# Scraping carrots



## Bigjim68 (May 19, 2017)

Is there a reason?  Or do we just do it because grandma used to do it?

I just cut up some carrots to toss in a pot roast.  Scraped the carrots then started wondering why.


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## blissful (May 19, 2017)

Carrots that are washed right after harvest are usually pretty clean especially if they are smooth. Then I just cut off the top and bottom and give them sides a good scouring. If there are root hairs growing on the sides, or creases with dirt, then I peel them.


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## GotGarlic (May 19, 2017)

I find that the peel tends to be bitter, so that's why I peel them.


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## Aunt Bea (May 19, 2017)

I only scrape the old dilapidated ones.

Years ago I read that most of the nutrients were near the surface, in the skin, etc... and it's less work to just wash them and toss them in.


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## GotGarlic (May 19, 2017)

Aunt Bea said:


> I only scrape the old dilapidated ones.
> 
> Years ago I read that most of the nutrients were near the surface, in the skin, etc... and it's less work to just wash them and toss them in.


I don't believe that's true for carrots. The orange pigment in the most common carrots is beta carotene - it's present throughout the vegetable. Also, peeling makes it easier to remove any contamination that might be present. 

"Before use, carrots should always be washed well and scrubbed with a vegetable brush. Peeling followed by rinsing is recommended for removing possible surface contamination. Following proper handling methods is imperative with home food preservation of carrots. The process should begin with washing, peeling, and then rewashing the carrots. Recommended pressure levels and processing times must always be followed when canning carrots.

"Consumer handling recommendations include washing carrots under running water and scrubbing with a clean vegetable brush. Peeling carrots can help in removing the tough to clean outer layer."

http://fsi.colostate.edu/carrot/


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## dragnlaw (May 19, 2017)

I do both.  The younger/fresher they are I don't.  But if they are older, like GG I scrape them because they tend to be more bitter/tougher.


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## Cheryl J (May 19, 2017)

I've always been a peeler. I don't grow my own but if I did, I'd scrub them with a brush anyway so I may as well peel them - they look more appetizing to me that way.


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## Andy M. (May 19, 2017)

Sometimes I use a vegetable peeler and other times I use a scrubber side of a blue scrubber sponge.


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## Caslon (May 20, 2017)

No need to peel baby carrots.  Bigger carrots I do.  My 1950's potato peeler I inherited still does fine, for celery too.  Hehe, it hasn't dulled after all these years.


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## GotGarlic (May 20, 2017)

Caslon said:


> No need to peel baby carrots.  Bigger carrots I do.  My 1950's potato peeler I inherited still does fine, for celery too.  Hehe, it hasn't dulled after all these years.


Baby carrots are already peeled. It never occurred to me to peel celery, though. There's no skin - it's the same throughout.


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## PrincessFiona60 (May 20, 2017)

I'm lazy, I don't peel anything.  Scrub well, yes.


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## Caslon (May 20, 2017)

Celery can use peeling at times. Tuna fish sandwiches.


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## bethzaring (May 20, 2017)

I grow my own carrots and always peel with a vegetable peeler.  No matter how much I scrub, there is always dirt in the folds of the carrot.  So dirt removal is why I scrap/peel.


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## Caslon (May 20, 2017)

Maybe we need more dirt in our children's diet.  The human race is getting too sterile.


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## GotGarlic (May 20, 2017)

Caslon said:


> Celery can use peeling at times. Tuna fish sandwiches.


Why? Like I said, there's no skin. Uts the same throughout.


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## Caslon (May 20, 2017)

GotGarlic said:


> Why? Like I said, there's no skin. Uts the same throughout.



Outside celery fibers get stuck between my teeth.


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## Addie (May 20, 2017)

As kids, we would go into the  house garden, yank a carrot, small celery growing, or any other veggie we fancied at  the moment, wash it off  with the hose, and eat it. Then get back to playing. I wasn't until I started to help my mother in the kitchen and watched her peel all the veggies that I learned to do the same.


