Sometimes when you’re cooking you need to swap out ingredients. It’s not always ideal but it happens to everyone: You’re preparing a recipe and you were sure you had all the ingredients only to realize something’s missing and have to improvise. There are some truly adventurous substitutions that don’t seem like they’ll work but do like swapping vodka for absinthe in a martini or swapping mayonnaise for Italian dressing in a BLT. On the other hand substitutions that seem intuitive can be completely inappropriate like replacing baby carrots with regular carrots.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
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 Insider | 2015-11-07 14:00:01 |  392,223 Views |
How to Make Baby Carrots
Baby carrots aren’t really miniature carrots. They’re regular carrots that have been peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces. You might think that would make them an easy substitute for regular carrots since they’re basically the same thing but the process by which baby carrots are made and sold takes a serious toll on their flavor and can make your dish tragically bland.
To turn baby carrots into full-fledged carrots carrots undergo a lengthy industrial process that turns them into a shadow of their former selves. Be careful when buying baby carrots as they are often cut from older lower-quality carrots. Age is of the utmost importance when it comes to carrots as they gradually lose their natural sugars the longer you store them. If you compare the taste of a fresh whole carrot to a baby carrot you will notice that the former is much sweeter.
Baby carrots are also rinsed with chlorine bleach before they’re packaged and without a protective outer layer they spoil much faster than regular carrots. They can become slimy or develop a white coating which is a sign of dehydration. And if that wasn’t bad enough baby carrots are also more expensive by weight than regular carrots. Why substitute the real thing for a more expensive inferior version? Regardless of your recipe it’s best to avoid baby carrots altogether and keep a constant supply of regular carrots on hand.
