How to quickly cook beets. How long to cook beets until tender: time for different dishes. How long to cook beets in a slow cooker

There is absolutely nothing complicated about cooking beets, however, this culinary procedure often causes some difficulties. After all, it is important to cook the vegetable so that it turns out soft, but at the same time elastic and not overcooked. In order to eliminate possible questions in the future, “Culinary Eden” decided to talk in detail about how to cook beets, so that they can then be successfully used to prepare various dishes, for example, salads, soups, stews, side dishes or appetizers.

First of all, let's choose the right root vegetable. In cooking, small or medium-sized table beets with thin burgundy skin are used. The vegetable can have a round, elongated or flattened shape - it is worth considering that it is the last two options that are particularly juicy and sweet. When purchasing, you should be wary of the presence of pale skin, damage, green spots, and even more so rotten beets - we immediately refuse such specimens. Inside, the beets should have bright, richly colored pulp - this is the guarantee that they will be magnificent when cooked. Bordeaux beets are considered the best for cooking - this vegetable cooks faster and turns out very tasty.

Before cooking beets, you need to cut off the tops, if any, and rinse the vegetable thoroughly to remove all contaminants. If there is stuck earth, you can use a sponge or brush, but this should be done carefully so as not to damage the delicate skin. But there is no need to remove the tails, as they help retain all the beet juice inside the vegetable. For the same reason, in no case should you peel the beets, otherwise, due to the leaked juice, the root crop will become pale, insipid and completely nutritionally useless. Also keep in mind that you cannot cook beets that have damaged skins. Beets can be cooked on the stove, in the microwave, or in a slow cooker. Let's look at each method in more detail.

How to cook beets in a saucepan on the stove.

The classic method of cooking beets is the longest and takes approximately 2 hours. To do this, place the root vegetables in a saucepan and add water so that it completely covers the beets. For 2-3 medium-sized vegetables you will need about 4-5 liters of water. The water in which the beets are cooked does not need to be salted, as salt will make the already long cooking process even longer. But adding sugar is not forbidden, as it helps make the beets sweeter - therefore, if you doubt the final sweetness of the vegetable, add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar to the water. After boiling, cover the pan with a lid and cook the beets over low heat until soft. To preserve the rich color of the root vegetable, you can add lemon juice to the water - half a teaspoon will be enough for 1 liter of water. You can also use table vinegar. The readiness of the beets is checked with a knife - if it easily enters the vegetable, the beets are ready. After cooking, the beets can be immersed in cold water - this will ensure that the vegetable retains its bright color and the peel can be easily removed.

The express cooking method using cold water helps to save a lot of time. A similar option - only with ice instead of water - is used by professional chefs. First, you need to bring the water to a boil and add 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to it, stir and after a few minutes add the beets. After 30-35 minutes, place the pan with beets under running cold water for about 20 minutes. Thanks to such a sharp temperature change, the vegetable quickly reaches readiness, while its pulp remains elastic and the peel is easy to peel off. However, this method suffers from the complete disappearance of vitamin C, which, when cooked in the classical way, still remains present in the vegetable in some quantity. It is worth noting that if you want to preserve the maximum vitamins in the beets, the root vegetables should be cooked over low heat under a lid.

How to cook beets in the microwave.

Cooking beets in the microwave is the fastest way to cook the root vegetable. On average, the entire process takes 10-20 minutes depending on the size of the vegetables and the power of the microwave oven. Agree, a significant time saver! It’s worth mentioning right away that it tastes exactly the same as beets cooked on the stove. Everything here is extremely simple - put the beets in a glass container (it’s better if there are larger vegetables around the edges and smaller ones in the center), pour 100 ml of water and cover the container with a glass lid or a special microwave-safe lid. With a microwave power of 1000 watts or more, the beets will be ready in 8-10 minutes. We check the vegetables and, if they are not soft enough, put them in the microwave for a few more minutes. In a similar way, but without water, you can cook beets in a bag. We tie the edges of the bag and cook for 10-20 minutes. When the bag begins to puff up, the beets are ready.

