Butter Braised Carrots with Thyme Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How can I make my carrots taste better? ›

Cut: Quartering carrots by first halving them crosswise and then halving those pieces lengthwise provides flat surfaces that readily brown against the hot surface of a rimmed baking sheet. Fat: These carrots are cooked in butter, which adds deep flavor, but olive oil works well too.

A roll cut (also known as the oblique cut) starts with a diagonal cut on the carrot, then you roll it ¼ turn, cut again on the diagonal and continue until you have processed the whole carrot. This type of cut keeps all of the carrot pieces about the same size so they cook more uniformly.

Here's how long to cook carrots on the stove top depending on how they're cut: 7 to 9 minutes for ¼-inch slices. 4 to 6 minutes for strips. 8 to 10 minutes for baby carrots.

For example, carrots are said to pair exceptionally well with butter, ginger, lemon, maple syrup, orange, parsley, and sugar. Other ingredients that are said to pair well with carrots include cinnamon, coriander, dill, lime, spearmint, olive oil, parsnips, salt, tarragon, thyme, etc.

Flavor Enhancements

Use spearmint, marjoram, a small bay leaf, thyme, grated ginger root, chopped chives, dill or parsley.

To decrease the bitterness, bring out the sweetness in the carrots by cooking for longer. The best technique I've found to do this with carrots is frying and steaming them at a low temperature.

Brunoise: Tiny cubes cut from julienne sticks that are 1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8 inches. Small dice: Small cubes cut from batonnet sticks that are 1/4 x 1/4 x 1/4 inches. Medium dice: Medium cubes cut from baton sticks that are 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 inches. Large dice: Large cubes that are roughly 3/4 x 3/4 x 3/4 inches.

There is, however, a trick to getting roasted carrots right. 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.

Overcooked vegetables are mushy or dry, sometimes both at the same time! What's happened, is the cell structures of the vegetables have been damaged creating mushiness and the liquid inside may have been released to cause dryness.

Consequently, the best way to avoid overcooking carrots when you blanch them is to break them down into smaller, same-sized pieces. By cutting or dicing carrots into same-sized coins or squares, you'll equalize the cooking time, allowing you to set the precise boiling time required for blanching.

What not to mix carrots with? ›

Mixing carrots and oranges can be very dangerous. This mix has been known to cause heartburn and kidney damage.

Roasting really brings out carrots' best qualities. To make them, just toss carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake until they're golden on the edges and tender throughout.

It's never a good idea to eat or cook with rotted vegetables. Mushy/soft texture: Carrots taste best when they're firm and crunchy, but they're still safe to eat when they have a more rubbery texture. It's soft and mushy carrots that you want to be on the look-out for—these carrots are spoiled and not safe to eat.

Serve them with hummus or blue cheese dressing for a simple hors d'oeuvre or snack. Shred, julienne, or grate carrots then toss with cabbage and a ginger-miso dressing for a refreshing, vegan slaw. Or make a spicy, raw salad with julienned carrots, cayenne, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and cilantro.

However, it does matter how you slice it—according to Christopher Kimball. In his newest cookbook, Milk Street: The New Home Cooking, the former America's Test Kitchen host explains that shredding root vegetables like carrots, turnips, or yams makes them taste both sweeter and fresher.

Cut a thin slice off the bottoms and submerge them in a bowl of cold clean water, which you'll place in your fridge on the coldest shelf. Sure, you can use them after about an hour of soaking, but if you ignore them until the next day you should have crisp carrots just begging to be eaten.

Dip baby carrots in peanut butter for a rich flavor.

Instead of dunking your celery stalks, eat peanut butter and carrots! Simply scoop a heaping spoonful of peanut butter on a plate, and arrange carrots around the spoon. Then, scoop some peanut butter up with your carrot and take a bite.