Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 15: Prepare the carrots
• Method 2 of 15: Blanched Carrots
• Method 3 of 15: Steaming carrots
• Method 4 of 15: Boiled carrots
• Method 5 of 15: Microwave carrots
• Method 6 of 15: Stewed Carrots
• Method 7 of 15: Glazed Carrots
• Method 8 of 15: Baked carrots
• Method 9 of 15: Roasted Carrots
• Method 10 of 15: Carrots with Raisins
• Method 11 of 15: Grilled carrots
• Method 12 of 15: Mashed carrots
• Method 13 of 15: Carrot Soup
• Method 14 of 15: Carrots with rutabaga or turnips
• Method 15 of 15: Carrot Sweets
• Tips
• Warnings
• Sources and Citations

Since time immemorial, carrots have been used in the cuisine of various nations. This root vegetable comes in different colors: orange, purple, white or yellow. Carrots are rich in vitamin A, but keep in mind that some of it can break down during cooking. You can use both small and large carrots for cooking, as long as you try to preserve their natural sweetness as much as possible. In this article, you will discover different ways to cook carrots.

Steps

Method 1 of 15: Prepare the carrots

1. 1 Peel the carrots. Before cooking, the carrots need a little preparation.
   • Small young carrots. It does not need to be peeled or cut. Just brush it off with a stiff vegetable brush. Cook whole.
   • Large old carrots. It can be scrubbed clean in cold water, but if the rind is very bad or is required by a recipe, the rind can be cut or scraped off. The Larousse Gastronomique culinary dictionary advises against peeling carrots in order to retain as many nutrients as possible. So just brush them if they are carrots from your garden or organic store, but if you suspect that they have been treated with pesticides, feel free to peel them off. These carrots can be cut into slices, cubes or strips.
   • For some dishes, grate the carrots. Grated carrots are often used for soups, stews, pies, stuffed pancakes, and more.

Method 2 of 15: Blanched Carrots

1. 1 Find out when and how to blanch your carrots. Young fresh carrots do not need to be blanched. Old carrots are sometimes blanched to reduce their bitterness; try a slice of raw carrots first to see if you need it.
2. 2 Slice the carrots. Chop it up as required by the recipe.
3. 3 Place it in a pot of cold water. Bring water to a boil.
4. 4 Cook for 5-6 minutes. Older, larger root vegetables may take 10-12 minutes.
5. 5 Drain the water. The carrots are ready to eat.

Method 3 of 15: Steaming carrots

Various root vegetables, including carrots, are very convenient to steam. It preserves the freshness of vegetables and many of the vitamins they contain. It is better to steam young carrots.

1. 1 Brush the carrots. Cut off the ends. Decide if you will cook whole or sliced ​​carrots.
2. 2 Place the steamer basket in a pot of water or use a steamer pot. Make sure the water does not reach the carrots. Bring water to a boil.
   • If you own a steamer, follow the instructions for use.
3. 3 Place the carrots in a steamer or basket. Cover with a lid.
4. 4 Cook the carrots until tender. This will take about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the carrots. Check its doneness about every 8 minutes.
5. 5 Serve hot or warm carrots. Steamed carrots go well with many dishes and can be served separately or in serving dishes. If you are going to treat them to a large group, then keep the carrots warm by placing them in a container with a lid.

Method 4 of 15: Boiled carrots

Cooking works well with ripe carrots. You can cook with chicken or vegetable stock to add flavor to the carrots.

1. 1 Peel and slice the carrots.
2. 2 Pour 3 cm of salted water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. 3 Place the carrots in the pot. Let the water boil again, then reduce the heat and cover the saucepan.
4. 4 Boil the carrots until slightly soft. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
5. 5 Serve hot. You can sprinkle the carrots with chopped parsley.

Method 5 of 15: Microwave carrots

1. 1 Place 450 g of peeled carrots in a microwave safe container. Add 2 tablespoons of water.
2. 2 Cover the container.
3. 3 Cook the carrots on high (100% power) until tender. It is recommended to stir it once during cooking. The average cooking time will be as follows:
   • Thin circles - 6-9 minutes.
   • Straws - 5-7 minutes.
   • Whole small carrots - 7-9 minutes.

Method 6 of 15: Stewed Carrots

Stewed carrots are delicious and sweet.

1. 1 Preheat oven to 140 ºC.
2. 2 Cut 450g large carrots into slices or use whole mini carrots.
3. 3 Place the carrots in a heatproof ovenproof dish. The carrots should lie flat.
4. 4 Add 1/3 cup chopped shallots, 2 teaspoons grated orange zest, 1 1/4 cups orange juice, and 1/3 cup quality olive oil. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, and, if desired, fresh thyme. A little red pepper won't hurt either.
5. 5 Place on medium heat. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover with lid.
   • If you don't have a lid, cover the dish with foil.
6. 6 Place the dishes in the oven. Cook for 1.5 hours or until tender.
7. 7 Remove the cookware from the oven. Serve hot. Sprinkle finely chopped parsley on top.

Method 7 of 15: Glazed Carrots

1. 1 Cut the carrots into pieces. Use thick young carrots.
2. 2 Steam the carrots for 5-8 minutes.
3. 3 Melt 25 g butter with 1/2 cup brown sugar in a skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of orange juice.
4. 4 Place the carrots in the skillet. Roast it for one minute, then remove from heat.
5. 5 Serve hot. It can be served with chopped parsley or with nuts such as walnuts or pecans.

