Cooking with Carrots

These orange roots are a workhorse in the kitchen. They bring a rich, sweet flavor to soups, stews, and sauces. They also shine when cooked as a vegetable in their own right. Though available year-round, carrots have different characteristics in each season. In spring, you’ll find tiny, tender baby carrots with a mild flavor. Summer carrots have a slightly stronger flavor. The very sweetest carrots are found in the fall and early winter, when the starches convert to sugar in the cold weather.

When choosing, look for carrots with a firm texture and smooth skin. Carrots sold with their green tops intact are likely to be fresher than topless ones sold in plastic bags. Once purchase, use the carrots within a week or two and keep them in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

To slice, cut a thin slice off the length of the carrot to give it a flat, stable base. Then lay the carrot flat on your work surface for easy slicing. Old carrots can be prepared by removing the woody cores and use only the outer flesh.

In order to benefit from a carrot’s nutrition, rinse and scrub carrots well, but don’t peel them as much of the nutrition is right under the skin. Raw carrots make a healthy snack, but for maximum nutrition benefits, cook carrots for at least 3 to 5 minutes. Cooking helps free beta-carotene from the carrot’s fiber cells, making it easier for your body to absorb.

Carrots can also be made into juice. Carrot juice is a delicious way to get beta-carotene into your diet. Make a blend of carrot and orange juice to start your day. Or use carrot juice in salad dressings to replace part of the oil. You can also cook couscous in a mixture of carrot juice and water. And you can steam fish using carrot juice for the liquid, seasoning the liquid and thickening with cornstarch.