My Glazed Carrots Are So Special, Everyone Demands the Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should you boil carrots before roasting? ›

Undercook them, and the texture is tough and dense. Overcook them, and they're dry and wrinkled. The secret is to soften the carrots slightly by boiling them briefly before roasting. The texture will be firm-tender with just the right amount of caramelization on the outside.

They way we chew soft, cooked carrots will cause different flavours to be released, according to food scientist Lindsey Bagley. Furthermore, she says, "chemically, there are more sugars in a raw carrot than in a boiled carrot", which will have leaked sweetness into the cooking.

When you are ready to reheat the carrots, spread them out evenly on a sheet pan. If you want to, you can drizzle them with a little extra honey or some olive oil. Place the pan in an oven preheated to 450 F. and cook the carrots for about 5 minutes.

Make ahead: The carrots can be peeled and sliced up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate in an airtight container. Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

You're Using Too Much (Or Too Little) Oil

But skimp on that oil and those vegetables will be too dry. Luckily, it's easy to find Goldilocks' just right amount. The solution: Before hitting the sheet pan, place the vegetables in a large bowl and add a tablespoon of oil.

As with many vegetables, roasting carrots brings out their sweet inner nature. Peel the carrots or don't peel the carrots—it's up to you. Peeling takes a bit more time, obviously, but also leads to a more consistent final texture to the dish.

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. Toss the butter, honey, and seasoning while the carrots are hot: This will melt your butter evenly so you get a buttery taste with every mouthful.

Seasoning carrots is a great way to help bring out their flavor. For a simple and versatile seasoning, stick with salt, pepper, and garlic. For an herbier taste, add rosemary, parsley, cumin, or coriander. Or, to bring out their fresh, woody flavor, add some anise.

#1 Roasted

This is our CSA members' favorite way to enjoy our farm's fresh carrots. Slice or keep them whole if baby sized and toss with salt and pepper as your most basic preparation, or optionally add garlic, dill or honey to change it up. Roast on a baking sheet at 400 degrees until tender. So, so, so sweet!

“When the vegetable is cut, its cells rupture and release sugars and volatile hydrocarbons, the sources of the vegetables' sweetness and aroma,” he writes. "The more cells you rupture, the better the taste.”

How many carrots per person for dinner? ›

Carrots. One serving is 1 cup baby carrots, 1 cup sliced or chopped carrots (fresh, cooked or frozen) or 2 medium carrots, and is about 50 calories, per the USDA.

When determining how many carrots to roast, use one to two carrots per person, depending on size. No one is going to be upset if you make a few extra. To prepare the carrots, cut off the top and bottom, then peel them.

To reheat them, simply spread the carrots out on a baking sheet and warm them up in the oven at 350°F until they're heated through.

If your carrots are sliced or chopped, you can store them in the fridge and they'll last for about 2 to 3 weeks. But if your carrots are cooked, they'll only last 3 to 5 days in the fridge, so make sure to eat that leftover stir fry this week.

Tips to keep leftovers (including cooked vegetables)

Refrigerate leftover food within 2 hours after cooking and eat them as soon as possible. To ensure food safety, the World Health Organization and some relevant authorities recommend that leftovers should not be stored in the refrigerator for longer than 3 days.