Carrots are an easy way to boost the healthiness of any dinner, but boiling them can actually ruin their flavor and reduce their vitamin content. It might be convenient to boil carrots in a pot on the stove, but this will cause most of the nutrients to leach out into the water.
Instead of making a delicious side dish you will be left with a mushy mess that is not that good for you. Instead, Dorothy Kern, a cook and founder of Crazy for Crust, has shared a better way to cook carrots to make them tastier and healthier is to simply roast them.
Dorothy said, “Roasted carrots have the best texture, and the flavour is amazing. Roasting draws out the natural sweetness and you get a nice caramelised flavour. They’re so much better than boiled carrots!”
Many people avoid roasting carrots because they think it is too much effort, but it is actually quick and easy, as well as brings out a much richer flavor.
Carrots contain natural sugars that carmelise when roasted so they will taste richer and be crispy rather than limp or bland from boiling.
Adding a splash of olive oil when roasting carrots not only helps them cook evenly but also boosts their nutritional value, as the healthy fats in olive oil aid in the absorption of the carrots’ fat-soluble vitamins.
Dorothy added: “I prefer oil to butter for roasting because oil can go to a higher temp without smoking.”
Olive oil has a high smoke point, which means it can cook things at a higher temperature without them burning or becoming smoky so you will get crispy golden carrots in no time.
Method:
To begin, preheat the oven to 200C and prepare a tray by lining it with baking paper. Then, add the olive oil, honey and the rest of the seasoning to a bowl. Mix everything together and then add the chopped carrots.
Toss the carrots so they are evenly coated, then spread them on the tray and place in the oven. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes until the carrots are a beautiful golden brown, then your perfectly glazed carrots will be ready to eat.
