When boiling carrots, how should they typically be cut to minimize flavor loss into the cooking water?

Cut them into larger pieces

Moist heat cooking methods, such as boiling, carry a significant risk because the inherent flavor compounds and natural sugars of the carrot can easily leach out into the surrounding cooking water. To counteract this diffusion, the strategy must focus on minimizing the total surface area exposed to the water for the longest possible time. By cutting the carrots into larger pieces, fewer cell walls are broken open directly contacting the water, thereby preserving more of the internal flavor within the vegetable itself. This contrasts with techniques where flavor retention isn't as critical, such as when blending the cooked carrots into a soup or puree, where flavor loss into the liquid is less of an issue.