Do you have to peel carrots?

QUESTION: Do you have to peel carrots? Does the outside of a carrot have a bitter flavor? -Heather W.

ANSWER: You have probably always seen carrots being peeled before they were cooked or shredded, or added to recipes. So, you most likely assumed that they always need to be peeled before being put to use, but that is not the case. Unpeeled carrots are perfectly edible and delicious, and the idea that they need to be peeled is just a myth. As long as your carrots are washed off and scrubbed well to remove any dirt and debris they may have collected while growing under the soil, unpeeled carrots are safe and sound to use without carefully peeling off the rough outer layer.

Leaving the skin on your carrots is not always preferred and feelings are mixed as to whether they should be peeled before using in certain dishes. Some claim that carrot skin has a bitter, unappealing taste. There are some instances in which you may want to peel your carrots just for ornamental purposes, such as when you are adding them to an otherwise bright and beautiful raw salad.

There are other times which carrots are often put to use, in which peeling them is a completely unnecessary step that can be avoided to save time and energy. There is no reason to peel carrots when you are using them to make stock, when you are juicing them, when pureeing them for a soup or dip, when adding them to a stew, or when roasting them. When it comes down to it, whether you peel your carrots or not is a personal choice, but don’t think that it’s something that always has to be done, because unpeeled carrots are just as tasty and nutritious as peeled carrots.