Everyone knows that carrots improve vision and immunity. It contains many vitamins. But not everyone knows that when cooked it is healthier than when raw. The level of antioxidants in it increases by a third after cooking, and continues to increase for another 7 days.
This article provides comprehensive answers to all questions regarding cooking this amazing root vegetable: what are the cooking methods, how long does it take to cook carrots using one method or another, how to cook them for salad, and much more.
You can cook carrots:
- in a regular saucepan;
- in a slow cooker;
- in the microwave;
- in a steamer.
How long to cook carrots
Modern cooking offers us many ways to cook carrots. To do this, you can use various types of devices and accessories:
- pot;
- microwave;
- pressure cooker;
- multicooker;
- double boiler.
The cooking time will depend on the cooking method. In a regular pan, whole carrots are cooked for about 20 minutes, and if you cut them into pieces, the cooking process is reduced to 15 minutes.
The cooking time directly in the microwave depends on its power. In an 800 W appliance, whole carrots will have to be cooked for more than 10 minutes; if you cut them into pieces, you only need to cook them for about 4 minutes. A 1000 W microwave can cook whole carrots in 8-10 minutes.
A pressure cooker will help you cook whole carrots quickly (no more than 6 minutes). Cooking carrots in a slow cooker and steamer will take up to 40 minutes. Here, virtually everything depends on the technical characteristics of the combines, the cooking mode and the size of the vegetable.
How long should you cook potatoes and carrots?
Before cooking, decide in what form you want to get boiled potatoes and carrots.
To prepare jacket potatoes, thoroughly wash the root vegetables, place them in already boiled salted water, and after boiling, cook for 25-30 minutes, depending on the size. Boil young potatoes in their jackets for 15 minutes in salted water. To make the peel easier to remove, first drain the hot water, then add cold water, hold for a minute and repeat the procedure.
Peel the potatoes, rinse, place the whole potatoes in boiling salted water, cook for 20-25 minutes. Remove the foam, it will definitely appear. Once cooking is complete, drain the water.
If you want to boil this vegetable in cubes, cook for 15 minutes. A little secret for making mashed potatoes - put the potatoes in cold salted water, eat them in this form, add salt after boiling.
In a double boiler, cook the potatoes for 35 minutes in the boiling mode.
The calorie content of potatoes is 80 kcal. It contains: proteins - 2 grams, fats - 0.4 grams, carbohydrates - 18.1 grams.
Boiled carrots reach a state of readiness in 30 minutes, if the root vegetable is whole. The chopped vegetable is cooked for 10-15 minutes. We clean everything the same way and put it in boiling salted water.
Place carrots, chopped however you like, into the steamer and steam for 15-20 minutes.
Calorie content of carrots is 32 kcal. It contains: proteins - 1.3 grams, fats - 0.1 grams, carbohydrates - 6.9 grams.
In general, these two products are very close in cooking time, so potatoes and carrots can be cooked together.
Jacket potatoes and carrots are considered more useful, as they retain more nutrients.
Both products are healthy and contain vitamins, minerals and fiber. Boiled potatoes and carrots are good for soups, salads, stews, and purees. But there are also differences in their use: if potatoes are most useful boiled in their skins, then carrots are still best consumed raw with added fat: this can be vegetable oil or sour cream.
If we talk about health benefits, then carrots are, of course, healthier than potatoes.
Instructions for cooking carrots
Undoubtedly, carrots are one of the most useful root vegetables available to humans, but during heat treatment they lose many beneficial properties, substances and vitamins. To minimize losses, cook carrots over low heat and, of course, in a tightly sealed container. This approach will help preserve the pleasant taste and aroma of the vegetable, without losing the beneficial properties of the product.
The technology for cooking carrots in a pan is simple:
- carrots must be thoroughly rinsed under warm water to remove dirt and dust;
- place the vegetables in a cooking container, filling it with water so that it covers them by about 2 fingers;
- put the container on the fire and cover with a lid;
- you need to cook the root vegetable for about 20 minutes;
- To prevent vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the container, it is necessary to turn it over regularly;
- You can check the readiness with a fork (cooked carrots are easily pierced);
- the boiling water is drained, while the carrots are left to cool at room temperature;
- After the root vegetable has cooled, the skin is peeled off.
