New research in the UK has suggested that cooking carrots before slicing or chopping makes them healthier.
According to the study, carrots contain something called falcarinol, an anti-cancer compound with benefits that were discovered 4 years ago. Researchers found that carrots cooked whole contained 25% MORE falcarinol than those that were cut before cooking.
The reason for this is that chopping or slicing carrots increases the surface area exposed to the cooking water. The report’s author said that this causes more of the valuable nutrients to leach into the water.
We found this study interesting – but a little surprising! Whilst we understand the principle behind minimizing the surface area to prevent nutrient loss, cooking carrots whole takes longer than cooking slices or dice! And, of course, reducing the cooking time of vegetables ALSO helps retain their nutritional value.
Still, researchers found one more benefit to cooking the carrots whole which may just convince you to give it a try – leaving them whole also seemed to lock in the sweetness.
The whole carrots were found to contain a higher concentration of natural sugars – and 80% of people who took part in a blind taste test said they tasted much better!
If you decide to try cooking carrots whole, you will – as the researchers suggest – need to use a larger pot! It’s also important to make sure that the carrots you cook are all the same size – this is so they’ll cook evenly. If not, start with the largest and add the smaller ones several minutes later, testing them with a fork for ‘doneness’.
We have lots more tips and recipes for cooking carrots for your baby here
adiaha
Thursday 18th of June 2009
That is surprising.....thanks for the information. Your blog is a great resource