Grated carrots are a perfect ingredient for green salads, cabbage and many other preparations. It is not difficult to learn the correct technique for cutting them, but it takes some practice to get the strips to the right length for a particular recipe. Whether you want to grate them by hand, using a food processor or cut them "à la julienne", you can learn how to reduce them to the perfect size you want in a few simple steps.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: with a Grater
Step 1. Determine the amount of carrots you need
Their number depends on the dose you need to cook the dish; remember that if they are not enough, you can always grate more. Here are some guidelines:
- A large carrot corresponds to about 130 g or a 250 ml cup, if you prefer to use the volumetric doses;
- Half a kilo of chopped carrots takes up a volume of about 700 ml.
Step 2. Wash the vegetables
Put them under cold running water and rub them with your hands; in this way, you eliminate the traces of soil, pesticides or germs that are on the external surface.
Use large, whole carrots, carrots marketed as "baby carrots" are difficult to grate by hand and risk injuring your fingers
Step 3. Pelale
Take the washed carrots and place them on the cutting board, remove the tip and the top portion by cutting a slice 5-10 mm thick at each end, then use a peeler to remove the outer layer of each root.
If you don't have a peeler, you can use a knife, but be careful not to remove a layer that is too thick
Step 4. Choose a grater
There are two main models: the flat one and the one with four surfaces; you may already have one in your kitchen, or you may need to buy it at the grocery store or homeware store.
- Multifunction grater: it is a rather large tool with three or four cutting surfaces and a handle at the top. Each surface is equipped with holes of different sizes that allow you to obtain different strips.
- Flat grater: this is a single cutting surface with a handle inserted on one side. Choose the most suitable one according to the size of the carrot strips you want.
Step 5. Put the grater down
You must use it on a clean kitchen surface, such as the counter or the "island" area. It is worth putting the tool on a very large cutting board or bowl to collect the grated vegetable; make sure you get a suitable container.
Step 6. Grate the vegetables
Once the tool is in place, take a carrot with one hand and place the bottom end on the cutting surface near the top. Apply light pressure and drag the vegetable downwards; once you have reached the base of the tool, return the core to the starting position.
- When you have only a fragment of vegetables left in your hand, pay attention to your fingers, because the surface of the grater is sharp and you could cut yourself; if you don't want to take any chances, you can use a knife and cut the last piece of carrot into strips.
- Don't push the vegetables too hard, or you could break them and even injure your hand.
Method 2 of 3: with a food processor
Step 1. Read the directions in the recipe or evaluate what kind of cut you want
If you know the number of carrots you need to grate, just use that amount; however, if the recipe indicates a volumetric dose of grated vegetables without specifying the number of vegetables, you need to make estimates.
Remember that half a kilo of carrots corresponds more or less to 700 ml of grated vegetables, while a single large vegetable, once reduced into strips, occupies a volume of 250 ml
Step 2. Pelale
Take the carrots you have chosen and wash them with cold running water; cut away 5-10 mm from each end and take a peeler to remove the outer layer.
- Make sure you scrub them well with your hands as you wash them to get rid of dirt, germs, and traces of pesticides on the surface.
- If you don't have a peeler, you can use a knife, but be careful not to peel off too thick a layer.
Step 3. Cut it
Take the freshly peeled ones and cut them into 7-8 cm pieces; this way, you make sure they are small enough to fit into the food processor's feed opening.
You can also use "baby carrots" with this procedure because they are small enough to fit in the food processor and grate well
Step 4. Fit the correct blade
Each appliance of this type is equipped with a cutting disc for grating vegetables, you can recognize it by the holes with raised and sharp edges. Once located among the accessories, install it on the robot.
This blade stays in the upper part of the appliance container, so that the chopped carrots fall and collect underneath
Step 5. Add the lid with the feeding opening
Once the blade is in place, you have to put the lid with an open column; fit it securely, but take out the cylinder inside it.
The opening that remains is for inserting the carrots
Step 6. Grate the vegetables
After placing the lid securely, turn on the appliance; insert the first piece of carrot 7-8 cm long inside the column and push it towards the blade using the cylinder; keep pressing until the whole vegetable has been chopped and repeat the operation for all the vegetables you need to prepare.
- Do not use your fingers to push carrots towards the blade, as you may cut yourself and even suffer an amputation; always rely on the plastic cylinder supplied with the robot.
- At the end of the work, turn off the appliance and wait for the blade to stop spinning; remove the lid and remove the cutting disc to get the chopped vegetables.
- If you have a small food processor, you can still use it for this task. Insert the blades and lock the container to the base; add the chopped and peeled vegetables, close the lid and start the appliance on pulse until the vegetables are small enough for the recipe you have decided to prepare.
Method 3 of 3: Cut the Carrots à la Julienne
Step 1. Evaluate how many you need
Check the instructions of the recipe to understand the doses; if in doubt, remember that you can always cut a little more. Generally speaking, a large carrot weighs about 130 g and, once chopped, occupies the volume of 250 ml.
Step 2. Pelale
Wash them under cold running water, cut the ends about 5-10mm and use a peeler to remove the top layer of each carrot.
If you don't have a peeler, you can use a knife, but be careful not to cut away too much of the edible portion
Step 3. Shape the vegetables
Use a sharp knife and cut them into 4-5 cm pieces; in this way, it is easier to julienne them. Next, remove one of the rounded edges to prevent the carrot from moving on the cutting board.
Do not throw away the slice you just detached, you can divide it into two or three parts and use it as sticks with uneven dimensions
Step 4. Cut the vegetables into thick slices
For this operation always use a sharp knife and cut each piece lengthwise to obtain strips with a square section. The thickness can vary from 2 to 3 mm, according to the directions in the recipe.
You don't need extreme precision, just make sure the strips are uniform in size
Step 5. Julienne cut
Place the pieces of vegetables on top of each other, taking care to line them up, and use a sharp knife to shape them into small matches. They should have a width equal to the thickness you reduced them to earlier and should therefore be uniform to each other.
- Continue like this until all the carrots turn into sticks.
- Proceed slowly; as you stack the slices, move your fingers back while keeping them away from the blade. This work becomes more difficult as you get closer to the edge, do your best to keep your fingers away from the cutting surface as much as possible.
- If you are afraid of getting hurt, you can also buy special protection; it is a stainless steel tool that allows you to hold the vegetables in place and at the same time repair your fingers.