The technology for cooking carrots in a microwave, pressure cooker, multicooker and double boiler is similar to the routine technology for cooking in a saucepan. It is also necessary to place it in a container and fill it with water, then set the required mode and time. Most often, the “Steam” or “Baking” mode is used here.
Cooking in a slow cooker
To cook vegetables in a multicooker, you can also use the “Baking” mode.
In a multicooker, carrots are cooked as follows:
- It is necessary to rinse it thoroughly.
- You can peel it, although this is not at all necessary.
- Place the prepared ingredients into the container of the device.
- Add water. It should cover the vegetables.
- Close the container lid until it clicks.
- On the control panel in the device menu, set the “Steaming” mode.
- The timer should be set to 40 minutes.
The root vegetable should be cooked until tender, without really trusting the timer. The advantage of this mode is that you can open the lid at any time and check whether the vegetables are cooked. If not, you can start the program again.
Take note: the “Stew” and “Turbo” modes can also be used for cooking.
Note to the hostess
There are several secrets that will help you prepare this healthy vegetable even tastier:
- do not peel the root vegetable, and do not cut it before cooking. This will help preserve virtually the maximum amount of nutrients;
- Some chefs advise initially pouring hot water over the carrots. This will speed up the cooking process;
- It is worth salting the root vegetable after cooking directly in the dish. In this case, the salt will not interrupt the sweetish taste of the carrots;
- try to bring the carrots to a state in which the core remains dense. This vegetable tastes better and is also suitable for salad;
- For soup, both pre-cooked and fried carrots are used. In the first case, it is cooked for 10 minutes less, and is also added to the soup that has not yet been prepared. This way it will not lose its taste, consistency and shape, and will retain the maximum number of useful vitamins and minerals. In the second, pre-fried carrots are added a few minutes before the soup is finished cooking. This way the root vegetable will give the broth its aroma and taste and give it a beautiful color;
- if you are preparing broth with whole carrots, then they should remain in the pan until the meat is cooked. After cooking, it must be removed from the dish. This way she will convey her taste to the broth, but will not fall apart in it;
- To speed up the cooking process, add cold water at the end of cooking. A sharp change in temperature will bring the vegetable to readiness.
How to cook vegetables for salads?
In the vast majority of salads, which include everyone’s favorite herring under a fur coat and Olivier, you can find boiled vegetables in the ingredients.
Properly cooked vegetables for salads are an important component of the dish. After all, only cooking according to the rules can preserve all the nutrients and vitamins in vegetables. Useful recommendations on how to cook vegetables for salads, which are easy to follow and will help preserve the taste of the vegetables and give the dish an extraordinary taste: • It is necessary to wash the vegetables before cooking; • The main answer to the question of how to cook vegetables is that they are cooked separately. • It will be very good if they are selected to be the same size so that they cook evenly; • To preserve nutrients (especially vitamin C), vegetables must be cooked in enamel dishes; • Greens and vegetables for cooking are placed in boiling, pre-salted water. If you need to boil fruits for a salad, they are placed in boiling sweetened water. If you put vegetables and fruits in cold water, it will quickly destroy a significant part of the vitamins and enzymes. Salt water to preserve the beneficial properties of vegetables and give them a better taste; • Only beets and peas should be boiled in unsalted water. Because if they are boiled in salt water, they will acquire an unpleasant taste; • The answer to the question of how to properly cook vegetables, especially root vegetables, also lies in completely covering them with water. Contact with air should be minimal. It’s great if the pan is tightly closed during cooking; • It is best to cook vegetables whole. Because the finer the fruits or vegetables are chopped, the less vitamins remain in them; • Fresh vegetable broth is very nutritious and contains many vitamins. Therefore, it is better not to pour it out, but to use it for making soups or sauces; • When cooking corn, do