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## Sagittarius (May 20, 2017)

I buy all my vegetables at the Central Farmer´s  Market and thus, there are no insecticides used on these products.  

I do not peel:  Apples, Aubergine (Eggplant), Cucumbers, Carrots, Potatoes (I bake), Beetroot (I roast  in oven). 

I do peel Cardoon always  &  peel Celery if making tuna fish salad or chicken salad or other shell fish salads however, if just using as a cruditie, I do not peel it. 

IN NON PEELED:  The health benefits and anti oxidants are enormous.  

I do peel & de - seed red ripe tomatoes when doing a sauce for pasta or an Andalusian gazpacho or a French Gaspacho. 

For salads, I do not peel or de - seed tomatoes. 

Interesting post .. 

Have a lovely weekend.


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## GotGarlic (May 20, 2017)

Sagittarius said:


> I do peel Cardoon always  &  peel Celery if making tuna fish salad or chicken salad or other shell fish salads however, if just using as a cruditie, I do not peel it.



Curious. Why do you peel for a salad? I mince celery for salads. I've never noticed a problem with the outer layers.



Sagittarius said:


> IN NON PEELED:  The health benefits and anti oxidants are enormous.



This is not true for all fruits and vegetables. The skins of bell peppers, for example, are not digestible, so no nutrients from them are absorbed by the body. There are lots of nutrients in the meat of the fruits, though.


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## Cooking Goddess (May 20, 2017)

I've never "peeled" celery, Caslon, but do you do it to get rid of the strings along the outside of the rib? I remember that as a kid, my Mom would have me de-string the tougher ribs, cracking the rib and pulling most of them out. They used to get stuck in her bridge work if they were in uncooked foods.


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## Addie (May 20, 2017)

I always ate celery right from the garden when it first broke through the dirt. Wash it off with the hose. 

Peppers? I can't ever recall finding strings on peppers. No mater what color they are.


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## GotGarlic (May 20, 2017)

Addie said:


> I always ate celery right from the garden when it first broke through the dirt. Wash it off with the hose.
> 
> Peppers? I can't ever recall finding strings on peppers. No mater what color they are.


I wasn't saying they have strings. Just that the skins aren't digestible. They're mostly cellulose, which the human body does not break down.


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## Caslon (May 20, 2017)

I'm not sure, but don't people peel celery because the outter fibers have a stronger "celery taste"?  I can't think of the proper term. Bitter?  Less sweet? More acrid?  Harder to chew, more fibrous, stringy..etc. etc. etc. ?


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## msmofet (May 20, 2017)

Caslon said:


> No need to peel baby carrots. Bigger carrots I do. My 1950's potato peeler I inherited still does fine, for celery too. Hehe, it hasn't dulled after all these years.


 
I used to have that exact peeler for my potatoes. But since arthritis I replaced it with the OXO version with a nice wide handle. 



I also have an OXO for carrots/other veggies (the straight one just seems easier for straight veggies).


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## Caslon (May 20, 2017)

Addie said:


> As kids, we would go into the  house garden, yank a carrot, small celery growing, or any other veggie we fancied at  the moment, wash it off  with the hose, and eat it. Then get back to playing. I wasn't until I started to help my mother in the kitchen and watched her peel all the veggies that I learned to do the same.



Every 3 year old kid with  a craving for a mud pie was protecting our species.  Dirt...it does our species good.  That was then, tho.


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## GA Home Cook (May 20, 2017)

yes I peel.  On celery the bigger stalks have some "sinew" type strings that I just grab with the edge of my paring knife and strip off.  They are tough to me.


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## larry_stewart (May 20, 2017)

MY grandmother used to peel mushrooms before putting them in her soup.  What a pain in the butt that must have been.


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## dragnlaw (May 20, 2017)

larry_stewart said:


> MY grandmother used to peel mushrooms before putting them in her soup.  What a pain in the butt that must have been.



  too funny you should mention that... I was just thinking how I get a funny look on my face as in "WIT" everytime I read about someone 'peeling' mushrooms!


