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When I lived in Japan I bought a Champion juicer just so I could have a constant supply of carrot juice, since it was hard to find there. But the cleanup process such an ordeal that I didn't use it very often. Now that I'm living in San Francisco, all I can say is: Thank god for Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, where I pick up a half-gallon whenever I'm running low.
Most people buy carrot juice to drink; its sweet/savory taste is marvelous, and could anything be more healthy than drinking carrots? But its real value for me is in cooking.
Whenever a dish I'm cooking needs some kind of liquid -- say, if I want to thin out the salad dressing I've just made, or if the meat I'm braising is starting to look a little dry, or if I'm whirring something in the blender and it needs some liquid to blend properly -- the first thing I look for is carrot juice.
Think of carrot juice as you would stock. What would you do with stock? You might make risotto, add it to mashed potatoes, or use it in pasta sauces. Carrot juice works beautifully for all those. I even like to make ice cream with it (the color is drop-dead gorgeous).
But my most common use for carrot juice is probably for simple steamed rice. It adds a lovely reddish-orange hue to the rice and gives it an incomparable body and hint of sweetness. To make it, instead of using 100 percent water to steam the rice, use 2/3 water and 1/3 carrot juice. For even more body and savoriness, try adding a tablespoon of Dijon mustard and a couple of bay leaves, and cook the rice normally (you can use a rice cooker, or a heavy saucepan, as I do).
I'm always looking for new ways to use carrot juice, so if you've got a good one, speak up!
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