How to Cook Carrots for Vegetable Soup

Fresh, crisp carrots have the best flavor.

Carrots are a root vegetable, usually orange in color and high in vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. They have a fresh, slightly nutty taste with an underlying sweet flavor that becomes more powerful when the vegetable is cooked. The carrot's flavors complement those of other vegetables when combined in soup. However, if you add carrots to soup too early, they will turn to mush and lose their flavor. Cook carrots separately for vegetable soup and add them right before it is done for best results.

Things You'll Need

• Vegetable peeler
• Sharp knife
• Large pot
• Water
• Salt
• Plastic sandwich bag (optional)

Instructions

1. Rinse the carrots in cool water and pat them dry with paper towels. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer layer of skin. Discard the carrot peelings.

2. Use a sharp knife to chop off the tops of the carrots, where the greens were attached. Cut the carrots into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Discard the tops of the carrots.

3. Fill a large pot halfway with water. Add 1 tsp. of salt for every 2 cups of water used. Place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil.

4. Add the carrot slices to the boiling water and leave them to cook for 15 minutes. Drain.

5. Add the carrots to the vegetable soup 10 minutes before its cooking time is up.

Tips & Warnings

• If you will not use the carrots right away, drain off the water and refrigerate them in a plastic sandwich bag.

References

• "The Carrot Cookbook"; Audra and Jack Hendrickson; 1987
• "Cooking Basics for Dummies"; Bryan Miller, Marie Rama and Eve Adamson; 2011