not remove the leaves. It should be boiled as a whole cob; • Vegetables that are boiled in their “jacket” (with their skins) are most conveniently peeled while hot; • To prevent cooked vegetables from becoming watery, they should not be stored in the water in which they were boiled; • Potatoes should be cooked over moderate heat. If you cook over high heat, the inside of the potato may remain raw, while the outer skin will burst and swell. How long to cook vegetables The longest of the most common salad vegetables is sauerkraut - one hour. Fresh cabbage is cooked for twenty minutes. For carrots, fifteen or twenty minutes of cooking will be enough. Potatoes need to be boiled for about 25 minutes, and cut into small cubes - only 15 minutes. It only takes 6-8 minutes to boil spinach and fresh tomatoes. Pickled mushrooms, olives, champignons, vegetables and berries for sauces should be cooked for no more than ten minutes. Because with longer cooking times they may harden. How to preserve vitamin C in cooked vegetables for salad: • Cook vegetables in a saucepan with a minimum of free space. • Cook vegetables with the lid closed; • Do not keep chopped vegetables in the open air; • If peeled vegetables are boiled, they are placed in boiling salted water and cooked over low heat; • Food should be prepared for one meal. If the dish is reheated, it will no longer contain vitamin C. Cooking vegetables for salads is very simple. And with proper cooking, the housewife will be able to preserve maximum nutrients and vitamins. Also, a lot of substances necessary for the body are contained in raw vegetables; you can read more about this in our article on the benefits of vegetables in salads
Simple recipes
Carrots are widely used in cooking due to their unique taste, aroma and benefits for the body. Here are some simple recipes with boiled carrots that you can prepare if guests are actually already on the doorstep:
Salad with boiled carrots
- 4 carrots;
- 1 apple;
- onion;
- small can of peas (canned);
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil;
- 3 tbsp. sour cream;
- spices to taste.
Boiled carrots and fresh apples must be peeled. Cut to taste. Cut the onion into small cubes. Add peas, butter, sour cream and spices. Mix thoroughly. Just 20 minutes - and you have an original and delicious salad ready.
Carrot garnish for meat
To prepare a dietary and creative side dish you will need:
- 0.5 kg carrots;
- 0.5 tsp red pepper;
- 2 tbsp. vinegar;
- 2 teeth garlic;
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil;
- cumin/parsley;
- chopped walnuts;
- salt to taste.
Boil carrots together with garlic. Three peeled root vegetables on a grater (large). Cut and add herbs, cumin, and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Add vinegar and oil. Mix again. Leave in a cool place to let the dish steep. It is best to serve the dish cold (as a side dish).
Carrots are an excellent dietary product that can be prepared deliciously and creatively. Take care of the health of your loved ones by simply delighting them with new recipes for dishes with boiled carrots.
Author: Elena Bolshova
Microwave cooking
First way
In the microwave, everything is cooked quickly, this allows you to save more vitamins.
In the microwave, carrots can be cooked like this:
- The fruits are washed thoroughly.
- They are then placed in a baking sleeve or cellophane bag.
- The package must be tightly closed.
- The bag of carrots is placed on a dish that is placed in the oven.
- The timer on the device is set to 8 minutes.
Take note: you should not peel the carrots in advance; it is much easier to remove them with a knife after cooking.
Second way
If the carrots are cooked in their skins, they need to be pierced in several places with a knife so that the steam has somewhere to escape.
This is perhaps the fastest way to cook root vegetables. It consists of sequentially performing the following actions:
- Carrots should be washed and peeled.
- Then it is cut into cubes, the size of which depends on their purpose.
- The cubes are placed in a bag.
- The bag is tied or closed with a clip.
- The cellophane is pierced to prevent it from bursting in the oven.
- The microwave power is set to maximum.
- The timer is set for 3 minutes.
If the microwave oven does not have a program for cooking fresh vegetables, then they need to be cooked at maximum power. In this way you can prepare vegetables for vinaigrette or Olivier salad.
Take note: you should not immediately remove the finished carrots from the warm bag; staying in it for some time will benefit its qualities.
