Carrots!

BlazingSaddler

I'm determined to get my 2 daughters eating carrots at home!, if we're out for a good old fashioned Sunday carvery they mill into the things but at home I just boil them in water and they seem so bland in comparison. How do the restaurants make them so tasty?!!

WhatsGoingOn2

mattb74 wrote: »

I'm determined to get my 2 daughters eating carrots at home!, if we're out for a good old fashioned Sunday carvery they mill into the things but at home I just boil them in water and they seem so bland in comparison. How do the restaurants make them so tasty?!!

Lots of butter..

ElleEm

Roasting them makes them sweeter, and a drizzle of honey should win them over. I got into parsnips by doing them this way (with carrots!).

GrahamThomas

Try roasting them, maybe along with some sweet potatoes and parsnips. Season them well with salt and pepper, and add a clove or two of garlic, a big drizzle of honey and a sprig of rosemary. Cumin goes great with carrots too.

Mars Bar

I pour some coconut oil over them and add some spice. I like chilli and paprika but maybe something less spicy for them if they aren't in to that. I roast them in the oven for an hour. They still keep some of the crunch that way too!

duploelabs

Half cover with water, seasoned, a bit of sugar, butter, and a broken up star anise. Cook over a hot flame until the water boils away and they're nicely glazed

BlazingSaddler

WhatsGoingOn2 wrote: »

Lots of butter..

Thank you all. So is that what they actually do when you go for a carvery?, boil them up and afterwards smother with butter?

Jellybaby1

I was out with friends for lunch recently. The carrots I got were lovely and no butter on them but I asked for it as I love buttery carrots. The chef knew not to overcook them, and these were done to perfection not too soft, not too hard. I gave up boiling vegetable decades ago and I steam them now. Spuds go in the first layer, ten minutes later carrots go in the top layer. They're never bland, they taste like carrots should. I usually add butter on my plate but a little drizzle of honey is nice too.

vienne86

Buy organic carrots too. They're much sweeter. But definitely roast them - much betterr flavour.

Melendez

This post has been deleted.

the beer revolu

How you cut your carrots has a huge affect on the taste. I can't stand carrots cut in rings - batons taste much better.
Really!

Alun

the beer revolu wrote: »

How you cut your carrots has a huge affect on the taste. I can't stand carrots cut in rings - batons taste much better.
Really!

I agree, no idea why though

Tar.Aldarion

It's because we associate the rings with our youths and badly cooked carrots. It damages our perception of them. We then first see batons in the likes of restaurants.

Jellybaby1

the beer revolu wrote: »

How you cut your carrots has a huge affect on the taste. I can't stand carrots cut in rings - batons taste much better.
Really!

'Cos they're thicker, more flavour in 'em, a bigger bite!

the beer revolu

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

It's because we associate the rings with our youths and badly cooked carrots. It damages our perception of them. We then first see batons in the likes of restaurants.

It's not psychological, they cook and taste differently.

yellowlabrador

Get them to grow some over the Summer. You can sew them into a large plantpot if you have no garden. also buy them with the green tops still on and let them eat one raw. They are so sweet when really fresh

Tar.Aldarion

carrots cooked as sticks/julienne, rondelle, oblique, bias, demilune, paysanne etc are essentially the same to me, mustn't have the culinary tastebuds of others!

livinsane

the beer revolu wrote: »

How you cut your carrots has a huge affect on the taste. I can't stand carrots cut in rings - batons taste much better.
Really!

I agree, and crinkle cut rings are the worst.

Tree

duploelabs wrote: »

Half cover with water, seasoned, a bit of sugar, butter, and a broken up star anise. Cook over a hot flame until the water boils away and they're nicely glazed

I do this, half the height of carrots in water, knob of butter, black pepper and a bitta smoked paprika. When the water's gone toss them and eat em.

Tarzana2

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Spuds go in the first layer, ten minutes later carrots go in the top layer.

I always find carrots take longer to steam/boil than potatoes, and I don't overdo the carrots. Maybe it's because I never cook potatoes whole, I'll always half or quarter them. I might like them a bit more done than you though! (though not soft and soggy)

On the subject of blandness of carrots, I couldn't believe the difference in flavour when I was at home a while back and used carrots that one of my mother's friends had given her that she had grown in her garden. Both raw and cooked, they were so much more flavoursome than what you get in supermarkets!

Tarzana2

the beer revolu wrote: »

How you cut your carrots has a huge affect on the taste. I can't stand carrots cut in rings - batons taste much better.
Really!

