Why do we peel carrots?

I think it's just for appearance. There's no need to peel them. I often just rinse one well and have it as a snack. The outside of a carrot can look pretty gnarly, peeling it exposes that bright orange moist inner part.

It's all a matter of aesthetics; peeled carrots are pretty carrots. I never peel mine unless the application calls for it (which is usually only when guests might mind the peel).

To get the dirt off? I'm not sure if this answer is a joke or not. All of our carrots now are local. They're nobbly and dirty. Peeling seems the easiest way to clean them.

Even raw, in some carrots the peel will have slightly bitter or soapy taste. Less so with very fresh, young farmer's market or homegrown varieties. Taste a little bit and see if it needs peeling.

I'd like to add that you'll get additional nutrients from the peel, same as with potatoes and some other vegetables.

I scrub carrots with warm water and a brush, I usually don't peel them unless appearance is going to play a factor.

Some of my friends and I have allergic reactions to carrots if they are unpeeled or uncooked. I don't know why though. I usually peel them with thick washing gloves on, and then boil them for a bit.

It is done to make cleaning easier, remove the bitterness and improve the look of the carrot. Same type of reasons why people peel potatoes.

does not exactly relate to the question at hand. But for parsnips you are supposed to peel them because there is a compound that is a carcinogen in the peel. Similar to why you are not supposed to eat apple seeds.

And you don't have to let your carrot peelings go to waste -- use them in making vegetable stock, along with bits from other vegetables. Mushroom stems, corn cobs, potato peels, etc. can all be used in stock as long as you strain it after cooking. (I keep large plastic bags in my freezer that hold vegetable trimmings and leftovers, and when the bag gets full, I'll make stock.)

I normally peel some veggies, but recently I don´t, as I think it´s silly, and if the food is organic, the peel is really good, full of vitamins and no pesticides and similar. Today I cooked some chips with their peel on, I didn't even scrub them, only a little wash. They were very nice.

I found that when baking, if you don't peel the carrots first they turn green.

I learned in botany class that most of the vitamins are in the skin, so I've been scrubbing them, but peeling seems easier. Does anyone have a good suggestion for a veggie scrubber - better than blue scotch-brite sponges?

Q&A; Peels and Vitamins
By C. CLAIBORNE RAY, NY Times
Published: March 11, 2003

Q. I have read serious assertions that all the nutrition of carrots is in the peel, and so you shouldn't peel them. Is this true? What about other vegetables?

A. Plenty of nutritional value is left in a peeled carrot, said Dr. Stephen Reiners, associate professor of horticulture at Cornell's New York State Agriculture Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y., who works with root vegetables.

The deep orange color of a carrot indicates the presence of beta carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, he said, ''and when you peel the carrot, it is just as orange when you take off the outer layer.''

As for other similar vegetables, he said, ''if it is the same color throughout, you are getting the same nutrition with a peeled vegetable.''

The big exception is the potato, where there is a striking difference between peel and flesh. ''There is a lot of nutrition in the skin,'' Dr. Reiners said, ''but this is not to say the rest of the potato is without nutritional value.''

Harold McGee, who knows a thing or two, advises us on p. 171 of Keys to good cooking: a guide to making the best of foods and recipes to

Peel carrots, even if they look clean. The outer layers can be bitter and carry off flavors

(his italics). But this advice may be overly general. If the carrots you get locally aren't objectionably bitter, then trust your own senses and leave them unpeeled.