Red beet cooking basics, key –delicious– practices

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Say goodbye to vacuum-packed or ready-to-use beets. Rediscover the true taste of red beet, cooked at home using our grandparents’ secret ways. Whether baked, steamed or boiled, cooking is simple and the results… surprisingly tasty!

Ingredients:

• Red beet in its raw form, ideally with its greens
• Salt

→ Also read: beet’s health benefits

Red beet cooking basics

Start by trimming the greens at their base, but don’t damage the skin. Give it a gentle rinse to remove soil.

• Don’t scrub too hard: the goal is to keep the thin skin intact.
• Also, don’t peel it before cooking.
• And, though it might be tempting, don’t poke it during cooking to see if it’s done.

Perhaps the main takeaway of this article: skin plays a key role in cooking, so keep it whole.

Boiling a beet in water

Heat a big pot of salted water. Submerge the beets entirely in boiling water.

• Once the water’s boiling, dip in the beets and let them boil for roughly 60 minutes.
• Cooking time can vary, depending on beet size.
• You know a beet’s done when its skin starts to wrinkle slightly and peels off when you rub it even just lightly.

Steaming red beet

This cooking method keeps the beet’s wine red color vibrant and prevents too much water from soaking in.

• Start by boiling water in your steamer.
• Place the beets in its steam basket.
• Let them cook for 60 to 120 minutes, depending on size.
• Again, beets are ready when their skin gets slightly wrinkly, and peels at the slightest touch.

Cooking red beet in a pressure cooker

Definitely the swiftest method, aside from using a microwave oven.

• Pour 1 inch (3 cm) of water into the pressure cooker’s base.
• Place the beet at bottom of the steam basket.
• Close the cooker and wait for its valve to spin.
• Once it starts spinning (meaning the pressure is on), cook for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on beet size.

Cooking beet in oven

A traditional method, even possible over woodfire embers. It takes longer, but aficionados swear it’s the best. Preheat your oven to 340°F (170°C),

• Wrap the beet in aluminum foil.
• Position it on the oven rack, right in the center.
• Cook for 2 to 3 hours.
• To check if done, skin should peel off easily and appear slightly wrinkled.

Eating red beet raw and uncooked

Raw beet in salad:

Just like carrots, beets can be enjoyed raw.

• Clean the beet well.
• Peel the entire beet and rinse it again with fresh water.
• Grate the beet like a carrot using your finest grater.
• Season to taste.

Beet crispy chips:

And of course, when fried, beet tastes as fabulous as potato fries, with a sweet twist.

• Clean the beet well.
• Peel it completely and rinse again under water.
• Slice the beet into thin chip-like slices.
• Fry the chips a few at a time for about 30 seconds in the fryer.
• Serve as an appetizer.

Enjoy your meal!

• Also read: red beet health benefits