Carrots in abundance are great for a snack, but may start to taste bad or lose their taste after a few months of cold storage. You can dry them to make chips or slices for soups and drinks. Dried carrots make a great addition to the kitchen and can be stored for up to a year.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Preparing Carrots
Step 1. Buy fresh carrots from the grocery store or dig your own from the garden
Dried and preserved carrots are great for soups, stews, and other recipes that are partially liquid.
Step 2. Scrub the carrots with a potato brush if they are freshly dug out of the ground
Step 3. Peel the carrots
Cut off the top of the carrot. Consider saving the skin and top to make a vegetable stock.
Step 4. Prepare only as many carrots as will fit in your dehydrator tray for one batch
A small dehydrator might fit only six carrots, while a large dehydrator with nine trays might fit 30 large carrots or more.
Step 5. Slice the carrots into round shapes
If you want to dry them for soups or stews, an ideal round shape is one and a half inches (0.6 cm) thick. If you want to make carrot chips for a snack, try slicing them into eight-inch (0.15 cm) thick slices with a chip slicer.
You can also grate carrots, if you wish to use grated carrots in the recipe. Grated carrots can be made the same way, but may require a shorter drying time
Part 2 of 3: Blanching Carrots by Steaming
Step 1. Choose to blanch the carrots by steaming to retain their nutritional content
Step 2. Heat a pot with a few inches of water on the stove
Step 3. Add the steamed strainer when the water has boiled
Then, pour the carrots into the basket.
Step 4. Cover and steam for three to four minutes
Remove the sieve and blanch the next batch of carrots if you are filling a lot of dehydrator trays.
Part 3 of 3: Drying Carrots
Step 1. Fill the dehydrator tray with carrots
Try to leave a little space between the carrots, so the air can flow. This will speed up the drying time.
Step 2. Insert the tray into the dehydrator
Activate the dehydrator for a temperature of 125 degrees Fahrenheit (52 Celsius).
Step 3. Dry the carrots for 6 to 12 hours
Check after six hours and then every two hours thereafter. Carrots should be dry, coarse, and crumbly once dry.
Thinly sliced chips will take six hours to dry
Step 4. Store the dried carrots in a sealed glass jar with an inch or less of free space at the top of the jar
Store in a cool, dark place to preserve it. Add as needed to your recipes.
