# Slow cookers, carrots and bitter meal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 29, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-cookers-carrots-and-bitter-meal/729325 "2015-08-29T20:23:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-cookers-carrots-and-bitter-meal/729325/1 "2015-08-29T20:23:44Z")
There seems to be a correlation between my use of carrots in a slow cooker recipe and the resulting bitterness of the meal. Is this possible? Am I unknowingly leaving out something to counteract the bitter flavor? It just seems like every time I make a slow cooker meal that includes carrots (or parsnips), the meal ends up bitter. ---
**Author:** ![Grumpy\_Old\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbce88/32.png) [@Grumpy\_Old\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumpy_Old_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-cookers-carrots-and-bitter-meal/729325/2 "2015-08-29T22:15:36Z")
Do you peel them? I know that carrots have some alkaloids in their skins that can cause them to be bitter. Mostly, the problem I have with carrots is that they can sweeten stews and soups. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-cookers-carrots-and-bitter-meal/729325/3 "2015-08-30T01:07:10Z")
I use peeled carrots in the slow cooker all the time and they aren’t bitter. I’ve never tried parsnips in the slow cooker, but when I roast them I peel them. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-cookers-carrots-and-bitter-meal/729325/4 "2015-08-30T01:48:18Z")
Maybe it’s the OP cooker that making the carrots taste bitter . I carrots both way peeled and unpeeled to made soup and it made no different in taste . Maybe the OP should try washing the carrots in warm water to remove the dirt better then peel them . ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-cookers-carrots-and-bitter-meal/729325/5 "2015-08-30T02:23:13Z")
Perhaps it’s not peeling that needs to be done but the opening and discarding of their plastic packaging. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2015, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-cookers-carrots-and-bitter-meal/729325/6 "2015-08-30T10:25:12Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Perhaps it’s not peeling that needs to be done but the opening and discarding of their plastic packaging. But the packaging has all the vitamins! Anyway, yes I wash and peel them first. I assume it is the carrots that cause the bitter flavor, since they seem to be very bitter when bitten into. Unless they’re just more prone to absorb a bitter flavor caused by something else? Or maybe I just have weird taste buds. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slow-cookers-carrots-and-bitter-meal/729325/7 "2015-08-30T20:23:21Z")
Carrots are actually very sweet and cooking brings that out, so this seems opposite what I’d expect. How long are you cooking them for? My preference is to cook the carrots for no more than about an hour or two in a slow cooker. It’s not an issue of turning bitter, I just don’t want my carrots reduced to mush. But then I do intentionally cook them into mush as part of my split pea recipe and that doesn’t turn bitter even after a day in the crock pot… I don’t have much experience with parsnips, so I’m not sure what to say on those.