Stop! Don’t chop those carrots — at least not before you boil them, new research suggests.
Leaving the vegetable intact prevents nutrients from disappearing into the water, say researchers at the U.K.’s Newcastle University. (As a bonus: They also taste better, say scientists, although that’s difficult to be, um, scientific about.)
According to the BBC, carrots that were boiled before they were cut contained 25 percent more of falcarinol — an anti-cancer compound — than those cut first. (For the record, raw is still the absolute best way to eat carrots — this is just for people who can’t face them Bugs Bunny style, or want to up the nutrients in carrots they’re adding to a recipe.)
If you chop the carrots first and then boil, the heat softens the cell walls in the vegetable, allowing vitamins and falcarinol to leach out. “By cooking them whole and chopping them up afterwards you are locking in both taste and nutrients so the carrot is better for you all round,” Dr Kirsten Brandt told the BBC. “The great thing about this is it’s a simple way for people to increase their uptake of a compound we know is good for you. All you need is a bigger saucepan.”
