Caramelized Carrots

[Shel_B]

I have some ideas for making caramelized carrots, and poked around looking at some recipes and techniques to help clarify my ideas. What I noticed is that most all the recipes I looked at called for adding oil or fat to the carrots. I'd like to make this dish without the oil. What purpose does the oil or fat serve?

Edited June 11, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[annabelle]

The recipe I have (my grandmother's) uses butter and brown sugar for the glaze. The butter and sugar make a caramel syrup. They are cooked together until bubbly and fragrant and the blanched carrots are tossed in the glaze and cooked through. I guess you could glaze them with maple syrup and no butter or oil, but I'm not sure the end product would be the same.

Edited June 11, 2013 by annabelle (log)

[rotuts]

the fat is probably for flavor, esp butter. it also dissolves some of the sugar, making the glaze more uniform.

you could try in a pan just brown sugar, but you might ruin the pan! or the BBQ with just brown sugar and a little water or molasses.

the sugar is easier to brown than the plain carrot.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Use a pressure cooker -- idea from MC.

[Jaymes]

I suppose that technically one makes caramel basically by cooking sugar until it liquifies and browns, but butter sure does make it taste good.

My all-purpose quickie recipe for carrots is to caramelize them with a good-quality ginger ale (one that actually has ginger in it) - no butter or oil necessarily added.

But when I've got more time, I do this:

Ginger-Orange Glazed Carrots

2 1/2 C thick-sliced carrots, or baby carrots
3 T ginger preserves (or orange marmalade and 1 t grated fresh ginger)
2 T frozen OJ concentrate
1 T butter

Cook carrots, covered, in a small amount of salted water 3-5 minutes. Do not overcook at this point. Drain and set aside.

In saucepan or skillet over med heat, combine preserves, OJ, and butter. Stir until melted and combined. Add drained carrots. Cook over med heat, uncovered, 5-6 minutes or until carrots are tender and well-glazed, stirring occasionally.

Edited June 11, 2013 by Jaymes (log)

[rotuts]

that sounds delicious. its on my list!

[heidih]

Shel_B - are you perhaps looking more for the type of caramelization that comes from a well roasted vegetable. Good carrots just rubbed with the smallest amount of nice oil and salt and roasted are simple and wonderful. I find that eliminating all oil yields a somewhat dry and chewy result.

[JAZ]

Shel, I'm unclear about what you mean by "caramelized." You can brown carrots either by roasting or sauteeing, in which case you're really talking about the Maillard reaction, or you can glaze them with sugar or syrup, which you can then actually caramelize. Which effect do you want?

[heidih]

Use a pressure cooker -- idea from MC.

To expand on that you may want to check out this article from Modernist Cuisine on the Maillard reaction as well as the link to the caramelized carrot soup http://modernistcuisine.com/2013/03/the-maillard-reaction/

[Shel_B]

Use a pressure cooker -- idea from MC.

To expand on that you may want to check out this article from Modernist Cuisine on the Maillard reaction as well as the link to the caramelized carrot soup http://modernistcuisine.com/2013/03/the-maillard-reaction/

There's no way I'm going to go through all that just to make a simple soup for dinner at home. Kudos to those of you who have the patience for such an undertaking. In any case, I don't have a pressure cooker, nor am I planning on getting one. However, there are some ideas in that recipe that could be incorporated into what is more my style of cooking. Thanks for the link.

Edited June 11, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[Shel_B]

Shel, I'm unclear about what you mean by "caramelized." You can brown carrots either by roasting or sauteeing, in which case you're really talking about the Maillard reaction, or you can glaze them with sugar or syrup, which you can then actually caramelize. Which effect do you want?

My idea originally was to coat the carrots with a light glaze of orange juice and honey, or maybe an orange marmelade, and roast 'em in the oven at a suitable temp and time.

[Shel_B]

Shel_B - are you perhaps looking more for the type of caramelization that comes from a well roasted vegetable. Good carrots just rubbed with the smallest amount of nice oil and salt and roasted are simple and wonderful. I find that eliminating all oil yields a somewhat dry and chewy result.

