Do you love fresh carrots? Do you enjoy munching on them throughout the day? Well, I do! Carrots are a popular root vegetable that makes a great snack. If you are like me (and Bugs Bunny), it is most likely that you have a stock of carrots in your refrigerator. That is pretty understandable– storing carrots is much more convenient than having to head to the grocery store every few days.
But the tricky part about storing vegetables and fruits is you will never know when they are going to go bad. After all, produce in grocery stores and at the farmer’s market do not come with an expiration date.
If that’s the case, how would you know if your carrots are still safe for consumption? In this article, I will share with you the different ways of how to tell if carrots are bad- and everything you need to know about storing carrots.
Do Carrots Go Bad? How Long do Carrots Last in the Fridge?
The first thing that you have to understand is that carrots can go bad. The best way to avoid eating bad carrots is to determine how long they last. Since carrots do not come with the label “best use by”, it is recommended that you pay attention to the time when you have purchased them and take into consideration how long they last.
With that in mind, here are a few things that you should know about carrots and their shelf life:
- Do carrots go bad if they’re not refrigerated? If carrots are stored in a room temperature area (and not in a refrigerator), they can last up to four days.
- When stored in a fridge, these can last for up to four weeks.
- When placed in a freezer, carrots can be able to maintain their optimum freshness for up to twelve months. It can still be safe for consumption beyond that time, considering that they have not yet shown symptoms of rotting.
- If the carrots were chopped or sliced and then placed in the refrigerator, they are still safe to eat for about two to three weeks.
- If you have cooked the carrots and put them in a fridge, they can last for three to five days in the refrigerator.
- If you place cooked carrots in the freezer, they can last for up to twelve months.
| | Fridge |
|---|---|
|
|
Past Printed Date |
|
Cooked Carrots last for |
1 Week |
|
Baby Carrots last for |
3-4 Weeks |
|
Fresh Carrots (Whole) last for |
4-5 Weeks |
How to Tell if Carrots Are Bad?
But what if you don’t know how long the carrots have been in your refrigerator? The easiest way to tell if carrots are bad is to perform the following steps:
Step 1: Look for white blush.
Have you noticed that there are some white lines in your carrots? This is what you call white blush. It is a thin layer of dehydrated carrots. It develops when the carrots are exposed to the atmosphere, causing the outer portion of the skin to dry.
If you noticed only a few white lines on your carrots, it is still considered safe for you to consume it. But please keep in mind that white blush is a sign that your carrots are going to die out anytime soon so you must eat it right away.
If you notice plenty of those white lines on the surface of your carrots, it is best that you throw them away.
Step 2: Check the carrots for spots.
Bad carrot
Carrots sometimes develop black spots when they go bad. Take a look at the carrot’s skin. Does it have white spots on the surface? If it has dark spots (darker than that of white blush), it may not be safe for you to eat the carrots. Please throw it away rather than taking the risk and cooking it.
Step 3: Evaluate its consistency.
Soft or slimy carrots are bad. Touch the carrot and check if any of its parts have a mushy consistency or there’s a slimy film at its surface. If it does, throw it away immediately. The consumption of slimy or rotten carrots can lead to unwanted health issues such as food poisoning.
You may also want to check the size or thickness of the carrot. If it is already a bit thinner as compared to its original size, throw it right away.
Step 4: Smell it.
If your carrots are already rotten, they are going to give off an unwanted odor. This smell is a result of the growth of bacteria in the carrots. Smell your carrots, and if they do have a weird smell, take them out right away.
A Few Tips on How to Prolong Your Carrot’s Shelf Life
If you love eating raw carrots or cooking dishes that require carrots, there is nothing wrong with stocking up on them. But you should learn how to store carrots the right way.
More than that, you also need to know how to prolong the shelf life of the carrots too, especially the cooked and sliced carrots. The best way to do that is to freeze them or at a minimum keep them in a bag inside of your fridge. Here are some tips on how to extend the shelf life of carrots:
Store Carrots Properly
Keeping your carrots properly stored in the fridge is a key step in ensuring they stay good for longer. Make sure you cut the green leaves off the top (the greens take moisture from the root and cause them to dry up). Wrap them in a paper towel and place them in an airtight container in a dry place in the fridge, such as the vegetable drawer.
Keep them whole
Everything you do to change the carrots from how they came out of the ground is a step that will take them closer to going bad. If you don’t have to use whole carrots immediately after you buy them, put them straight in the fridge in an airtight container when you get home from the grocery store — don’t even wash them, as moisture can cause them to go bad more quickly. Peeling the carrots also exposes them to moisture, which leads to bacterial growth. Unpeeled carrots last longer, as the outside of the carrot acts as a protective skin. But if you peel and cut the carrots, wrap them in a damp paper towel or fill an airtight container with an inch of water and store them in the container. If you don’t have a reusable airtight container, use a resealable plastic bag or freezer bags. In a pinch, you can store them in a bowl of cold water for a couple of days.
Quick freeze cooked carrots.
For carrots that have been thoroughly cooked, you should quick freeze them so you can maintain their optimum freshness/taste/texture. You can do this by arranging the carrot slices evenly on a baking sheet and then place them in the freezer.
Once the carrots are frozen, place the frozen carrots in sealed containers.
Blanch sliced carrots first.
If you have already sliced the carrots, blanch them first. Once they have cooled down, drain the carrots and place them in zip-sealed bags. Remove as much air from it as possible. To ensure that the packets contain little to no air, you can use a vacuum sealing system to close it.
How to get older carrots back.
Are your carrots close but not past the point of no return? Check out this video that helps you get new life into your carrots and bring them back from being wilted. This video shares how to use water to bring back wilted carrots and get a second chance of using these carrots. Click here to view
In Summary
There is no denying the fact that carrots are one of the healthiest vegetables that we can get our hands on today. But they can do more harm than good if they are already spoiled.
To prevent yourself from eating rotten carrots, it would be best that you perform the steps on how to tell if carrots are bad that we have mentioned. It is also a must that you learn how to store your carrots properly.