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## Caslon (May 20, 2017)

hehehe...peeling mushrooms.


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## Addie (May 20, 2017)

GotGarlic said:


> I wasn't saying they have strings. Just that the skins aren't digestible. They're mostly cellulose, which the human body does not break down.



My apology. I misread what you meant. As a child, I ate them raw. Now, I don't even look at them in the store. Not even if they are on sale. My system does not like peppers in any manner.


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## Addie (May 20, 2017)

larry_stewart said:


> MY grandmother used to peel mushrooms before putting them in her soup.  *What a pain in the butt that must have been.*



I was watching some TV chef and he peeled his button mushrooms. So the next time I had them and was going to put them in an omelet. I managed to peel two and then proceeded to dice them after I had rinsed all of them. You lose too much of the mushroom. You're right Larry. It is a big pan in the butt!!!


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## Andy M. (May 20, 2017)

larry_stewart said:


> MY grandmother used to peel mushrooms before putting them in her soup.  What a pain in the butt that must have been.





Back in the 70's when I was newly married, my then wife heard me praising my sister's marinated mushrooms. DW found a recipe somewhere and decided to surprise me with marinated mushrooms!  She said she was disappointed in the flavor and they were very hard to make. She spent hours peeling the mushrooms and all the rest of the prep. They were good but different. 

Later, while visiting my sister and BIL, she related to sis how difficult the process and asked how she found the time. Sis laughed and said, "Oh, I just open some cans of mushrooms and mix them with Italian salad dressing and garlic."  DW never made her recipe again. 

And that's my 'peeling mushrooms' story.


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## Caslon (May 20, 2017)

Andy M. said:


> And that's my 'peeling mushrooms' story.



"Journey to the Center of the Earth"  (1958 movie), they peeled giant mushrooms to make new soles.


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## Andy M. (May 20, 2017)

Caslon said:


> "Journey to the Center of the Earth"  (1958 movie), they peeled giant mushrooms to make new soles.



So you're saying mushrooms are sole food?


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## Cooking Goddess (May 21, 2017)

Caslon said:


> I'm not sure, but don't people peel celery because the outter fibers have a stronger "celery taste"?  I can't think of the proper term. Bitter?  Less sweet? More acrid?  Harder to chew, more fibrous, stringy..etc. etc. etc. ?


My Dad taught me a celery buying trick when I was a kid. Do not buy the dark green stalks. They will be the tougher, more bitter celery. Instead, look for a stalk with the lightest outside ribs. The darker the color, the stronger the taste and texture.

Celery is a real pain to grown. The neighbor behind our first house had a nice size garden for a busy guy with a family and a 1/4 acre lot. He grew celery twice. I wasn't sure which he considered the bigger pain: carefully tying paper bag paper around each stalk to keep the sun off of it, or the grubs that crawled down the stalk and nibbled the ribs. The celery he gave us those two summers was tender and sweet, but you had to watch out for the extra protein. I didn't mind dirt, but I don't want to eat bugs. 

My Grandma always said you had to eat a bushel of dirt before you died. Kids these days are gonna live forever - and with some of the kids I've seen, I'm not sure that's a good thing.


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## Cooking Goddess (May 21, 2017)

larry_stewart said:


> MY grandmother used to peel mushrooms before putting them in her soup.  What a pain in the butt that must have been.


I will admit to peeling mushrooms, but only when they are so old my choice is peel or toss. If you know how to do it, it isn't much bother at all. I'd rather rescue a sad mushroom and saute it up rather than pitch it because the skin was getting "yuck".


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## PrincessFiona60 (May 21, 2017)

Rinse, repeat...then chop and saute.  Freeze the mushroom if needed, no need to peel.