The advantage of using a microwave is that you can cook beets in it, cut into pieces of the desired size. Place the beet pieces in a glass bowl with a small amount of water (don’t forget about the lid) or in a bag that will need to be pricked with a toothpick, since the chopped vegetable releases steam more actively. In 5-7 minutes the beets will be ready. In the first case, you need to immediately drain the water from the container with the beets so that the beet pieces do not absorb it.

A multicooker comes to the aid of housewives even when cooking beets. There are several options here too. First, let's look at how to steam beets in a slow cooker. To do this, place the root vegetables on a special grill, and pour a glass of water into the bottom of the bowl. Set the “Steam” mode for about 40 minutes. It is worth noting that this method involves the use of fresh, juicy beets - if the vegetable has dried out, it is recommended to pre-soak it for several hours in cold water.

You can also cook beets in a slow cooker in the traditional way by placing the root vegetables in a bowl and filling them with water. Next, set the “Cooking”, “Stewing” or “Soup” mode for 1 hour. We check the readiness of the beets with a knife, and if they still need to be done, boil them in the same mode for another 20-30 minutes.

Remember that boiled beets, unpeeled, can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3-4 days. Therefore, hurry up to prepare delicious dishes from it, several recipes of which we will share with you below.

Ingredients:
1 large beet,
200 g dry beans,
1 onion,
1 apple,
2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil,
2 tablespoons table vinegar,
salt and spices to taste,
parsley or cilantro.

Preparation:
Boil the beans that have been pre-soaked overnight until tender. Boil the beets until tender, then peel them and cut into strips. Mix onion cut into half rings with vinegar and let stand for 30 minutes. Mix onion, beans, beets and diced apple. Season the salad with vegetable oil, add salt and spices to taste. Sprinkle with chopped herbs and serve.

Beetroot pancakes with garlic

Ingredients:
1 large beet,
1 large egg
2-3 cloves of garlic,
3-4 tablespoons of flour,
2 tablespoons mayonnaise,
salt and ground black pepper to taste,
vegetable oil.

Preparation:
Boil the beets until tender, drain and remove the skin. Grate the vegetable on a coarse grater. Add egg, mayonnaise, flour and pressed garlic. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fry the pancakes in a frying pan in vegetable oil, using 1 heaped tablespoon of the mixture for each pancake. Serve the dish with sour cream.

Well, now you know how to cook beets, so put our tips into practice and let your dishes with beets always turn out tasty and satisfying! Bon appetit!

All housewives know very well that beets take quite a long time to cook and to the question “How long does it take to cook beets?” There is no exact answer, because the cooking time for beets depends on the size of the vegetable. If the beets are large, then it will take longer to cook.

How to cook beets?

If you decide to cook beets, then remember: this root vegetable should be cooked separately from others, since beets have strong coloring properties.

• Choose medium-sized beets for cooking, the color of the root vegetable should be dark red.
• If you can determine the thickness of the peel, then know that it should be thin.
• First, you need to wash the root vegetable well, using a dishwashing sponge. There is no need to cut off the roots, because of this, during the cooking process, the beets will lose all their juice, and along with it, their beneficial properties and, in fact, the taste itself.
• Do not check the vegetable for doneness too often. Cooked beets are soft when pierced with a knife.
• Cook beets in unsalted water. The fact is that the root vegetable has a bright sweetish taste, and adding salt can ruin it. If necessary, you can salt the already cooked root vegetable.
• Another important point when cooking beets- the water in the pan should completely cover it. If during the cooking process the water begins to evaporate, then you can safely add it.

How long does it take to cook beets?

Usually The process of cooking beets takes from 40 minutes to 1 hour(depending on the size of the vegetable). After the specified time has passed, the pan with the beets must be removed from the heat and placed under cold water for 10 minutes, and after that you can remove the peel from it, which will be very easy to peel off.

