Beets: Buying & Storing
Beets are available all year; the baby kind, available at their peak during summer, are especially sweet and delicious. Look for beets with smooth skins and hard roots.
Beets are available all year; the baby kind, available at their peak during summer, are especially sweet and delicious. Look for beets with smooth skins and hard roots.
Canned beets are marketed as well; buy them unskinned whenever possible. Beets are also sold vacuum-packed, cooked, skinned, and often flavored with vinegar, so check for suitability if using a recipe.
Raw beets keep in a cool place for up to a week. The cooked type keeps in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Beets: General Information
Beets (Beta vulgaris) are thought to have first been cultivated in the Middle East about 2,000 years ago. Although we enjoy beets as a root vegetable, the Greeks and Romans grew them for their nutritious leaves, which taste like spinach and may be cooked the same way.
Beets: Preparation & Cooking
Twist off leafy tops, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of stems; do not trim root ends, unless a recipe states otherwise. Rinse without breaking the skins, or beets will "bleed" and lose color during cooking.
Twist off leafy tops, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of stems; do not trim root ends, unless a recipe states otherwise. Rinse without breaking the skins, or beets will "bleed" and lose color during cooking.
Cook in boiling, salted water for 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, according to size. Then lift out of pot, and press gently: If skin slips off easily, beets are cooked.
Alternatively, bake beets in foil as you would potatoes. Peel while warm, and use as required.
Beets: Serving Suggestions
Beets are good in hot dishes and accompaniments as well as pickled and in salads and relishes. Try them grated or diced and served warm in an erbed vinaigrette or cold in a thick sour-cream or yogurt dressing flavored with horseradish or dill. Serve hot, baby beets in a creamy bechamel or cheese sauce as a side dish. Beets are also used to make borscht, the classic Russian soup.
Beets are good in hot dishes and accompaniments as well as pickled and in salads and relishes. Try them grated or diced and served warm in an erbed vinaigrette or cold in a thick sour-cream or yogurt dressing flavored with horseradish or dill. Serve hot, baby beets in a creamy bechamel or cheese sauce as a side dish. Beets are also used to make borscht, the classic Russian soup.
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