How to cook the perfect carrot?????

[WhatToDo999]

posting here, as i didn't know where else to put it!

recently had a meal out and i have to say the carrots were amazing, just on the right side of crunchy/cooked perfectly, with amazing taste.

now, i love a chunky carrot with my food, but i either cook them to long and they go a bit soggy, or i don't cook them enough. I have tried steaming them to keep the flavour, but think i over steam them

someone please give me some tips on cooking the perfect carrot!!!!

Do people really cook carrots on the hob for 45 minutes?! Do they not go all horrible and mushy if you do that? My MIL used to boil her veg for the Sunday roast all afternoon and it was just like baby food by the time dinner was served. (not envy!!)

I had them in a posh restaurant once roasted in salt dough. They were so incredibly delicious. I might try it one day. Not.

roasted
cut into chunky batons
just with a knob of butter and a bit of stock powder. maybe 15-20 min?
or just boiled in cream and a little honey.

batons - has to be batons

It’s butter
Really. Just huge quantities of butter

Cut carrots into batons. Add a big knob of butter, salt and ground white pepper. Enough fresh orange juice to not quite cover them. Lid on, bring to a boil then turn right down until they yield to a fork. Remove from the liquid and boil tint rapidly til it reduces to a sweet sticky sauce.

@Fatted
Yes, but it's a particular way of cooking them for a reason, it's not just over boiling veg.
I wouldn't do that for a stir fry, or for a salad obviously.

@kaytee87 @IHaveBrilloHair I do the same, but remove the carrots with a slotted spoon and keep warm, then reduce the liquid down to a few tablespoons and pour over the carrots.

Cooked carrots are vile

@kaytee87 and @IHaveBrilloHair

Add half a stock cube, I promise you it’s far nicer. Just sugar and butter is not very nice, I find, but each to his own.

Boiled in lemonade?? Adding sugary crap to healthy veg seems absolutely crazy!

Funny how “sugar”- a perfectly sensible ingredient in moderation has now become “sugary crap”.......

“It’s butter
Really. Just huge quantities of butter“
Yep. Like on Masterchef when they say “it needs more seasoning.” They mean “more salt. A ton more salt”

I've never seen so many complicated ways of cooking carrots. All I do is peel, slice & steam for 15 minutes. Job done.

Oh this amuses me - I do remember ( and so now does my Ds ) reading Elizabeth David on cucumber - " wash carefully , peel or score to retain the middle , slice very very thinly , and then throw the whole thing away as they are fit for nothing" I am paraphrasing wildly but I think I have got the gist. I actually really like cucumber.

I love roasted carrots - boiled carrots I just do not like. So in my world either eat them raw or with dips or just bung some olive oil on and stick them in the oven.

Oh actually mashed carrots with butter are nice too. So a place for boiled carrots as a prequel to mashing , but need butter , or indeed creme fraiche etc before mashing.

I quarter mine lengthways place in a shallow roasting tin, peel a couple of tangerines/satsumas and separate the segments, squeeze the juice over the carrots and put the segments on top, pour honey/maple syrup over and sprinkle some salt, put in oven until they are cooked.

Dear god. They're carrots. Why on earth would you waste 45+ minutes of your time and energy cooking them?
Especially when Op usually can't be bothered to peel them!

Peel (or give to kids to peel). Chop up. Throw in saucepan with pasta/rice and boil for 9:30-10 minutes. Strain and serve. Then you only have one pan to wash.

It hardly takes a lot of energy to stick something in a pan and let it cook while the rest of the dinner is cooking

@HysteryMystery i don't peel them because they don't need to be peeled.

Thanks for the tips everyone, much appreciated. i will certainly be giving these a try x

Boiled in lemonade?? Adding sugary crap to healthy veg seems absolutely crazy!

Diet lemonade works just as well.

Dried thyme and orange juice added with a glug of boiling water to carrots (any shape, peeled or not) that have been sauted in butter.
Boil the liquid off.
Taste very fancy.

Steam or roast.

A couple of drops of pernod makes them taste ultra-Carroty