The beet for cooking should be of medium size (no more than 10 cm in diameter), with a thin dark red skin, without damage and rot. One of the best is a sort of “bordeaux”.
Regardless of the method of preparation, beets need to be thoroughly washed, cut off the tops (if any) and shorten the tail a little.
Beets are not cleaned before cooking.
If you peel off the skin, the juice will flow out of the beet. The vegetable will become pale and tasteless.
How to cook beets on the stove
Method 1. Classic
Cooking time: 2 hours.
Put the beets in a saucepan and pour in cold water. Water should completely cover the vegetables. It is not necessary to add water. Sodium will make beets harder and slow down the already slow cooking process.
Put the saucepan with the beet for medium heat. When the water boils, reduce heat, cover the pan with a lid and leave for a couple of hours.
To keep the beets bright red, you can add lemon juice to the water: ½ teaspoon per liter.
Readiness can be checked with a fork. If the beets easily pierce, you can drain the water and cool it.
Method 2. Express-cooking
Cooking time: 45-60 minutes.
To speed up the process, some housewives start beetroot in already boiling water and do not reduce the fire to a minimum. And to make the water temperature even higher, add 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
When the beets will leave for about 30-35 minutes, it is removed from the fire and sent under a stream of cold water for another 15-25 minutes. The temperature difference brings the vegetable to the ready and at the same time it heats.
How to brew beets in a multivariate
Method 1. In the “Steam cooking” mode
Cooking time: about 40 minutes depending on the model of the multivark.
Wash beets and place on a special grate for steaming. At the bottom of the cup multivarka pour a glass of water. Close the device, set the steamer’s mode, and you can do your own business for 40 minutes.
Note: that this method works, beets should not be dry. If the root podvyal, it is better to first soak for several hours in cold water. When beetroot again absorbs moisture, it can be boiled. But it’s better on the stove or in the following way.
Method 2. In the “Quenching” or “Varka” mode
Cooking time: 60-80 minutes, depending on the model of the multivark.
Everything, as in the classical way, just do not need to regulate the fire. Just put the washed beet into the bowl of the multivark, fill it with water and turn on the “Quenching” or “Varka” mode (sometimes called “Soup”) for 60 minutes.
After one hour, check whether the beet is ready with a fork. If still harsh, turn on the same mode for another 20-30 minutes.
Method 3. In the “Baking” mode
Cooking time: 60 minutes depending on the model of the multivark.
This method is good for young vegetables when they are tender and juicy. Beetroot must be washed, dried with a paper towel and wrapped in greased with vegetable oil foil (each root vegetable separately).
Then fold it into the bowl of the multivark and cook in the “Baking” mode for about an hour.
How to cook beets in the oven
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes.
In the same way as in the previous method, wrap each root in a foil and bake at 190 ° C.
In the oven, beets are easy to cook when they need a lot. For example, immediately for vinaigrette and herring under a fur coat.
By the way, for cooking salads with beets there is a small lifhak. If you want, that does not paint other ingredients, cut it and sprinkle with vegetable oil, and only then combine with other products.
How to brew beets in a microwave oven
My family cooks beets in the microwave. This is the easiest and fastest way.
Cooking time: 8 to 20 minutes.
Time depends on two factors: the size of the beet and the power of the microwave. In microwave ovens with a capacity of 1,000 or more watt, the beets are cooked for 8-10 minutes. If you have a less powerful model, increase the time by half.
The beetroot must be washed (do not clean!) And put in glassware. At the edges try to lay large roots, and in the center – the smallest. At the bottom of the tank you need to pour 3 tablespoons of water, and on top – to cover with a glass or a special lid for a microwave.
To shorten the cooking time in a low-power microwave, put the beets in a plastic bag for baking and tighten it tightly. In this case, the lid is no longer needed.
It is not necessary to pierce or cut the beet: it will not explode. Interrupt the process and turn it from side to side is not necessary. Also, do not pour vegetables after cooking with cold water. Better let it cool down at room temperature.
The taste of the beetroot from the microwave is exactly the same as in conventional cooking in a saucepan.
Ready beets can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than two days.
