Happy Accidents {Recipe: Jelly Glazed Baby Carrots} (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to steam or boil baby carrots? ›

While you can boil carrot sticks, steaming is a better method, as it helps to keep more of the antioxidants and vitamins in the carrot. Peel carrot and cut into batons. Add the carrot sticks to a steamer and steam for 5-10 minutes until soft and tender.

6 to 9 minutes for ¼-inch slices. 5 to 7 minutes for ¼-inch strips. 7 to 9 minutes for baby carrots.

If you're dealing with chopped carrots, they'll last about two and a half weeks. Baby carrots are the trickiest carrot to deal with. Although they may be bite-sized and lovable, these bad boys will only last in your fridge for around a week and a half.

To make "baby-cut" carrots, large carrots are put into a machine and cut into two-inch (51 mm) sections, then abraded (scraped) down to size, their ends rounded by the same process. In the field, two-story carrot harvesters use long metal prongs to open up the soil, while rubber belts grab the green tops and pull.

Roasting at a high temperature is key here to get some lovely colour on the carrots which adds extra flavour. Most recipes use a lower temperature which will cook the carrots just fine, but it's not high enough to brown them (and if you leave them in the oven longer, they overcook and become wrinkly and sad).

At least, that is, if they're boiled or steamed. A January 2008 report in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry said that boiling and steaming better preserves antioxidants, particularly carotenoid, in carrots, zucchini and broccoli, than frying, though boiling was deemed the best.

Don't overcook the carrots: Boil them until they're just tender. They lose their amazing crunch if you overcook them. Add salt to the boiling water: (Not-so) secret tip: season your carrots with salt while they're cooking to really up your flavor game.

Boil Until Tender

Make sure the water level is high enough so the carrots are completely submerged. Add sliced carrots to the pot of water and bring the water back to a boil over high heat. Boil sliced carrots for 4-5 minutes, baby carrots for 6-7 minutes, and whole carrots for 10-15 minutes.

So when do you use which? This rule is simple to remember: Vegetables that grow underground (potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips), should start off in cold water. Vegetables that grow above ground (greens, peas, corn) should be placed into already boiling water.

Yes, the white blush that forms on some baby carrots—call it carrot dandruff if you like—is safe to eat. The scuzz of which we speak is the result of the carrots' surface drying out. Regular, mature carrots have a natural protective coating (as do most fruits and vegetables) that helps them retain moisture.

Why are my baby carrots slimy? ›

This happens when the carrots are exposed to air for long periods of time when they're not tightly sealed in a bag or container. Luckily, this white film is perfectly safe. If you can't mentally stomach them at this point, cook them!

Carrots that have gone bad have an off smell, slimy exterior, and can sometimes be rubbery or bendy. Once they've reached this state, unfortunately, they can't be brought back. To the compost bin they go!

But here's the big secret about baby carrots: They're actually pieces of carrots. "Cut into two-inch pieces and peeled, and put in a bag," explained Jeff Huckaby, the CEO of Grimmway Farms, the biggest carrot grower on Earth. One regular carrot might be cut into two, three, even four baby carrots.

They're not actually “baby.” The package might claim otherwise, but most carrots sold as “baby carrots” are just regular carrots that have been cut into two-inch pieces, shaved, and polished down to that snackable size.

Bagged baby carrots that are labeled as "pre-washed" or "ready-to-eat" are typically safe to eat without washing, as they have undergone a washing and sanitizing process during production to remove dirt and potential contaminants.

Steaming Vegetables

As the vegetables are not boiled, they don't lose the essential nutrients. Steaming also keeps the vegetables crisp and bright. In short, if you want to preserve the color, taste, and nutrients of the vegetables, you need to steam them instead of boiling them.

Your body has an easier time absorbing the carotenoids in carrots if you eat them cooked rather than raw. Cooking breaks down the vegetable's cell walls, making its nutrients more available. Of course, how you cook them matters—boiling vegetables can leach out nutrients, so it's better to steam, sauté, or roast.

Steamed

Steamed carrots are a step up from boiled carrots, but they're still not one of our favorite cooking methods. The main reason to steam vegetables is from a health perspective.

Carrots provide more antioxidants when boiled or steamed than when eaten raw, according to a January 2008 report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. In fact, researchers found that boiling carrots until tender increased the concentration of carotenoids by 14 percent.