Method 8 of 15: Baked carrots

1. 1 Cut the carrots in half. Then cut it in half again or in quarters lengthwise.
2. 2 Brush it with vegetable or melted butter.
3. 3 Place the carrots in an oven dish grated with vegetable oil or butter. Or place the carrots on a baking sheet.
4. 4 Place the cookware in an oven preheated to 200 ºC. Bake until tender, about 20-40 minutes, depending on the size of the carrot pieces: they should be soft and caramelized. It is recommended to turn the carrots once or twice so that they caramelize evenly.
5. 5 Serve hot carrots with other baked vegetables.

Method 9 of 15: Roasted Carrots

1. 1 Cut the carrots into thin strips. Thin straws cook faster.
2. 2 Pour some oil into a large skillet or wok.
3. 3 Pour carrot strips into the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly soft.
4. 4 Remove carrots from heat. Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped fresh mint.

Method 10 of 15: Carrots with Raisins

1. 1 Cut the young carrots into slices. Cut enough carrots for 4-6 people (count at least one carrot each).
2. 2 Saute the carrots in melted butter. Sprinkle lightly with flour and cover with water so that it slightly covers the carrots. Add 1 tablespoon of brandy.
3. 3 Cover the skillet with a lid. Cook for about 15 minutes over low heat, then add a handful of raisins. Continue until done.
4. 4 Serve hot.

Method 11 of 15: Grilled carrots

1. 1 Slice carrots lengthwise.
2. 2 Brush with vegetable oil or melted butter.
3. 3 Place on grill. Cook until the carrots are caramelized.

Method 12 of 15: Mashed carrots

1. 1 Boil 500 g of young carrots in salted water. Add 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar and 15 g of butter or vegetable oil to the water.
2. 2 Drain the water. Save some water to add to the puree later.
3. 3 Rub the carrots through a fine sieve or puree in a blender.
4. 4 Put mashed potatoes on fire. If the puree turns out to be too thick, add a few tablespoons of the remaining water from cooking to the grated carrots and stir.
5. 5 Before removing the puree from heat, add 50 g of butter or vegetable oil to it. Mix well.
6. 6 Serve to the table. These carrots are a good addition to fried vegetables and meats.
   • You can also add 4 tablespoons of cream over 30% to the puree. Stir before serving.

Method 13 of 15: Carrot Soup

1. 1 Make carrot soup. There are many different variations of carrot soup, from simple to complex. Here are some of them:
   • carrot puree soup;
   • carrot soup with curry;
   • carrot soup with chili and coriander
2. 2 Make carrot and ginger soup.
   • Grate 4 carrots.
   • Sauté 1 onion with grated fresh ginger (use a 2 cm piece) and 2-3 minced garlic cloves. Use a small amount of butter or vegetable oil for frying.
   • Add grated carrots to the skillet. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   • Add 1 liter of hot vegetable or chicken stock. Simmer for 30 minutes.
   • Let the soup cool slightly. Then blend it with a blender until smooth.
   • Serve hot. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. You can add some cream on top.

Method 14 of 15: Carrots with rutabaga or turnips

The sweetness of the carrots goes well with the flavors of turnips or rutabagas.

1. 1 Peel the carrots. If old, peel them.
2. 2 Cut into thin slices.
3. 3 Peel the rutabagas (or turnips). Cut into the same size pieces as the carrots.
4. 4 Simmer in boiling salted water until soft. Boiling in vegetable broth also imparts a pleasant aroma.
5. 5 Drain, mash and drain the juice. Add butter and black pepper to taste.
6. 6 Serve hot. This is a great side dish option.

Method 15 of 15: Carrot Sweets

1. 1 The natural sweetness of carrots can be used to make many sweet foods. Here are just a few that you can make with carrots:
   • carrot halva;
   • carrot cake, vegan carrot cake, carrot muffins;
   • carrot donuts.

Tips

• The most delicious carrots are harvested from late spring to late summer.
• When buying carrots, choose bright, firm, even root vegetables. Don't use too wrinkled or crooked carrots.
• Carrots are a relative of parsnips, parsley, and celery.
• Carrots go well with certain foods and spices, such as apples, chives, cumin, mint, oranges, parsley, and raisins. It also goes well with tarragon.
• Water can strip carrots of their sweetness. Therefore, to preserve it as much as possible, use very little liquid for cooking.

Warnings

• Store carrots away from potatoes, apples, or pears. They give off ethylene gas, which can make carrots bitter.

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ Larousse Gastronomique, Carrots, pp. 188-189, (2009), ISBN 978-0-600-62042-6
2. ↑ Food: The Essential A-Z, p. 71, (2001), ISBN 1-74045-031-0
3. ↑ James Peterson, Vegetables, p. 34, (1998), ISBN 0-688-14658-9

• Food: The Essential A-Z, p. 71, (2001), ISBN 1-74045-031-0
• Sally Cameron, Grow It, Cook It, (2009), ISBN 978-0-14-301096-8
• The Australian Women’s Weekly, The Edible Garden Cookbook, (2010), ISBN 978-1-74245-051-3
• Larousse Gastronomique, Carrots, pp. 188-189, (2009), ISBN 978-0-600-62042-6
• Mary Cadogan, Prepare to Cook, pp. 126-127, (1981), ISBN 0-454-00324-2
• James Peterson, Vegetables, (1998), ISBN 0-688-14658-9
• http://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/cook-with-fruits-and-vegetables/how-to-cook-carrots/
• http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=887&S=0