I'm trying to understand the need for oil - sometimes copius amounts of oil - when roasting and caramelizing carrots (and other root vegetables, like parsnips). If just a small amount of oil is helpful to enhance flavor and texture, that's fine. But many of the recipes I looked at suggested tablespoons of oil, and that seems excessive, and certainly so for how Toots and I prefer to eat these days.

[rotuts]

fat, even a little bit, changes 'mouth-feel'

try it yourself: use your marmalade ideas and oven roast a few carrots with just that, and a separate amount of carrots with just a little oil and marmalade and try them both.

you dont need much.

[SobaAddict70]

1 tablespoon of oil is not a lot of oil. It really isn't. 1/2 cup of oil on the other hand...

[Shel_B]

1 tablespoon of oil is not a lot of oil. It really isn't. 1/2 cup of oil on the other hand...

What I said was tablespoons of oil ... sometimes three or more. And even 1 Tbs might be a lot depending on the amount of carrots, don't you think?

Edited June 11, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[Keith_W]

How much oil you use doesn't really matter - the carrot doesn't absorb too much oil in the brief time it is in contact with it anyway. It's not like a mushroom, which is porous and can absorb copious amounts of oil.

[Paul Bacino]

I will add a couple table spoons of water... With mine. I think it helps the cook time to lengthen ...which I think u need with carrots. Before u glaze them as it reduces?

[Paul Bacino]

Water / stock / spirit. or simple syrup. With simple syrups u might go with a bourbon glaze

[Shel_B]

How much oil you use doesn't really matter - the carrot doesn't absorb too much oil in the brief time it is in contact with it anyway. It's not like a mushroom, which is porous and can absorb copious amounts of oil.

Roasting times for the size of carrots I'll be using and the degree of caramelization I'm looking for seems to be between 45 minutes and an hour. Is that considered a brief time? How does time affect oil absorbtion?

[Shel_B]

fat, even a little bit, changes 'mouth-feel'

try it yourself: use your marmalade ideas and oven roast a few carrots with just that, and a separate amount of carrots with just a little oil and marmalade and try them both.

Will do ... thanks!

[Lisa Shock]

The oil allows the temperature of the carrots, a fat free vegetable, to rise above the temperature of boiling water as it cooks, and, therefore to allow caramelization to occur. McGee covers this in a discussion of roasting potatoes with and without rubbing them with oil.

[Shel_B]

Thanks to all who've helped me understand the reason for oiling the carrots. Some very useful and appreciated information here.

[SobaAddict70]

1 tablespoon of oil is not a lot of oil. It really isn't. 1/2 cup of oil on the other hand...

What I said was tablespoons of oil ... sometimes three or more. And even 1 Tbs might be a lot depending on the amount of carrots, don't you think?

yes, you did, but what I was reacting to was the first part of your statement (i.e., 'copius' (sic) amounts of oil).

but this is all quibbling, really.

without more information -- such as the style of cooking that you prefer to do, I can't advise you too much. the best thing I can say is to use your own judgment.

of course, how much oil you end up using in the end depends on how much veg you're cooking. note the pic above. I tend to go for "lightly coated" so that when the veg is done, it doesn't end up 'swimming' in oil. I don't remember how much oil I used here; probably something like 5-6 tablespoons for a pan full of root vegetables.

this pic gives you a better view of the pan from the top down so you can see just how much there is:

the pic is cropped -- there's about 20% around the circumference not shown.

something like this:

is a desired outcome. since this part of the discussion centers on the amount of oil used, I'm really directing your view to the amount of oil on the bottom of the Pyrex dish.

Edited June 13, 2013 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[rotuts]

looks delicious. how long and what temp did you use?

[SobaAddict70]

350 F for about an hour.

My oven tends to become quite hot. At 400 F, it sets off the smoke alarm in my apartment. Consequently, I have to adjust most of the time.

Recipe is here: http://kitchenseasons.com/2012/01/24/roasted-vegetables-with-lemon-and-herbs-2/

Note that I don't provide quantities for the olive oil. That's intentional.