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Preparing
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Carrot
Daucus carota subsp. sativus · Root vegetable
8 varieties40 pairings
A carrot is the swollen, edible taproot of Daucus carota subsp. sativus, a biennial in the carrot family (Apiaceae). Sweet, crisp and earthy, it is eaten raw, juiced, and cooked into stocks, stews, soups, roasts and cakes — and is one of the three vegetables, with onion and celery, of the classic French mirepoix.
Picking a good onedrag
Snap-firm, just liftedRubbery, sprouting, soft
Shop firmThe all-rounder: raw, roast, braise, stock.Everyday best
CrownCut face browning, a little sunken
The bendSnaps, but the break is dry
Skin and tipTaut, matte, tip a little dry
Smell at the cutFaintly sweet, mostly earthy
What to look for, from snap-firm, just lifted to rubbery, sprouting, soft.
What one gives you
89%
Usable yield
61 g · tops and peel off
69 g
Typical weight
one specimen
62%
Juice yield
620 ml a kilo
Keeping ittap a band
A domestic fridge holds it about 20× longer than the counter.
Humidity
98-100%
A bag, lidded box or damp sand; bare in a dry fridge carrots flex in a week or two.
Airflow
Still air, not sealed
A perforated bag, not sealed: shut tight, carrots pick up rot and off odours.
Turns bitter beside apples
Keep them away from apples, pears and other ripening fruit: their ethylene can turn carrots bitter in about two weeks, and cut ones faster than whole.