Storing Carrots in One Place Can Keep Them ‘Fresh and Crunchy’ for Longer — No, It’s Not Your Fridge

Unlike most vegetables, carrots go through a bizarre process while growing. Once ripened, the firm and thick sticks of carrots can be shredded for cakes, shaved into ribbons, chopped for soups and puddings, barbequed and sauteed for Chinese cuisine, or roasted in peppers and spices for a hearty rainbow salad. Typically, their flesh comes in reddish or orange undertones, but the gardening website Graine de Carotte describes that ancient Egyptians even had purple-colored carrots bursting in their meadows. However, sitting too long in a refrigerator can take a toll on the health of these carrots.

As the cool, freezing environment of the fridge steals away the moisture from these vegetables, they start to become limp, bendy, and floppy. Over time, they lose their stiffness and become droopy, hence, unattractive for all those recipes that demand crispy, chunky carrots. In a conversation with the Express, Steph, a classically trained chef and founder of Fearless Fresh, revealed some hacks to make the carrots stay fresh for longer and prevent them from losing their firm and hardy texture.

“How many times have you gone to the store and bought a bunch of carrots or other vegetables, which sat in your fridge for a few days? And then, half a week later, you go to use them when you’ve got an idea for dinner, and they’re so weak and bendy you can almost tie them in a knot,” Steph reflected. One of the mistakes, she said, that people make when storing their carrots is that they put them in the fridge with their original packaging, which is oftentimes made of plastic. The plastic casing creates a warm, humid environment for the carrots, turning them soggy and moldy. On the other side, a lack of moisture isn’t favorable either. The key is balance.

One way to offer a balanced amount of hydration to carrots is to store them in a “jar filled with water,” Steph shared with the outlet. “With this method, I’ve stored carrots and kept them crunchy for over a week. Seriously. Then I know they’ll be fresh and ready when they’re part of what I want to cook for dinner,” she explained. The precaution that should be taken in this method is to make sure that the carrots are submerged completely in the water, whether peeled or unpeeled. Plus, the water needs to be changed every few days to avoid the invasion of bacteria. And this, the expert said, will make the carrots stay “fresh and superbly crunchy” for longer. A film producer & photographer, Rugi (@mercymurugi) shared the same "water jar" trick in a tweet.  

Another tip for the proper storage of carrots comes from Real Simple. They urge people to store the carrots a little bit away from other fruits and vegetables, especially those that release ethylene gas. So, if you spot your carrots getting too cozy or intimate with the neighbouring fruits like avocados, apples, pears, or tomatoes, pull them away and store them in a separate corner of the fridge. The fumes emitted by these foods can cause the carrots to decay prematurely. Carrots become bitter in taste, and their texture becomes too tender to be enjoyed in a delicious lunch platter.