Beets are popular with many, contain multiple beneficial vitamins and minerals, can be used in numerous recipes and, when cooked correctly, have a rich, sweet and slightly earthy taste. Beets can be prepared in many ways, but the best choice remains to boil them to make them soft without losing their natural juices. Just put them in a deep saucepan, cover them with water, add a little vinegar or lemon juice and let them cook for 30-45 minutes or until softened.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Prepare the Beets
Step 1. Choose evenly sized beets so they all cook at the same time
Select them according to the number required by the recipe. Keep in mind that the cooking time varies depending on the size (the larger ones cook slower than the small ones), so choose them of the same size for a homogeneous cooking.
- You can boil beets of any size, however medium-sized beets tend to be the most suitable for this type of cooking because they offer a good balance in terms of speed of preparation and taste.
- Discard beets that are wilted, dry, or have large bruises. These signs indicate that the best time to eat them has already passed.
Step 2. Remove the stems from the top of the beets
Place them one at a time on the cutting board horizontally and remove the leaves and stems with a sharp knife. Leave only the last inch of the stems intact so as not to risk affecting the beet pulp as well.
- When raw, beets tend to be quite tough, so be prepared to use some force to cut them. Be careful with your fingers so you don't risk injuring yourself.
- If you wish, you can save the beetroot leaves and cook them to taste. They are comparable to other leafy vegetables, such as kale and spinach.
Step 3. Remove the root from the bottom of the beets
After cutting the stems, turn the beet and remove the lower portion of the tuber in the same way, generally filamentous, i.e. the root. Cut where the bulb shrinks so as not to waste any of its juicy, nutrient-rich pulp.
- If the beets you purchased have already been peeled, simply skip this step.
- The root part is technically edible, but has a hard and stringy consistency that makes it unpleasant on the palate. You can use it to flavor a vegetable broth to avoid unnecessary waste.
Suggestion:
if the cutting board gets stained with beetroot juice, take half a lemon and rub it vigorously over the stained area. The acidity of the lemon, combined with the rubbing, will remove the pigment and prevent the board from being permanently stained.
Step 4. Clean the beets with a vegetable brush to remove soil and dirt
Gently brush the bulb with small quick movements, focusing especially on the parts still soiled with soil. Clean one beetroot at a time and then place them in a bowl or arrange them on a couple of layers of kitchen paper.
- Be careful not to brush them too hard so as not to damage the skin, otherwise some of the color, flavor and nutrients will be dispersed in the cooking water.
- Beets grow underground, so it's important to clean them well before cooking them.
Step 5. Wash the beets with cold water
Rub them with your hands under running cold water from the sink to remove any remaining dirt. If you have a lot of beets, you can put them in a colander and rinse them all together to save time.
If you want to clean them even more meticulously, you can soak them in water and vinegar or lemon juice. Fill a bowl with water, add 50 ml of vinegar or lemon juice, and let the beets soak for about 5 minutes to kill any bacteria
Part 2 of 3: Cook the Beets
Step 1. Put the beets in the pot
If they are less than 5, you can use a standard size pot. If they are more than 5, it is best to use a large pot so that they have enough space to cook.
- Before putting the pot on the stove, make sure it can hold all the beets you intend to cook and the same volume of water.
- Spread the beets across the bottom of the pot so the heat can spread evenly.
Step 2. Fill the pot with enough water to completely cover the beets
There is no need to dose it precisely, simply open the tap and let it run into the pot until the beets are submerged in about 4 cm of water.
Don't use more water than you need, or it will take too long to boil. You will also be forced to waste a lot of energy to maintain the optimal cooking temperature
Step 3. Add 2 tablespoons (30ml) of vinegar or lemon juice to prevent the beets from losing their juices into the water
Measure out the vinegar or lemon juice and pour it into the cooking water. This simple trick helps the beets retain their precious juices, preventing them from leaking into the water. Once cooked, they will be perfectly soft and tasty.
Use this amount of vinegar or lemon juice for every 2 liters of water
Suggestion:
if you intend to use vinegar, it is better to choose the white one. Avoid more aromatic varieties, such as balsamic vinegar, red vinegar, or apple vinegar, as their color or flavor can interfere with that of beets.
Step 4. Bring the water to a boil
Place the pot on the stove and heat the water over medium-high heat to bring it to a brisk boil. It will take about 10 minutes, depending on the quantity.
Cover the pot with the lid to avoid wasting heat and speeding up the time
Step 5. Reduce the heat and let the beets cook for 30 to 45 minutes
As soon as the water starts to boil, adjust the heat to medium-low and let the beets simmer for about half an hour or until they have reached the desired consistency. Stir them at regular intervals to spread the heat evenly throughout the pot.
- Cook the beets with the covered pot to prevent the water temperature from dropping, otherwise the cooking time will increase.
- Large beets or beets that have been stored in the cold can take up to 60 minutes to cook to be perfectly cooked even in the center.
Step 6. Check if the beets are cooked using a knife
Remove the lid from the pot and pierce one of the beets with the tip of a knife. If you can pierce it easily, it means it's cooked. If it is still hard and you are having difficulty inserting the knife into the pulp, it is best to wait another 10-15 minutes and then check again.
Use a knife with a very long blade to avoid burning yourself, and wear an oven mitt if a lot of steam comes out of the pot
Part 3 of 3: Peel the Hot Beets
Step 1. Fill a large bowl with water and ice
Fill it with cold water and add a couple of handfuls of ice cubes. Place the tureen next to the stove. Ice water is used to quickly cool the beets once cooked.
If you have a lot of beets and you don't have a large enough bowl, you can fill the sink with water and add a generous amount of ice cubes
Step 2. Transfer the beets to ice water using kitchen tongs or a skimmer
When they are cooked to perfection, turn off the stove and take the pot away from the heat. Drain the beets from the boiling water using kitchen tongs or a skimmer and drop them directly into the ice water.
- If you prefer, you can drain the beets in the traditional way using a colander and then transfer them one at a time to ice water.
- If you don't want to struggle too much, you can drain the beets from the boiling water, put them back in the pot and cover them with plain cold water.
Suggestion:
if you want you can save the cooking water of the beets and use it as a base for a soup or vegetable broth, it will be rich in color and flavor. In a similar way, you can also prepare a natural dye.
Step 3. Let the beets cool in the ice water for 2-3 minutes
The residual heat will immediately dissipate into the water, so the beets will stop cooking. In addition, the thermal shock will cause the peel to detach from the pulp, so you will have less effort to peel them.
You may need to chill the beets a little at a time, depending on the amount. If so, throw away the water that will have warmed up by now and refill the bowl with cold water and ice
Step 4. Peel the beets by hand
At this point, the peel will have softened and you will be able to detach it from the pulp manually in large pieces. If necessary, use your fingertip or thumbnail to pry it off where it has stuck to the pulp.
- If you don't want to get your hands stained, put on a pair of latex gloves before you start peeling the beets.
- Throw away the peel immediately so as not to stain your clothes and not to soil the surrounding surfaces.
