Paring carrots

The decision to pare a carrot – since carrots have no skin, they cannot be peeled – should be made based on how the carrot is to be used rather than habit. There is a strong tradition to always pare carrots. I believe this is because, in times past, carrots were sold dirty or even pulled from one’s own allotment. Paring or scraping was an effective way of removing any dirt that wouldn’t easily wash off. Today, the carrots you buy in most venues have been washed at least once before making their way to your shopping basket. I advise whether to pare carrots in each of the carrot-cooking methods that follow in this text. For those methods where paring is appropriate, the following may be helpful.