Why Dressing Is So Much Better On Shredded Carrots Than Diced

It's hardly a hot take to say that shredded carrots are superior to diced when used in a salad. The texture of diced carrots alone makes them a logistical hazard, as they can easily tumble off your carefully forked bite and congregate in a sad pool of dressing at the bottom of your bowl. What's more, they just don't grip onto dressing as well as shredded carrots. This will especially pose problems in a carrot-based salad, like this recipe for shredded carrots with tahini dressing.

Shredding carrots — as opposed to dicing them — significantly boosts their ability to cling onto dressings and sauces. The secret lies in the increased surface area of a carrot shred. Think of it like prepping vegetables for cooking: When more of a veggie's surface area is exposed, more of that surface area will brown, thus providing more flavor. In the same way, exposing more of the carrot's surface area through shredding gives the dressing more room to hang out, making each bite more flavorful.

If you're curious about the best way to shred carrots, handheld graters are convenient and easy to clean. Grating on the smaller holes generally produces the best texture and most overall surface area — though it's fun to grate half of your carrots small and the other half large in some recipes, too. That said, the shreds you get when you use your food processor's shredding disk are far superior. They produce a fine, even shred that optimizes the carrot's surface area, increasing the punch of flavor by grabbing onto more dressing.

When choosing a dressing, opt for bold flavors that can stand up to or complement the carrots' sweetness. A citrusy lemon vinaigrette, zesty balsamic, or creamy chipotle ranch can bring a punch of character to an otherwise humdrum pile of carrot shreds. Now's the time to really upgrade your homemade dressing with flavorful acids and bold seasonings.

When the time comes to mix, don't skimp on the bowl size. Use a bowl twice as big as you think you'll need, and grab some grippy tongs to really toss the carrots and get even coverage. Don't forget to add something chewy and sweet (like dried cranberries or golden raisins) and something a bit crunchy (like chopped nuts) to really bring the salad together, making it both tastier and more refined. If you'd like more ideas, here are some recipes that really celebrate carrots.