If you need cook large beets, then after an hour of cooking, pour cold water over the vegetable and put it back on the fire for 20 minutes. Then the beets will need to be cooled again with water.

The most delicious beets- young, elongated, dark red in color. In addition, such beets cook much faster. Boiled beets should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than two days., since on the third day it begins to release juice and loses its taste and beneficial properties.

The water in which the beets were boiled, or, as it is also called, beet broth, does not need to be thrown away; it is an excellent laxative and diuretic. This decoction also has a positive effect on the liver, cleansing it, and all harmful substances come out naturally.

1. You can cook beets not only in the usual way - using a stove and pan, but also using a microwave oven. The process of preparing vegetables this way takes much less time, and the end result will be no worse than when cooking beets on the stove.
2. For cooking beets in the microwave required: a microwave oven (the desired power of the device is 700-800 watts), glassware for microwave ovens and, in fact, beets; you can also use special plastic bags for cooking.
3. First, wash the vegetable using a dishwashing sponge, then take an awl or a dinner fork and poke more holes in the beets by piercing them. Then place the beets on a dish or in a cooking bag; no need to pour water anywhere!
4. Set the timer on the microwave oven for 10 minutes at a power of 800 watts; if the power of your microwave is less, then put the beets in the oven for a longer time. After this time, the beets will be ready for cleaning and further consumption!

• You can also cook beets in a slow cooker. The fastest way to use this type of technique when cooking beets is steam beets, you will spend only 20-30 minutes on this.

• You can also cook this root vegetable using a multicooker in the “Stew” or “Soup” mode, but these are the longest processes. Multicooker mode, which takes less time when cooking beets: “Steam/Steam cooker”, but remember that you should not cook the beets in the steaming basket, but in the multi-cooker pan itself.
• For each of these modes, the beets should be thoroughly washed, but under no circumstances peeled, and placed in water. It is best to cut very large root vegetables. The cooking process can take from 40 to 60 minutes, while in the “Stewing” mode - 3 hours.
• In addition to cooking, beets can be baked in a slow cooker. To do this, select the “Baking/Roasting” mode. This will take from 60 to 80 minutes.

Beets are a very healthy product, and they also have a bright taste. Cook it with joy!

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Culinary tips for housewives on how to properly prepare beets. For example, what to do to ensure that beets do not lose their color during cooking. Some useful tips.

With beetroot before cooking , wash well, roots and roots are not cut off, otherwise it will lose its nutritional qualities.

In order for the beets to retain their juiciness and softness , it is placed in boiling water and cooked in a sealed container.

To make the beets juicy and tasty , boil it without peeling or cutting off the roots.

Beetroot cooks faster and has better taste small, dark red, not round, but elongated.

You should not bake or stew beets in a metal dish or on a baking sheet. , this worsens its taste.

Beetroot will taste better if it is boiled in unsalted water.

To preserve the color of beets during cooking and stewing Add vinegar or lemon juice, or sour kvass, or citric acid to the water.

You can reduce the cooking time of beets. Boil the beets for one hour, then remove from the heat and place under running cold water for 10 minutes.

When peeling beets, do not completely cut off the root. , otherwise the beets lighten as all the juice flows out.

The best beets have dark skin and slightly flattened roots.

With eared beets first scald with boiling water, then pour water at room temperature and allow to swell. Boil in the same water so that the loss of nutrients is minimal.

Red beets are boiled unpeeled, but sugar beets must be peeled. , as the skin gives it a bitter taste.

For salads and vinaigrettes, it is better to use baked beets.

In the arena, chopped beets for vinaigrette before combining with other vegetables , should be greased with vegetable oil, then the vinaigrette will turn out more beautiful.