I wouldn't say it makes any difference, like said, it's probably just the association of rings with soggy overcookedness. Unless anyone can offer a scientific explanation for why the taste would be different?

Supercell

Tarzana2 wrote: »

I always find carrots take longer to steam/boil than potatoes, and I don't overdo the carrots. Maybe it's because I never cook potatoes whole, I'll always half or quarter them. I might like them a bit more done than you though! (though not soft and soggy)

On the subject of blandness of carrots, I couldn't believe the difference in flavour when I was at home a while back and used carrots that one of my mother's friends had given her that she had grown in her garden. Both raw and cooked, they were so much more flavoursome than what you get in supermarkets!

You mind would be blown if you ever ate a home grown sungold or rosada cherry tomato so! Irish supermarket tomatoes are utterly tasteless in comparison.(sorry for going off topic!)

Tarzana2

Supercell wrote: »

You mind would be blown if you ever ate a home grown sungold or rosada cherry tomato so! Irish supermarket tomatoes are utterly tasteless in comparison.(sorry for going off topic!)

Maybe, 'cept I hate raw tomatoes. And if that raw tomatoey taste is stronger in homegrown tomayters then I'm probably going to dislike them even more. Must be great though for raw tomayter lovers!

the beer revolu

Tarzana2 wrote: »

I wouldn't say it makes any difference, like said, it's probably just the association of rings with soggy overcookedness. Unless anyone can offer a scientific explanation for why the taste would be different, I remain unconvinced.

Remain unconvinced all you like.
They taste remarkably different.

Although, if you cook carrots for longer than potatoes, it may well make no difference how you cut them!

Tarzana2

the beer revolu wrote: »

Remain unconvinced all you like.
They taste remarkably different.

Great, thanks, that was very informative! I've had batons and rings and there is no difference at all to me.

Although, if you cook carrots for longer than potatoes, it may well make no difference how you cut them!

The way I cut potatoes, they tend in cook in ten minutes or less. My carrots, which are still pretty hard when I've finished, would probably take 15 or so.

I know some people like them quite crunchy when cooked, but there is a middle ground here. I hate soggy overcooked carrots, I like them to have bite but a bit of softness. And despite my own cooking methods, I've eaten both batons and rings in various states of boiled/steamed cookness, from barely cooked to overdone. No difference at all tastewise.

There's no need for such a supercilious attitude, beer revolu. This is a cooking chat thread. You said something, somebody probed further because they were curious. Why would you have a problem with giving a bit more of an explanation? If you're sound in your views, why not flesh them out a bit? And if you are not prepared to ever field any questions why bother participating?

Instead of making a statement but not backing it up in any convincing way, then alluding to another poster's cooking being substandard.

duploelabs

Supercell wrote: »

You mind would be blown if you ever ate a home grown sungold or rosada cherry tomato so! Irish supermarket tomatoes are utterly tasteless in comparison.(sorry for going off topic!)

That's because the majority of Supermarket tomatos are picked when unripe, shipped in zero-oxygen environments, then blasted with o2 before shelving to artificially ripen them

Jezek

When I cook a roast bird, I like to butterfly it , and place it on top of the veg. Carrots are wonderful for this. With some mild curry powder, or a paprika and herbs mix, they come out amazing with the glaze from the chicken fat etc. In the end I put the under the grill for 10 mins while the chicken rests. They come out perfect and so sweet. Same recipe works with most things, e.g. brussel sprouts.

greasepalm

the last carrots i cooked years ago from the freezer and not looked at date on packet were the crinkle cut type and very surprised with excellent taste and sweet

5unflower

I was smiling all the way through reading this threat, as I seem to be the exact opposite to the OP's kids - I usually find the carrots in Carvery Sunday Lunch places very bland or not cooked enough, they are often cold the second they are put on your plate and also often cut into far too chunky bits for my taste at least.

When cooking them at home, I slice them very thinly, sauté them in a little butter, then add a little bit of veg stock and simmer them for a few minutes. I sometimes add a bit of creme fraiche to have a bit of extra sauce with them, also parsley works really well with carrots.

No to carvery carrots - yes to tasty, well seasoned home cooked carrots! ;-)

duploelabs

greasepalm wrote: »

the last carrots i cooked years ago from the freezer and not looked at date on packet were the crinkle cut type and very surprised with excellent taste and sweet

yeah.....look at the ingredients list, i'd wager it isn't 100% carrots

greasepalm

one reason now to read the small print.