{"id":803030,"date":"2018-10-23T11:45:16","date_gmt":"2018-10-23T16:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?p=803030"},"modified":"2023-12-06T00:36:58","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T06:36:58","slug":"how-to-cook-parsnips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/how-to-cook-parsnips\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Cook Parsnips"},"content":{"rendered":"You might have spied parsnips at the grocery store: Knobbly, unevenly shaped vegetables that look like albino carrots. No thanks<\/em>, you think to yourself. I don't blame you\u2014I skipped over parsnips for years! But this veggie is more than just a pale carrot, and once I learned how to cook parsnips, it was game over. These root vegetables<\/a> have a sweet, nutty flavor with a starchy, slightly spicy characteristic that's hard to beat.\r\n

What is a Parsnip?<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nLike carrots, parsnips are long, tapering root vegetables that grow deep underground. You'll often find them in the fall or winter because they're usually harvested after the first frost. Many farmers choose to leave them in the ground all winter long and dig them up in the spring. These parsnips are the sweetest, most candy-like root vegetables you'll ever taste, because the sugars have a chance to concentrate over the long, overwintering process.\r\n\r\nLook for small- to medium-sized parsnips, which have a more tender flavor as compared to their larger, woodier counterparts. Other than that, the same principles for choosing carrots apply to parsnips: If the parsnip is limp and soft, skip over it for a hearty, rigid root instead.\r\n\r\nPro Tip<\/em>: I always buy organic parsnips because it means I don't have to peel them. The skin contains a ton of flavor, and it also happens to store a lot of the parsnip's nutrients, too. When you don't have to worry about pesticides, you can just scrub the skin clean with a dish towel and chop away.\r\n

How to Cook Parsnips<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThere are many different ways to cook parsnips<\/a>.\u00a0I think the easiest (and, best) way involves roasting them in a high-temperature oven. A 425\u00b0F oven for 20 to 25 minutes is just about perfect to caramelize the sugars in the parsnips, resulting in a perfectly textured bite.\r\n\r\nRoast them on their own or combine them with other root vegetables. Just make sure everything is cut to the same size if you're mixing your veggies! Get started with this Agave Roasted Parsnips<\/a> recipe, or play around with all kinds of roots with our Rosemary Root Vegetables<\/a> recipe.\r\n

More Ways to Cook Parsnips<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n