Carrots are rich in Vitamin A, which helps to prevent the onset of night blindness and age-related loss of sight. It also boosts the operation of the immune system.
You can eat the carrots raw on their own or mix them in salads. You can also cook them using different ways. Boiling is one of the simplest ways to cook carrots.
Depending on how you boil carrots, they can come out of the pot looking and tasting good enough to serve on the king’s table, or they can come out so soggy that their next stop would be the trash bin.
If you boil your carrots just right, here are some of the benefits you will enjoy:
- They will retain their nutrient content very well
- They will be tender enough – they do not become mushy
- You can enhance their taste with salt, black pepper, olive oil or butter
- You can use boiled carrots to garnish other meals
How long do carrots take to boil?
When it comes to the time that your carrots take to cook when boiling them, it depends. If you cook your carrots full size, they will take longer than sliced carrots. Also, thick slices will take longer to cook than thin ones.
Here is how long differently sliced carrots take to cook:
1. Cooking time for sliced carrots (1/4 slices)
Slice the carrots into quarter-inch slices. It is best to slice them diagonally for aesthetics. Add them to boiling water and let them cook for about 5 minutes. Drain the water and then add butter, black pepper and salt for taste. They are ready to eat!
If you make them thicker than this, they might take longer to cook. You can test their tenderness with a fork to know when they are ready.
2. Cooking time for baby carrots
Baby carrots are the easiest to cook. They are young and not as hard as the fully matured carrots. To cook them whole, clean them and then peel them thinly. You can then add them to boiling water and let them cook for a maximum of 7 minutes. That is enough time to have them tender but not mushy.
3. Cooking time for whole, mature carrots
These are harder so they take longer to boil to tenderness. Wash and peel the carrots and then add them to boiling water. Let them cook for 10 to 15 minutes. The reason for this time range is that thicker carrots will take longer to cook than thinner ones.
To make it easier to understand, here is a tabular presentation of the different boiling times for carrots:
| Carrot | Preparation | Cooking | Serving |
| Whole mature | Wash and peel | Add to boiling water, cook for 10 to 15 minutes | Add butter, salt and black pepper and stir thoroughly |
| Whole baby carrots | Wash and peel | Add to boiling water and cook for 6 to 7 minutes | Stir in butter, salt and black pepper (optional) |
| Sliced (1/4-inch) | Wash, peel and slice into ¼-inch sizes | Cook in boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes | Add butter, salt and black pepper (optional) and serve. |
Conclusion
That is the boiling time for carrots. They make healthy and delicious snacks. If you do not have butter, you can use olive oil. You can serve your carrots to accompany other foods, eat them with salads or eat them alone. They are very tasty!
