 3: Storage in the basement
If you have a basement, you can also store the carrots there. You only need toa wooden box and some regular sand (not nutrient-rich topsoil!). A layer of sand is filled into the box as a base, followed by a layer of carrots, then sand again, always alternating. This is the ideal way to get carrots through the winter.
» If you want to store bunched carrots like this, you should definitely remove the green part first. This removes the moisture from the vegetables.
Tip 4: storage in a water bath
The last variant, storage in a water bath, is rather unknown. This unusual method prevents the carrots from becoming dry.
The washed carrots are placed in a plastic container with a lid. Then fill in cold water so that the vegetables are completely covered. Then the lid is put on and the container in the fridge. You should change the water at least every five days, then the carrots will keep for up to two weeks.
Final tip: Carrots only last longer if you freeze them. More on this in the article Freezing carrots.