Tips for Cooking Beetroot
Cooking beetroot yourself as opposed to buying canned beets is a much healthier way to prepare beets. By cooking the beets yourself, you know without a doubt that they have been properly rinsed and prepared. Plus, the flavor of freshly cooked beats makes canned beets pale in comparison! We are going to describe the best method of preparing this vegetable in its raw form as well as provide you with a few tips about ways that you can go about cooking beetroot. So get out your pen and paper and pay attention, because this is one root vegetable that deserves the chance to “wow” you!
First off, I’d like to explain how beneficial beetroot can be for one’s health. Don’t worry—this won’t take but a minute. Both beets and their greens can be used in cooked dishes, although the beets themselves may be eaten raw if you choose. The leaves (or “greens”) contain huge amounts of Vitamins A and C, as well as calcium and iron. Beetroot itself is an excellent source of folic acid, which all women should get a good dose of daily. It also contains a good amount of fiber, potassium, and manganese—three items that are hard to find together (naturally) in food. This root plant is a good source of several B vitamins, which are essential for cell creation and maintaining a good metabolism. Beetroots are a reliable food in helping one to lower their cholesterol as well as blood pressure, plus this vegetable encourages healthy liver function and is loaded with cancer-preventing antioxidants.
Let’s move on to discuss how to properly prepare your raw beetroot. Start by cutting the stalk about an inch above the beetroot. If you can, leaving two inches is best because the closer you cut to the beetroot, the more likely it is to “bleed”, which not only causes a loss in color but in nutrients and flavor as well! Also take care to remove any leaves that may still be attached. You can use a sharp knife for this, but I find kitchen scissors easier to handle. Also, don’t cut the pointy root from the bottom of the beetroot; this as well as the stalk will be removed after it has been cooked. Now we need to rinse the dirt from the plant. You need to take extra care during this part because beetroot has many creases in which dirt can cake into. I like to use a soft fruit/vegetable scrubber as it gently scrubs the dirt away without taking off the skin. Do this under cold running water.
Now that the beetroot is prepared, you get to decide how you want to cook it. We are going to discuss several methods: boiling, baking, and steaming. To boil your beetroot, you will need a large pot filled with water. If you are preparing a large quantity of beets for refrigeration or freezing, you may want to use a stock pot. Bring the water to a boil, then drop in the beets. If the beetroots are older and seem a bit scraggly, add a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar for each cup of water you boil with. This is a great way to revive the taste of the beets. You will need to allow the beets to boil for at least an hour, more if you are boiling a large quantity. Don’t forget to top up the water supply in the pan as you don’t want it to boil dry. Once the beetroot is cooked, strap on some gloves and peel each beet under cold running water. The skin should easily rub away, but if you have trouble with tougher areas, go ahead and use a vegetable peeler. Slice and serve with your dish or seal them in a bag or container for refrigeration.
Another popular form of cooking beetroot is roasting. Roasted beets are delicious and retain a lot of the plant’s nutrients. First, line a baking tray with aluminum foil—this prevents the beets from staining your cookware and makes for simple clean up. Go ahead and peel the skin from the beetroot using a vegetable peeler and cold water. Now you need to decide how you want them roasted: whole or wedged. You can also roast them in slices, but you have to keep an extra sharp eye on them to ensure that they don’t dry out too badly. Place the beetroot on the aluminum foil and drizzle olive oil over them. If you like, now is the time to add salt and pepper or any other seasoning you like. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for about 30 minutes to an hour. The bake time depends really on how you cut the beetroot and how many you are cooking. They are ready when they are tender all the way through.
Steaming is yet another great way to prepare beetroot with minimal loss of nutrients. Whether you have an electric steamer or a stovetop steamer, go ahead and set it up for use. Prepare your beetroots as normal, then add them to the steamer with the skin intact. You will find that the beetroot will cook much faster if you choose smaller ones. Allow them to steam for 30 minutes to an hour, or until they have become tender. When the beetroot is cooked, remove the skin under cold running water, then cut and serve as desired.