For Best Results Don’t Dice Your Carrots Too Early

Falcarinol is the name of a chemical found in carrots that is a pesticide, and may have anti-cancer properties, according to a study done in rats. Carrots are also a source of vitamin A, and probably other substances that have health benefits. Raw carrots are great as an appetizer, with a suitable dip, but most people eat them boiled or steamed. And often cut into bite sized pieces, or attractive shapes. Now a study done at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, has shown that cooking carrots whole preserves their falcarinol better than when they’ve been sliced or diced. And their flavor is better, too.

All this is because chopping up the vegetable increases the surface are, so that more of the various nutrients and flavors can leach out into the water they are being cooked in. If they’re cooked whole and then cut up afterwards, both taste and nutrients are locked in. A blindfold test in 100 volunteers confirmed the taste improvement. It remains to be seen if the anti-cancer property can be demonstrated more easily by treating the carrots this way.