How Long To Steam Carrots (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 12-15 Minutes

No matter what you do, it always gives us a sense of joy to do that thing in the right way, and at the right time. If we talk about cooking, in particular, it simply needs perfection. You can’t just cook something for any time duration and expect it to come out good.

When you cook something, the most important thing that you should know is the cooking time. When you cook, fry, saute or steam something for the right duration, its taste increases. 

This applies to carrots as well. Many people enjoy having steamed carrots in their meals, but for that, they must be aware of the time duration for which they should steam the carrots. 

How Long To Steam Carrots?

Carrots are grown all around the world and are readily available throughout the year. They are nutrient-dense and, not to mention, cost-effective. Antioxidants, vitamins, and dietary fibre abound in carrots. Carrots are also a fantastic source of vitamin A.

Beta-carotene, an antioxidant that is metabolised to vitamin A in the body, is responsible for the bright colour of classic orange carrots. Carrots’ nutritional value is reason enough to consume them. Not to mention that they’re delicious. There are myriads of dishes that can be prepared with carrots.

The best part about carrots is that apart from being a side ingredient in many dishes, it has its value as well. You can eat carrot raw, make carrot fries, saute them, boil them, or steam them as well. And, the interesting thing is that no matter how you cook carrots, you will always find them tasty.

Many people love eating steamed carrots or want to cook steamed carrots, but don’t know the right way to do it. Moreover, when it comes to steaming, you must do it perfectly or else the food will be either left half-cooked or become overcooked. 

When you try to steam a carrot, you should do it for around 12 to 15 minutes. You don’t need to do much to steam carrots. All you need to do is put the carrots to get steamed and leave them for twelve to fifteen minutes.

Cooking carrots makes the beta carotene more readily available, making them healthier. However, extended cooking can cause vitamin loss. This is why it is the best option to steam carrots so that it doesn’t lose its nutritional value.

Why To Steam Carrots For That Long?

The people who like having steamed carrots must be aware of the value of the right duration of steaming the carrots. Most people love how the carrots are a bit mild but still have a crunchiness in them after getting steamed.

When you steam the carrots for the right duration, it doesn’t lose its crunchiness. Moreover, it is quite common for food items to lose their nutritional value when getting overcooked. Similarly, carrots tend to lose vitamin A when you steam them for a longer duration.

This is not the only reason why it needs to be cooked for the above-mentioned duration. The way you are using to steam the carrots also makes the difference in the time taken in steaming. You can steam the carrots in a steamer basket, microwave, or a pan as well. The time taken differs in every case.

Using a steamer basket to steam carrots is the most common way. All you need to do is to put water and salt in a pot and place the basket over it and cover it with a lid. It just takes 7 to 10 minutes for the carrots to get steamed this way.

You can use a frying pan as well to steam carrots. You just need to add water and salt, boil it, and then add the carrots in the water and cover it. It takes less time to get steamed this way.

Not just this, carrots can be steamed in a microwave as well. This way you just need to put carrots in a way with 2-3 spoons of water and cook it at high power for 6 to 8 minutes.

Conclusion

No matter what you cook, it is always good to cook it for the right amount of time. Similarly, when you steam carrots, don’t steam them for more than 12 to 15 minutes as they will get overcooked.

Steaming carrots for this much time is primarily good for their nutritional value. Moreover, the way or utensil you use for steaming carrots is also something according to which you should adjust the cooking time.

It might take from six to seven minutes in some way, while it can also take more than ten minutes sometimes. All you need to do is keep an eye on when your carrot looks cooked. Just check it once, and if you think it is cooked, you can eat it. 

References

1. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/jf60160a012
2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jsfa.1442
3. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/i560147a016