3 way

This method is used by professional chefs. The beets are boiled at maximum temperature with vegetable oil added to the water for about 20–30 minutes, depending on the size, then remove from the stove and fill with cold water for another 10 minutes. A sharp temperature change will bring the root vegetable to full readiness. The only negative is that with this treatment, vitamin C is completely destroyed.

4 way

This method cannot be called fast, but it will turn out very tasty. The beets are wrapped in baking paper and placed in the microwave for 25–30 minutes.

You can wrap the vegetable in foil and bake it in the oven at a temperature of 200 degrees. But vitamin C, unfortunately, will not be preserved with this method either - it is destroyed already at 190 degrees.

Baked beets always turn out sweeter than boiled ones, so this method is good if the vegetable will be used in the future for making salads.

Secrets of cooking beets

• The cooking process should always be completed with cold water - this will make it easier to peel the skin.
• When cooking beets, it is better not to salt them - they will turn out tough and less juicy. Salt also increases cooking time. Moreover, the sweet root vegetable does not need salt.
• It is not recommended to peel beets before cooking - they will lose their rich color. It’s better to just wash it thoroughly and peel it just before adding the boiled beets to the dish you’re preparing.
• In order for the vegetable to retain its rich color, add 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to boiling water. This must be done if you still peel the beets before cooking.
• Not everyone likes the smell of cooking beets. A crust of bread thrown into boiling water will help neutralize it.
• The readiness of the beets is checked with a fork or a wooden toothpick - it should fit freely into the root crop. But there is no need to constantly check for readiness: beets pierced in many places will turn out less juicy.
• If you are going to prepare a vinaigrette, then to prevent the beets from coloring the rest of the ingredients, sprinkle the chopped beets with vegetable oil before adding them to the salad.

Before cooking, the beets should be thoroughly washed, but not peeled. It is also not recommended to cut off the tail. Otherwise, the beets will lose color and some of the nutritional components. If there are significant contaminants on the surface, they must be removed with a brush.

Beets are cooked in several stages:

• First, water is poured into a container (enamel pan);
• the amount of liquid must be calculated so that the beets are completely immersed in water;
• water is brought to a boil;
• beets are placed in boiling water (the heat must be reduced);
• It is better to cover the pan with a lid;
• You can check the degree of readiness of the beets using a sharp object (knife, fork).

You can cook beets not only in a regular saucepan, but also in a slow cooker or double boiler. With any cooking method, there is no need to peel the vegetable. In a multicooker, beets are cooked in the “Cooking” mode, also with the addition of the required amount of water. The liquid should not only cover the vegetable, but also exceed the level by 2 cm. During the cooking process, the water will boil away. If necessary, liquid can be added during the cooking process. Otherwise, the beets will be partially cooked.

The nuances of cooking beets:

• It is recommended to add a small amount of lemon juice to boiling water before adding beets (it is better to squeeze fresh lemon yourself rather than use ready-made additives);
• after finishing the cooking process, the beets should be filled with cold water (this will allow them to cool faster);
• for cooking, it is better to take beets of the same size (cutting them for cooking is not recommended);
• Vegetable oil will help the beets cook faster (you need to add a small amount of it before adding the beets to the pan).

It is not necessary to salt the beets during the cooking process. During the boiling process, the salt will evaporate, so there is no point in adding it. It is recommended to salt the dish itself, to which the vegetable will be added, or add a little more salt to other ingredients with which the beets will be mixed.

Lemon juice is added to beets so that the vegetable does not lose its rich color. You can also get rid of the smell of this vegetable. To do this, during the cooking process, you need to put a small crust of dry black bread in the water. This ingredient will not affect the taste of beets, but the aroma will change dramatically.

How long does it take to cook beets?

On average, beets are cooked for 30-40 minutes. In some cases, the cooking time may take several hours. The key is the size of the vegetable and its age.. Small young beets will cook much faster than large vegetables with thick skin.

In a pressure cooker, beets cook faster - within 40 minutes, in a slow cooker - 30-40 minutes, in a double boiler also 30-40 minutes. Using any of these methods, you still need to check the readiness of the vegetable with a fork or knife.

