This quick tutorial on peeling carrots like a pro will save you time in the kitchen.

When you attend culinary school, one of the main things they teach you is efficiency. Efficiency of time, efficiency of ingredients (no wasted ingredients in a professional kitchens!) and efficiency of tasks at hand. I like to think I’m relatively efficient when it comes to cooking (I always set up a mise en place beforehand) but little basic tasks like peeling carrots seem like a no brainer. Turns out I’ve been peeling my carrots ALL. WRONG. Taking the Techniques I class at Le Cordon Bleu showed me the error of my ways.

Here’s the thing. Most people (most being me included) peel carrots over a trash can so the peels go directly into the trash (or compost bin if you do that sort of hippie thing). But there are two problems with that. The first is the clumsiness factor. I’ve been known to drop a carrot in the trash when I do this and that’s just kind of gross because I have to fish it out and wash it. But the second is that vegetable peelers have TWO blades. Which means if you’re peeling the carrot over the trashcan, you’re probably peeling it in on direction (pulling the peeler downward, lifting it up and peeling it downward again after you’ve turned the carrot slightly). That means you’re doing twice the work with only one side of the peeler!

The professional method for peeling carrots is easy and fast. Though it won’t make a huge difference in time when you are only peeling one carrot (though it might save you from accidentally dropping it in the trash), if you have a bunch of carrots to prep (say for a stew or stock) it will be a total time save for you. All you need to do is place the carrot with the point side down on a cutting board and lift it up in a 45 degree angle. Start peeling the carrot from the middle, going back and forth up and down the carrot, rotating it as you go, stopping in the middle. Then flip the carrot over and do the other side and you’re done.

Because describing this simple task isn’t the easiest to describe (even with the photos above), I’ve also included a video here that shows you exactly what I’m talking about. Now you too can peel carrots like a pro!

I’m sharing recipes and tips I learned from the Le Cordon Bleu Techniques I class all this week. Be sure to come and check them all out!