TV chef James Martin is championing a "fantastic" culinary technique that he promises will make carrots taste "amazing," and it involves ditching the popular honey-glazing method entirely. The 53-year-old chef, known for his ITV show Saturday Morning, swears by the traditional French 'Vichy style' approach, which he demonstrated during a recent broadcast from an outdoor kitchen in France.
The Vichy Carrot Method Explained
This technique originates from Vichy in France's Auvergne region, where it is deeply rooted in classic French cuisine and time-honoured practices. At its core, the Vichy carrots dish involves thinly sliced carrots simmered gently in butter and Vichy water, with a touch of sugar and salt, until they become tender and beautifully glazed.
Key Steps for Perfect Carrots
James Martin kicked off his demonstration by peeling the carrots and emphasising the importance of using a wide, spacious tray. He poured a generous amount of water into the tray, ensuring the carrots were three-quarters submerged. "The key is that as the carrots cook, the water evaporates and you end up with a sauce at the end," he explained. "You don't want to be cooking them in a small pan - you need to allow the steam and water to evaporate so everything cooks gently, whilst reducing into a glaze."
Following the water, he added six heaped tablespoons of sugar, some anise (which he noted is "totally optional" but "phenomenal" with carrots), a hefty knob of butter, and a pinch of salt. His website lists the ingredients as 150g caster sugar, 250g butter, five star anise, and 16 carrots. Towards the end of cooking, he scattered chopped carrot tops, highlighting that they bring "lots of flavour" to the dish.
Why This Method Stands Out
James Martin revealed that he prefers his carrots cooked through a touch more, rather than the al dente approach favoured by many chefs. "I thought I'd do a dish in the style of Vichy - and it's using carrots," he told viewers. "It's a way of cooking veg which, once you learn it, you'll never cook them any other way. It's just fantastic; they taste amazing."
He added, "Out of all the dishes I wanted to cook in France on this trip, these carrots were one of them. They're so simple and so delicious. It's really unusual - you think, 'Well, it's just carrots', but with a sauce and glaze, they taste superb."
Additional Cooking Tips from James Martin
In the same programme, James Martin also shared why he skips peeling parsnips altogether. While prepping them in the kitchen, he told viewers, "I'm going to roast these off, and I actually don't peel them. I leave the tops on, I leave the skin on. I don't peel them. There are tons of flavour in them, and I love the whole thing - the full flavour of them."
James Martin's Saturday Morning airs weekly from 9.30am on ITV and ITVX, offering viewers more insights into his culinary expertise and simple yet effective cooking methods.