The cooking time of beets depends on what kind of water they are placed in before cooking. If you put a vegetable in a cold liquid and wait until it boils, the vegetable will be ready in one and a half or even three hours. The beets are cooked in boiling water for 50 minutes.

After cooking, it is recommended to fill the beets with cold water.. This should be done not only to cool the vegetable. The fact is that with a sharp change in temperature, the beets reach final readiness. The colder the water, the better.

To speed up the process of cooking beets, you can use a trick (however, the risk of the vegetable losing a significant part of its vitamins in this case is very high). The vegetable must be cooked over high heat without covering the pan with a lid. After 25-30 minutes of cooking, pour cold water over the beets and leave for another 15 minutes. After such procedures, the vegetable is ready for consumption.

Only at first glance, the process of cooking vegetables may seem like a very simple process. It is a mistaken opinion that among the many culinary subtleties and secrets, cooking vegetables is as easy as shelling pears, and does not require special knowledge, and it is the peculiar duty of every housewife to cope with this.

But in reality everything may not be so simple. You need to know, for example, some of the subtleties of how to cook beets for a salad and at the same time make them very tasty, and ideally combine with vegetables in a vinaigrette, give a rich color to beetroot or borscht, so that you feel both light elasticity and a little “crunch” , well, all the vitamins remained intact and intact. Therefore, now we will talk about the intricacies or, more simply, about how to cook beets correctly.

Subtlety first: Root vegetables should always be placed in cold water, not boiling water, in order to retain all the vitamins present in them. The water should barely cover the vegetables, and its level must be monitored periodically, adding cold water from time to time, because the vegetables must be completely submerged in water at all times. If you are simultaneously cooking several types of root vegetables, it is very important that they are all approximately the same size and weight, in which case, as a result of cooking, they will turn out to the same degree of readiness. However, do not cut off the ponytails. If possible, choose root vegetables that are not damaged, and before cooking beets for salad, rinse them thoroughly with water to remove any contaminants.

Subtlety two: The beets are cooked under a lid over fairly low heat, avoiding boiling. As for the duration of cooking itself, there are no clear recommendations. The duration of cooking depends entirely on the size of the root vegetable itself, as well as on the desired degree of its hardness. The cooking process, on average, lasts 40-60 minutes. True, there is also, but rushing in this process is unacceptable.

Subtlety three: The readiness of beets can be checked in a very traditional and well-known way - they are pierced with a knife or toothpick. If the beets glide easily across the surface of the knife, this means that they are quite ready. But you shouldn’t do this literally every 5 minutes, otherwise the beets will be completely worn out, juice will leak out of its cavity, which will lead to a loss of brightness. There is no need to salt the water; besides the fact that it is virtually useless, it can also affect the taste of the vegetable.

Subtlety four: In order for the color of the beets to be preserved, you can sweeten or slightly acidify the boiled water: add a couple of tablespoons of table vinegar or lemon juice, or sugar per three liters of water, but this does not include vegetables.

Subtlety five: As for the material of the utensils used, there seem to be no special rules here, but it is important to realize that the decoction from the vegetables will be very rich and coloring. Still, it is not recommended to cook beets in metal containers. There are some requirements for the volume and size of the dishes used. The good one is the one that has less unused, sort of useless, capacity. The ideal option is when there is a distance of several centimeters from the surface of the lid to the liquid. You can get rid of the smell, which is always present during the cooking of beets, by placing a crust of bread in the pan.

And finally, the sixth subtlety: In order for the beets to be easily and well cleaned, after cooking they need to be rinsed or cooled by immersing them in cold water for 8-10 minutes. This vegetable should always be cooked separately from the rest, and so that the color retains its brightness, and at the same time other, one might say, nearby ingredients, for example, salad, are not stained, it is advisable to grease the slices of chopped beets with any olive or vegetable oil.