Housewives prepare vegetables for the winter in different ways. If we talk about carrots, storing them is not so easy. At first, like potatoes, it can simply lie in a dark place. But it won’t be possible to preserve it for a long time this way. Therefore, it is placed among sawdust, stored in the basement, canned or frozen.
I used to peel carrots, grate some of them on a coarse grater (for soups), and cut some into “rounds” (for pilaf). I put them in small batches in the freezer. When I was cooking, I took out a pack of the required size and used it in a dish.
But last year I was not at all interested in harvesting and processing it. So I froze the unwashed carrots. And I didn’t regret it at all, as it saved a lot of time.
I'll tell you why
- Firstly, no time is wasted peeling carrots. It is enough to wash it well.
- Secondly, there is no point in cutting or grating it. If there are a lot of carrots, it takes a lot of time.
- Thirdly, frozen carrots are very easy to peel. I will show you exactly how below.
- Fourthly, you can take exactly as much product as is needed for a particular dish.
- And fifthly, carrots frozen in this way have a more pronounced taste. I realized this when I once cooked two types of pilaf in one day. The first pilaf was with washed, already cut carrots, the second - with unpeeled ones. I liked the taste of the second dish more.
How to freeze unwashed carrots and how to easily peel them?
1. Root vegetables just need to be washed well. Dry for 2-3 hours on a towel or cloth. Place in a regular bag and place in the freezer.
2. Before preparing the dish, there is no need to defrost the carrots! It is necessary to hold the root vegetable for several seconds under running hot water.
3. And start cleaning immediately. But not in the way we are all used to - not along, but across. Trim the surface a little, hook the peeling skin with a knife or hand and remove it. This must be done horizontally. Carrots peel instantly.
I’ll say right away that the skin is removed in a thick layer. But it's quick and easy. And yes, grating it is unlikely to work - it becomes soft. The maximum is that it can be chopped in a food processor. This is what my peeled carrots look like.
You should not prepare fresh salads from frozen carrots. It just won't taste good. In principle, exactly the same as with peeled carrots. These are the features of freezing. But adding it to stir-fries, hot dishes, or boiling it on salads (for example, Olivier, Mimosa) is quite possible. Try storing carrots this way and I’m sure you’ll like it!
