You may inevitably put all the carrots in the fridge for storage after purchasing many of them from the market. However, do you know how long the carrots remain fresh in the fridge? And how to tell if carrots are bad after you take them out for cooking?
We will list out some signs of spoiled carrots that you can easily observe from the outside, along with many tips to extend the food’s lifespan. Don’t skip this interesting topic. Let’s check it out!
How To Tell If Carrots Are Bad?
To avoid any health issues due to eating spoiled carrots, you must check for signs of spoilage from their smell, texture, skin, and expiry date.
Continue reading for the answer and a detailed explanation on how to tell if carrots are bad? Here, we will show you the primary checking methods you can use!
Check Carrot Skin
By seeing how carrot skin looks, you can guess whether it is time to get rid of the basket of carrots or not. More specifically, white dots (or white blush) on carrots indicate that you should use carrots quickly; otherwise, they will rot very soon.
It is still safe to eat the carrots if only a few white lines appear on them, as it can simply be a sign of hydration of the vegetable. However, you should get rid of it when there is too much white blush on the carrot skin.
Smell Carrots
Checking the skin and smell of carrots would be done at the same time. Despite the skin still looks acceptable, scratches on its body allow bacteria to grow quickly and leave an awful stench. Hence, quickly throw away the carrot with a foul smell!
Check Carrot’s Texture
If you compare a new carrot and an old one, you will easily recognize that there are remarkable differences in their texture. The fresh one has bright color and firm texture, while the old carrot is slimy and mushy.
Still, you can use rubbery bad carrots. They are still fine to cook, but you can be sure that the taste and texture are not great.
In case you find a slimy layer on the surface of the carrots, toss them right away into the trash bin. Eating these rotten carrots can make you sick!
Check The Expiry Date
The last answer to the question of how to tell if carrots are bad is by checking expiry. Specifically, the expiry date is labeled for packaged carrots at stores. It is best to use the food before that date.
The out-of-best-used-date carrots are still edible if they don’t show any sign of rottenness as listed above. Still, be mindful of using them within the next 2-3 days.
How Long Do Carrots Keep Fresh?
Knowing how to tell if carrots are bad is essential to avoid any unwanted health issues. More importantly, you should also acknowledge how long carrots remain fresh and the best conditions to store them.
Amongst storage in the fridge, freezer, and a warm place, the freezer can keep them fresh for the longest time, up to 12 months. Besides, the fridge is an ideal condition for storing carrots fresh within one month.
Safe storage time is also different with cooked and raw carrots. If they were chopped or sliced and then placed in the refrigerator, let’s use them within two to three weeks! To add-in, for those who store carrots in warm places, you only have four days to use carrots safely.
Tips To Keep Carrots Fresh In The Longest Time
After gaining insights on how to tell if carrots are bad and the storage time, we are sure that you are also curious about tips to keep carrots fresh for the longest time. Now, let us introduce you to some efficient tips to extend carrots’ lifespan:
- Don’t cut or peel carrots when you don’t need to use them immediately. Please keep them in an airtight plastic bag and store them in the freezer or fridge.
- Blanch carrots and place them in zip-sealed bags containing little to no air. The blanching method would stop enzyme activities in discoloring and losing flavors.
- Keep carrots raw instead of cooking them if you want to store them for a long period. In particular, cooked carrots can last four hours under the room’s temperature.
Final Thoughts
We hope this interesting post of “How to tell if carrots are bad?” provides you with useful information. As mentioned above, the main features to check whether the food has gone bad or not include: smell, texture, skin, and expiry date.
Please also take note of our tips on keeping them fresh for the longest time! By doing that, we are sure that you will enjoy tasting carrots without worrying about health issues.
