Pass the baton! Nigella Lawson sparks debate after branding carrots cut into rounds ‘infinitely depressing’ – as home cooks agree they ‘taste worse too’
- London-born chef, 60, made the remark on BBC2’s Cook, Eat, Repeat last night
- Nigella was preparing carrots for her ‘family favourite’ dish, chicken with orzo
- Declared carrots should be cut into batons, not rounds – and many agreed
Nigella Lawson struck a chord with home cooks across the nation last night when she branded carrots cut into rounds ‘infinitely depressing’.
In the latest installment of her BBC2 show Cook, Eat Repeat, the London-born domestic goddess insisted the vegetable should be sliced into batons.
The glamorous chef, 60, made the comment while preparing her ‘family favourite’ dish, chicken with orzo – a ‘one pot dish designed to bring comfort and joy’ and ‘one of the mainstays of her life’.
After browning the whole bird in a pan, Nigella took it off the heat and added plentiful grated lemon zest, garlic, a sprinkle of dried tarragon, chopped leeks and carrots.
Nigella Lawson struck a chord with amateur chefs across the nation last night when she branded carrot rounds ‘infinitely depressing’
While arranging the root veg, she remarked: ‘I have been quite open about my prejudices over the years, but let me just say again, that I find carrots cut into rounds infinitely depressing, so it’s always batons for me.’
Dozens of viewers took to social media to share their views on the issue, with the majority agreeing with the chef.
One tweeted: ‘”I find carrots cut into rounds infinitely depressing, so it’s always batons for me.” YES @Nigella_Lawson Finally someone who agrees with me!!’
Another recalled: ‘Out for dinner a few years ago and the waitress asks us if everything was OK. My friend points to me and says, “He didn’t like how the carrots were cut.” So delighted tonight to hear @Nigella_Lawson agrees. Good company to be in.’
The glamorous chef, 60, made the comment while preparing her ‘family favourite’ dish, chicken with orzo – a ‘one pot dish designed to bring comfort and joy’ and ‘one of the mainstays’ of her life
Dozens of viewers took to social media to share their views on the issue, with the majority agreeing with the chef’s opinion
And one remarked: ‘I never ate my carrots at school as they were round. Batons every time.’
One fan went so far as to claim the shape the carrots are cut impacts the flavour, tweeting: ‘CARROT ROUNDS *ARE* DEPRESSING THANK YOU @Nigella_Lawson I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE. I swear they taste worse too.’
‘I agree with you about carrots cut into rounds @Nigella_Lawson! Reminiscent of Bad school dinners!’ wrote another.
But not everyone agreed with Nigella; one tweeted: ‘Loved the show, got the book to add to all the others. But on batons v circular carrots, I must disagree.’
And another exclaimed: ‘Ooh #Nigella, beg to differ. Was married for 20 years to a “carrot baton” man. ROUNDS TASTE BETTER!!!! Batons are too flimsy to taste of anything.’
Not everyone agreed with Nigella; one viewer tweeted: ‘Loved the show, got the book to add to all the others. But on batons v circular carrots, I must disagree’
Last week Nigella left fans of her cookery show baffled by her pronunciation of microwave as ‘meecro-wah-vey’.
She later offered an explanation for the unusual intonation, saying she knows that’s not how it’s really said but it’s in fact a ‘camp joke that’s become habit’.
Taking to Twitter, the cookbook author replied to dozens of fans explaining the joke, adding she hopes that the ‘brouhaha’ will be over now.
Nigella, who has 2.6million followers on Twitter, added that it’s part of her sense of humour to ‘deliberately pronounce things wrong’ and even joked she says Worcester as ‘wusster-shusster’.
Earlier in the series fans were left in stitches by the cook’s ‘two-stage’ approach to buttering toast – adding one layer when the slice is fresh out of the toaster and another when it’s cooled slightly.