Carrots

Buy whole carrots with the greens removed. Loose ones from the farmers market have the best flavor, but bagged whole carrots keep 3-4 weeks in the crisper drawer. If yours came with tops, twist them off first or they'll pull moisture from the root and leave you with rubbery carrots in days. Peel or don't (a good scrub works fine), but cut everything to an even thickness. A fat carrot end takes twice as long as the skinny tip, so halve the thick sections lengthwise.

Carrots are one of the few vegetables that get sweeter the harder you cook them. High heat converts their starches and caramelizes their sugars, which is why roasted carrots at 425°F taste like a different vegetable than boiled ones. Skip the bagged baby carrots for this; they're whittled-down pieces that dry out before they brown, so reach for whole carrots and cut them yourself. The mistake most people make is cutting them too small and pulling them too early. You want deep browning on the cut sides, not just softness. Whether you're roasting, air frying, steaming, or making glazed carrots on the stovetop, the times below cover every method.