Carrots can take a long time to cook in the oven, and boiling tends to leach their flavor away. The humble microwave oven cooks carrots quickly and preserves most of their flavor. Raw carrots take less than 10 minutes to become tender in a microwave. Steam cooks the carrots while preserving color and flavor and imparting a soft texture. Use microwaved carrots as you would boiled carrots in your favorite recipe, or serve them on their own as a simple side dish.

Rinse the carrots in cool water and scrub them lightly with a vegetable brush. Peel the carrots and slice them into 1/4-inch wide pieces.

Place up to 2 cups of the prepared carrots in a microwave-safe bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon of water for each 1 cup of carrots to the bowl. The water creates steam in the microwave, which cooks the carrots.

Cover the bowl loosely with a microwave-safe lid or plate.

Heat the carrots on high power in the microwave for four to six minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time.

Remove the cover immediately after cooking and stir the carrots. Pierce a carrot with a toothpick to test tenderness. Cook for an additional one to three minutes, or until the carrots are the desired softness.