How many minutes to cook carrots until complete readiness and what does it depend on?

When deciding to prepare a salad, one of the ingredients of which is boiled carrots, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with several rules and secrets of proper cooking of this vegetable. Carrots are a root crop that not only has a bright and attractive appearance, but also provides the body with a portion of vital vitamins and trace elements. Nutrients help improve vision and blood condition.

To top it off, the carrot has a unique taste and is often used in ground salad or chopped salad. In order to preserve the full range of useful properties of this vegetable, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to the process of its preparation.

Few people know more than two varieties of carrots, but this does not mean that they are not. Each culture is characterized by distinctive taste and color shade of the fruit. Carrots can be juicy orange, bright red, white or yellow.

The fruit of an unusual color for us is a fodder plant, which contains a huge amount of nitrates. In this regard, white and yellow carrots not only does not possess any useful properties, but is not used in cooking. Give preference to the usual for most juicy orange color. It is no secret that the bright and saturated color of the carrot indicates a high content of carotene. The chemical compound is essential in such vital processes as antioxidant protection of the body or getting vitamin A.

Another interesting fact is that the large size of the fruit does not always indicate the best taste and a large amount of vitamins in the composition. Because of this, the purchase of large carrots should be abandoned. Its core has a coarse fibrous structure and is not suitable for human consumption. The desired weight of the fruit - 150 g. Root crops should have a uniform surface without the presence of rot and mildew, any cracks and dark spots.

Benefit, juicy taste and wonderful aroma will bring you fruit with medium length and slightly thickened rounded tip. This vegetable is perfect for cooking most dishes and salads. A fruit that has a larger size and a sharp tip often has poor taste and less benefit to the body.

Nevertheless, a properly selected root vegetable is only half the success. For the other half in the answer is the proper preparation of carrots. Otherwise, it is possible not only to reduce the number of useful trace elements in the composition, but also to deprive the carrots of a juicy and unique taste. For the preparation of root vegetables, there is a small number of rules that allow to achieve a tasty and useful result.

Technology cooking carrots contains a number of simple recommendations.

• To prepare the salad, you will need a correctly selected carrot, which must be thoroughly cleaned and washed in running water. In order to simplify and speed up the process of cleaning, it is recommended shortly before cooking to soak the roots in a deep pan filled with heated water. After 10 minutes, the vegetables are covered with a coarse metal brush. This helps to clean the carrots from even the most stubborn traces of soil.
• Then the whole unpeeled fruit is placed in a pan or bowl of the multicooker. Most cooks agree that there is no need to peel the rind from the roots. Especially cut into straws and cubes. This is due to the fact that most of the vitamins and beneficial microelements will remain in the broth with carrot juice. Cooked dish is not so appetizing.

• Carrot fit into the pan. To make it, choose medium sized dishes. Then cool water is poured so that the vegetables are completely drowned in it. Turns on the fire. The cooking time depends largely on how quickly the water boils. To speed up this process, sometimes carrots are immediately poured with boiling water and put on fire.
• Water is allowed to salt or add spices to it. It all depends on your preferences. However, it is recommended to do this 5-7 minutes before cooking. During the cooking process, be sure to cover the container with a lid and wait until the water begins to boil. After that, it is desirable to reduce the fire and leave the carrots to boil for another 20-30 minutes. Root crops are encouraged to periodically interfere, as there is a possibility of sticking to the bottom of the dish.

• To check the readiness of carrots, it is recommended to use a fork or a kitchen knife. If the carrot is easily punctured, then the fire can be turned off. A badly passing blade suggests that the inside of the carrot is still damp. Nevertheless, many housewives prefer not to eat carrots slightly due to the fact that overcooked vegetables are inconvenient for cutting salads and cooking dishes.
• After cooking the carrots to the desired state, the water from the pan must be drained. It takes about 10-15 minutes to cool the vegetables. Only then can you start cutting.

It is advisable to measure the required amount of carrots in advance. For convenience, pick the roots with the same size, length and thickness. Search for completely identical carrots is not worth it, approximate similarity will be enough. Selected roots are thoroughly cleaned of dirt. Provided that the vegetable was kept unwashed for a long time, it is necessary to lightly walk with a metal brush. In this case, the skin does not need to get rid of.

In order for the result not to disappoint you, carefully inspect the carrot for the presence of mold. If it is available, be sure to remove the damaged part with a kitchen knife. Also before cooking it is desirable to remove the green tip. If the roots are large, it is recommended to divide them into halves. However, try to pick a carrot that would fit in the pan completely. It is necessary to preserve as many vitamins as possible during the cooking process.

Cooking carrots in a saucepan is not very different from cooking any other vegetable. Fill the roots with cool water so that the water level is 1.5–2 cm above the vegetables. Many housewives prefer to use boiling water instead of cold water - so carrots are boiled down faster. But It is worth noting that when using boiled water the fruit may be uneven.

The cooking process will take from 20 to 30 minutes. Set the fire so that the lid is closed, the liquid in the pan is slightly bubbling. Prepared boiling water must be drained, leaving the carrots cool. Do not close the pan with a lid: so the fruits cool faster. Before using boiled carrots for cooking, it is advisable to lightly walk on it with a small sharp knife.

Such a kitchen gadget as a slow cooker can greatly facilitate the preparation of any dish. To start, put the pre-cleaned carrots in the multicooker bowl. Add water so that the liquid completely covered the roots. Recommended power ranges from 800 to 1000 watts. If there are whole carrots in the multicooker bowl, then it is necessary to select the cooking or baking mode (the total cooking time takes 15-25 minutes).

There are interesting facts that can affect the taste and color of carrots in the cooking process.

• Since carrots are often a decorative element in a salad, many chefs puzzled over how to preserve the original bright and juicy color of the root. To this end, during cooking, you must add a pinch of baking soda.
• In order to preserve as much as possible the set of useful elements and vitamins contained in carrots, it is recommended to boil the vegetable in the unpeeled form.
• If the water in which it is planned to boil the vegetable will be salted, the carrot will lose its original unique flavor.

• The greater amount of water used during cooking, takes away all the beneficial substances that are in the composition of the vegetable. Because of this, it is advisable to use a small amount of liquid when cooking - so the carrots will turn out tastier.
• Frozen root vegetables should never be left to thaw, it is recommended to put them in boiling water immediately.
• You can cook carrots in a regular microwave. To do this, it is advisable to read the instructions of your microwave or use the universal recipe. First of all, you need to clean the roots and thoroughly blot all the moisture with a towel. Leave the carrots to dry for another 5 minutes, then put them in a special bag designed for cooking in the oven. Next, set the microwave to 600 W mode, and the timer for 6-7 minutes.

• If you need to save more vitamins in carrots, the total preparation of the vegetable should not exceed 7-10 minutes. The outer part of the root will be quite soft, while the inner part will be harsh, but with a full set of useful substances.
• Regular consumption of carrots can cause yellowing of the skin. This is one of the signals of excess beta-carotene in the body. In this case, a great alternative is boiled root vegetable. Because of hypervitaminosis, it is boiled vegetables that are included in the diet of various diets.

If necessary, quickly bring the carrots to the boiled state is recommended to use a little trick. A few minutes after boiling water, drain the boiling water and pour boiled root vegetables with cold water. A sharp change in temperature will bring the carrots to the ready state.

On how to cook carrots, see below.