How to Clean and Prepare Fresh Carrots

Now that you have had about eighteen months to practice chopping fresh peas, it’s time to learn a new skill: cleaning fresh carrots.  They are very versatile vegetables, rich in beta-carotene, and can be used in fresh salads or stir-frys, or even alone as a healthy snack.

I’ve asked my good friend Carl the Carrot to help us with a demonstration.  Hello, Carl!

Hi, Sobek!

Now the first mistake that most beginner chefs make when preparing carrots is forgetting to clean them properly.  Take a clean scalpel and start with an incision near the bottom, cutting upwards to the top of the thoracic cavity:

What?!?  No!  What are you doing!?

You need to reach in deep and pull out all of the viscera, but be very careful not to tear or puncture any of it.  If the instestinal juices spill out into the thoracic cavity, they can get absorbed into the tissue, which will ruin the flavor and could possibly make it unsanitary.

Please!  I have a family!!

Once you’ve removed the internal organs, you need to thoroughly rinse out the inside to wash away any left over bits and pieces.  By this time, the carrot usually stops screaming in agony.

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The final step can be tricky, but with a little practice you should be able to remove all the rest of the innards.  Gently cut into the top of the carrot, around the stalk, grasp firmly, and give a firm, hard pull.  If you do it properly, this should take out the skull, eyeballs, and spinal column:

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Dispose of all the innards, and you are ready to prepare your meal.  You can chop it, slice it, fillet it, or leave it whole.  Try it with a dash of Mrs. Sharp’s Belizean Heat hot sauce, or slowly cooked in Mr. Lamm’s Heavy Metal Genuine Texas Barbeque for a rich, smoky flavor.

Enjoy!