Vegetables
Parsnip
Sweeter than a carrot and therefore easier to burn at the same temperature.
What it does in fast-moving hot air
A parsnip has a similar dense root structure to a carrot and considerably more sugar, particularly after a frost. That sugar caramelises earlier and burns earlier, which is why the chart figure is 190°C rather than 200°C, and why the tips of cut parsnips blacken while carrots alongside them are still golden. The core is woodier than a carrot's and is worth removing on a large one.
Why the cut matters
Parsnips take about the same fifteen minutes as carrots but at a slightly lower published temperature, which is a small detail with a clear reason behind it.
Cooking pages
- Parsnip cubes — Half-inch cubes, fifteen minutes at 190°C — cooler than a carrot, on purpose.
- Parsnip batons — Ten to twelve minutes for 5cm lengths at 200°C.
There is deliberately no cooking time on this page. A food does not have one — a cut, at a thickness, in a state, at a loading, in a particular appliance does. That is what the pages above are for.