How to Cook Beets from Tipnut.com

Picked up some beets today from Farmer's Market here at the college MSJC in Menifee.  Can't wait to try them.  I think I am going to boil them without the salt and sugar.  :)  I will probably serve them as a side or just to eat alone.  I am thinking they would taste pretty yummy tossed on a salad with oil and apple cider vinegar.

 

How To Cook Beets {5 Ways + Tips}

 

Fresh Beets From The Garden Make A Delicious & Healthy Side Dish

Cooking beets fresh from the garden couldn’t be easier and since they’re packed with vitamins and low in calories, you can feel good about eating them too!
Here are directions to cook beets five different ways: Boiled, Oven Roasted, Baked, Steamed & Microwave Cooked.

• Note: Cooking times will vary according to the size and freshness of the beets, they can cook in as little as 20 minutes (for smaller, young beets) and up to four hours (for large, older beets from storage).

How To Cook Beets: Boiling

Prep:

• Trim back the roots and leaf stalks to about an 1″ then wash under cool running water. Be careful to not scrub the skin too hard when washing and do not cut or slice off any part of the beet so the skin stays intact (for best results when boiling, the skins need to be on to retain the color and flavor).

Directions:

• Place beets in a large pot then cover with cold water. Add salt and sugar then cover (approximately 1 tsp sugar + 1 tsp salt per 1/2 gallon of water).
• Turn heat on high until water begins to boil then reduce heat to medium to keep water at a simmer.
• Cook 45 minutes to an hour or until done (for large, fresh beets) or up to four hours (for large, older beets from storage).
• Once beets are cooked, remove from heat, drain water and then plunge beets quickly into cold water. Remove beets from cold water, cut off root tips & stems and you should be able to rub the skins off easily with a damp towel.
• Serve freshly cooked beets sliced or mashed with a bit of butter, salt and pepper to taste.

Oven Roasted Beets How-To

Prep:

• Preheat oven to 400°
• Wash, peel and quarter beets (you can also slice beets about 1/2″ thick instead of in quarters–cooking time will be a little less)

Directions:

• Arrange beet pieces on a baking sheet then drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (or about 1 tablespoon oil per pound of beets). Season generously with salt and pepper then toss the beets until coated.
• Cook in oven for about 45 minutes or until beets are tender right through, turning them at least once during cooking time.

Directions For Baked Beets

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Prepare beets as for boiling (washing and leaving 1″ ends on the stalks and roots, also leaving skins on) then wrap in two layers of aluminum foil. Place foil wrapped beets on a baking sheet and place in oven.
• Cook for about an hour until beets are tender and fully cooked.
• Once cooked, remove foil, trim off the stalk and root ends then rub the skins off with a damp towel.

How To Steam Beets

Prep:

• Prepare beets as if for boiling (washing and trimming stalks and roots to 1″, leaving skins intact) then place in a steamer above boiling water.
• Bring salted water to a boil in a saucepan or pot, position steamer on top.

Directions:

• Arrange cleaned beets in the steamer, cover, and cook for about 45 minutes or until tender.
• Remove from heat, plunge beets quickly in cold water then remove skins with a damp cloth.

Microwave Cooked Beets How-To

*Cooking times may vary due to differences in microwaves

• Wash, peel and cube beets (about 1″).
• Arrange cubes in a glass microwavable dish, add 2 tablespoons of water (per 2 1/2 cups of beets).
• Cover with a lid then cook on high for approximately 5 minutes, stir, then cook for another 3 minutes or until beets are tender when pierced with a fork.
• Note: To preserve as much of the vitamins as possible, avoid overcooking beets in the microwave and don’t add more water than necessary. If the beets are nearly done but could use just a bit more cooking, allow to sit covered so they can finish cooking in their steam rather than heating longer in the microwave.

Tips

• Beets should be boiled with their skins on so that their flavor, color and juices won’t escape into the water (also called bleeding). Any nic or slice in the skin will release the juice and the result will be loss of flavor and/or color. This is why about an inch of both the stalks and the root ends are left on when boiling.
• For tough, out of season beets, you can try soaking them overnight in cold water. This will help them cook faster the next day.
• Adding 1/4 cup of white vinegar per 8 cups of water when boiling will help keep the beet color bright.
• How to tell when beets are fully cooked: You will be able to pierce the beet right to its middle with a knife or fork, the beet will be tender.
• Try selecting beets that are uniform in size when cooking together, this will prevent some beets cooking faster than the rest of the batch. If you can’t avoid it, remove the smaller ones from the source of heat as they’re done and set aside until the rest are fully cooked.
• Did you know: Raw beets can make a salad extra tasty! Simply wash and peel a beet then grate into salads.
• Did you know: The common beet is purple or crimson colored, but there are golden and striped beet varieties available as well.
• If buying beets instead of growing them yourself, you can tell how fresh they are by their leafy greens…if they’re still attached and look healthy, the beets are freshly harvested. If there are no leaves attached, they’re still good but just not garden fresh. Look for firm, hard beets and avoid any with soft spots.
• Raw beets can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks (cut off the greens when storing, leaving at least an inch of the stalks attached), cooked beets will be ok refrigerated a few days.

-Tipnut.com