Why You Should Always Start Your Root Veggies in Cold Water

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

At Garnish & Gather we love a good shortcut, so when Steven Satterfield's Carrot & Swede Mash recipe called for us to pile our veggies into a pot of cold water then bring to a boil, my shortcut alarm went off saying "But Steven... wouldn't it be faster to just bring them to a boil in a pot of hot water?"

Because we work so closely with all of our chefs, I was in a lucky position to hear it straight from the horse's mouth. What Steven told me changed my whole root vegetable game, and I hope it will change yours too...

"Root vegetables are very dense, so if you drop them into boiling water, they will cook on the outside but be raw in the middle, or when they are desired texture in the middle, they will be mushy on the outside. Starting them in cold water brings the temp up slowly and evenly all the way through so that they cook perfectly inside and out." - Steven Satterfield

Mystery solved - that is why my boiled butternut squash falls to pieces every time!

Moral of the story? Not all shortcuts are created equally! Try it for yourself with Steven's Braised Oxtail recipe and taste the difference.