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## Sagittarius (May 21, 2017)

*Celery:  Why do I peel for salads ?*



GotGarlic said:


> Curious. Why do you peel for a salad? I mince celery for salads. I've never noticed a problem with the outer layers.
> 
> 
> 
> This is not true for all fruits and vegetables. The skins of bell peppers, for example, are not digestible, so no nutrients from them are absorbed by the body. There are lots of nutrients in the meat of the fruits, though.



Got Garlic, 

My grandmothers and mom always peeled celery for salads but never for a cruditie ( washed and scrubbed ) of little stalks for dipping .. 

Bell Peppers:  As a norm, I do not use red bell or green bell in salads, except for a Greek Salad or Stuffed Bell Peppers. 

I usually use as an ingredient in Gazpacho, French Gaspacho,  and in Sofrito, the base of all Mediterranean stews and rices.  I had forgotten to mention Bell Peppers, however, I slice extremely thin and then mince for recipes calling for them.  I also employ Basque "Piquillo" tiny sweet red peppers and usually purchase " italian Style Peppers " which are shaped like a horn, which I prefer to Bell ..


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## larry_stewart (May 21, 2017)

Cooking Goddess said:


> I will admit to peeling mushrooms, but only when they are so old my choice is peel or toss. If you know how to do it, it isn't much bother at all. I'd rather rescue a sad mushroom and saute it up rather than pitch it because the skin was getting "yuck".



I get it if its done to salvage and aging mushroom, just like anything else, cutting out the bad parts to keep whats good. 

My grandmother was in her 80's and had bad arthritis in her hands.  The effort it must have taken her to prepare the mushrooms was unimaginable.  I loved her soup, and appreciated the effort she went through to make it.  Luckily, I was able to get the recipe from her before she passed.  To this day, i make it just as she did ( with the exception of not peeling the shrooms  ) 

Im guessing it must have been the way her mother taught her, cause she lived during the depression, and didn't have much, so I was a little surprised that she would not make use of the whole shrooms by peeling away the outer portion.


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## GotGarlic (May 21, 2017)

Sagittarius said:


> Bell Peppers:  As a norm, I do not use red bell or green bell in salads, except for a Greek Salad or Stuffed Bell Peppers.
> 
> I usually use as an ingredient in Gazpacho, French Gaspacho,  and in Sofrito, the base of all Mediterranean stews and rices.  I had forgotten to mention Bell Peppers, however, I slice extremely thin and then mince for recipes calling for them.  I also employ Basque "Piquillo" tiny sweet red peppers and usually purchase " italian Style Peppers " which are shaped like a horn, which I prefer to Bell ..



Okay. My point is that it isn't always true that most of the nutrients of vegetables is in the skin. Bell peppers are just one example of that.


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## Sagittarius (May 21, 2017)

Got Garlic, 

In reference to Bell Peppers, especially the Green, many people find them hard to digest as well. 

I agree, There are always exceptions to "the rule" .. 

Have a lovely Sunday.


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## Bigjim68 (May 21, 2017)

GotGarlic said:


> Okay. My point is that it isn't always true that most of the nutrients of vegetables is in the skin. Bell peppers are just one example of that.



I learned something.  I didn't know that about bell pepper skins.  From what I read the other than green are better but not by much.


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## GotGarlic (May 21, 2017)

Bigjim68 said:


> I learned something.  I didn't know that about bell pepper skins.  From what I read the other than green are better but not by much.


Tomato and potato skins are mostly indigestible, too. They're a great source of insoluble fiber, though.


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## GotGarlic (May 21, 2017)

Sagittarius said:


> Got Garlic,
> 
> In reference to Bell Peppers, especially the Green, many people find them hard to digest as well.
> 
> ...



In this case, I think the exception *is* the rule. I have inflammatory bowel disease. For about 10 years, I had a narrowed area of my colon from intestinal inflammation and scarring and I couldn't eat high fiber foods because the body doesn't break them down, so they could cause a blockage. I once spent four days in the hospital with a blockage aft eating a Japanese seaweed salad. The human body doesn't have the enzymes that break down cellulose, so it's goes right through.


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