We’ve all been there: looking forward to a Sunday roast only to find that the carrots lack texture and flavour. This is the result of easy cooking methods like steaming and boiling, which simply soften the naturally hard vegetable. Tossing carrots in cupboard ingredients like olive oil, rosemary, and salt is a simple improvement, but culinary experts prefer another method.
When asked the best way to cook carrots by Eating Well, all four chefs said the same thing. Slow cooking was the resounding answer for an “amazing texture”, and there are many ways to do it.
The owners of the vegan restaurant Hey, Sunshine Kitchen, told Eating Well that simmering baby carrots brings them to life by drawing out their natural sweetness.
They suggest simmering the carrots for two to four minutes in a lidded pan before adding butter (they recommend vegan butter, but you can use dairy), followed by brown sugar, two teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, the zest of half an orange, two tablespoons of fresh orange juice, and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Cooking the carrots this way tenderises them and creates a thick glaze that’s full of flavour. The key is to cook them low and slow until the sauce thickens.
Roasting is more popular and a great way to inject flavour and improve the texture of this humble vegetable, says executive chef Alex Moreno of The Hideaway in Beverly Hills.
He noted that roasting is his “favourite” slow-cooking method, for which he adopts the low and slow approach.
Roasting them when you’re not in a rush results in an undeniably “deep, rich flavour” that you simply don’t get with other cooking methods. It’s important not to cook them for too long because you want the texture to still have some bite.
Alex said that to slow roast carrots, first cut them into thick batons—about the size of steak fries.
Roast the batons at 150C (300F) with a drizzle of olive oil and salt for about 45 minutes, or until they’re soft and slightly caramelised.
Remove the carrots from the oven and let them cool down. This is important to maintain their shape and master the desired texture.
To crisp the edges, finish them in the air fryer at 400F (200C) for about eight to 10 minutes.
Alex said: “As soon as they come out, we toss them with a mix of warm honey, fresh lime juice, lime zest and flaky salt. The result is sweet, tangy and a little savoury all at once.”
Chopped judge and two-time Tournament of Champions winner Maneet Chauhan notes that slow-cooked carrots can be used in sweet dishes, too.
They are a staple in her authentic spiced pudding recipe, which is featured in her cookbook Chaat. The recipe suggests simmering grated carrots in a small amount of water before introducing warm whole milk, cardamom, saffron, and sugar, then allowing the mixture to reduce until the carrots are tender.
When adding herbs and spices to carrots, warming spices like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper are great options. They also taste great with savoury spices such as rosemary, thyme, parsley, cumin, coriander, dill, garlic, and onion.