On the stove, in a multicooker, oven, or microwave — choose the appropriate method.
How to Prepare Beets
Beets for cooking should be medium-sized (no more than 10 cm in diameter), with thin, dark red skin, without damage or rot. The "Bordeaux" variety is considered one of the best.
Regardless of the cooking method, the beets must be washed well, the tops (if any) cut off, and the tail slightly shortened.
Beets are not peeled before cooking.
If you remove the skin, the juice will leak out. The vegetable will become pale and tasteless.
How long does it take to cook beets?
Cooking beets can take from 8-10 minutes to as long as 2 hours, depending on the technique used: stove, multicooker, microwave oven, or oven. The larger the root vegetable, the more time is needed to cook it.
You can check for readiness with a fork or knife. If the beets are easily pierced, it means they are ready, and you can cool them by draining the water.
It is better to store boiled root vegetables in the refrigerator, but for no longer than two days.
How and how long to cook beets on the stove?
Classic method of cooking in water
Cooking time: about 2 hours.
Place the beets in a saucepan, cover them with cold water so that the vegetables are completely covered. You should not salt the water, as sodium makes the beets tougher and increases the cooking time, which is not quick anyway.
Put the saucepan over medium heat. When the water boils, reduce the heat, cover and cook for about two hours.
To preserve the rich red color of the beets, you can add a little lemon juice to the water: about ½ teaspoon per liter of water.
2. Quick cooking
Cooking time: 45–60 minutes.
To significantly reduce the cooking time, place the beets immediately in boiling water and do not reduce the heat. To increase the cooking temperature, add 2–3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the boiling water.
After the beets have cooked for about 30–35 minutes, remove them from the stove and hold them under cold water for 15–20 minutes. You can also place it in a bowl of cold water and add ice. If the water warms up, replace it with fresh cold water.
Due to the sudden temperature change, the beets quickly reach readiness and cool down at the same time.
3. Steaming
Cooking time: 40–60 minutes.
Pour some water into the saucepan (about 3–5 cm). Place a steaming rack on top. If you do not have such a rack, you can use a fine-mesh colander, but make sure it does not touch the water.
Place the beets on the rack, cover the saucepan and cook for 40–60 minutes on steam.
How to cook beets in a multicooker?
1. Steaming
Cooking time: about 40 minutes (may vary depending on the multicooker model).
Rinse the beets and place them on a special steaming rack. Pour a glass of water into the bottom of the multicooker bowl, close the lid and select the "Steam" mode for 40 minutes.
Important: for a successful result, the beets must be fresh and hydrated. If the root vegetable is dry, first soak it in cold water for several hours to restore moisture. After that, you can start cooking, although in this case it is better to choose the stove cooking method.
2. In water
Cooking time: 60–80 minutes (depending on your multicooker).
The process is similar to classic cooking, only without the need to monitor the temperature. Place the clean beets in the multicooker bowl, cover them with water and select the "Stew" or "Cooking" mode (sometimes it may be called "Soup") for 60 minutes.
After the time has elapsed, check for readiness: if the beets have not yet reached the desired softness, add 20–30 minutes in the same mode.
3. In foil
Cooking time: about 60 minutes, depending on the specific model.
This method is especially suitable for young and juicy root vegetables. Wash the beets thoroughly, dry them with paper towels and wrap them in foil greased with a small amount of vegetable oil (each root vegetable separately).
Place the beets in the multicooker bowl and turn on the "Baking" mode for about an hour.
How to bake beets in the oven?
This method allows you to preserve the maximum amount of juice in the root vegetables, making the beets juicier and more aromatic.
Cooking time: about 20–25 minutes.
For baking, as in the previous method, wrap each root vegetable in foil to retain moisture and bake evenly. Preheat the oven to 190 °C and send the wrapped beets there.
Baking beets in the oven is especially convenient if you need to cook a large quantity at once — for example, for salads such as vinaigrette or herring under a fur coat.
Useful tip for salads
To prevent beets from staining other salad ingredients, there is a simple trick: after slicing, lightly sprinkle them with vegetable oil. The oil will create a protective film, and other products will remain in their color. Then you can safely mix the beets with other components.
How and how long to cook beets in the microwave?
In our family, beets are most often cooked in the microwave — it is the fastest and most convenient way.
Cooking time: from 8 to 20 minutes.
The duration depends on two factors: the size of the root vegetables and the power of your microwave. If the device's power is 1,000 W or more, the beets will be ready in 8–10 minutes. In the case of a less powerful device, the time should be increased by about half.
Before cooking, the beets must be washed thoroughly (no need to peel!) and placed in a glass container. It is better to place large root vegetables on the edges, and the smallest ones in the center. Add 3 tablespoons of water to the bottom of the dish and cover it with a special microwave lid or a glass lid.
To speed up the process in less powerful microwaves, you can use another method: place the beets in a plastic bag, add a little water and tie it up. In this case, a lid is no longer needed.
There is no need to cut or pierce the beets before cooking — they will not explode. It is also not necessary to stop the process to turn the beets over. After cooking, you should not cool the beets with cold water — let them cool at room temperature.
The taste of beets cooked in the microwave is practically no different from that of beets cooked on the stove.