This Simple Cutting Trick Is The Secret To Crispy, Caramelized Roasted Carrots - Tasting Table

"Carrots are an underrated vegetable often relegated to veggie trays and snack bags. It is, after all, much easier to eat a raw carrot than to take the time to cook it. But caramelized, roasted carrots can be absolutely delicious. The problem is that the vegetable's size and shape means you need to cut each piece if you want it to cook evenly. The trick to perfectly caramelized carrots with crisp edges and a soft interior is mastering the oblique or roll cut."

"Cutting carrots on the oblique means making diagonal rather than straight cuts. It's also called a roll cut because you rotate the carrot about a quarter turn before each slice, keeping a consistent angle without changing your cutting motion. The cut piece is asymmetrical but cooks more evenly and stands up to heat better than a typical rondelle cut. Tasting Table spoke with chef Eli Collins of a.kitchen+bar Philadelphia and D.C. about why an oblique cut is the best choice for roasting carrots."

"'It creates a shape that cooks evenly while also creating a bite-sized piece to serve,' he says. If you've ever tried to roast carrots before without cutting them evenly, you know the results can be very inconsistent. The top near the stem might still be crunchy in the middle, while the tip is mushy and overcooked. Collins' recommendations can eliminate the issue of uneven cooking, leaving you free to focus on giving those roasted carrots a flavor boost."

Oblique, or roll, cuts are diagonal slices made by rotating the carrot about a quarter turn before each cut, maintaining a consistent angle without changing cutting motion. The resulting asymmetrical pieces expose more surface area, stand up to heat better than rondelle slices, and cook more evenly, producing crisp edges and soft interiors. Larger initial cuts increase caramelization by allowing longer exposure to heat. Grilling or roasting carrots whole to cook them through before slicing into oblique chunks enhances color and prevents overcooking during a second roast. Evenly sized oblique pieces enable consistent doneness and better flavor development.

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