Cooking Beets
with
Rachel Edelman
Beets are a root vegetable that can be boiled, baked, steamed, fried, or grilled. See how to choose and prepare beets, and also how to cook a spiced beet dish.
Transcript: Cooking Beets
Hi, I'm Rachel Edelman for About.com Food. Today I'm going to show you how to prepare and cook beets. I'm also going to show you how to make a delicious spiced beet dish.Choosing Beets
Look for beets that are small and firm with a deep maroon color. They should have unblemished skin and bright green leaves. Also try to choose beets that are about the same size for an even cooking time.Wash and Prepare the Beets
Now, gently wash the beets. The skin will be removed after we cook them, so you don t have to scrub too hard. Next trim the tops to about 1 inch of the stem. Leave the tail on. Everything will be removed after cooking.Boiling Beets
For this recipe, I'm going to boil the beets for about 30 minutes. Beets can also be baked, steamed, fried, or grilled. Once they are soft, remove the beets from the heat. You may need to leave some of the larger beets in for a longer time. Pour out the beets into a colander. Cool the beets under cold running water.Simple Spiced Beets Recipe
Peel off the skins. This should be very easy to do with a knife or a peeler. Next, trim off the ends of the beets. Whole beets can be refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for up to 10 months.You can serve sliced cooked beets just as they are in a salad or as a side dish. However, I'm going to dice the beets for my spiced beet dish.
Put the beets in a medium saucepan. Add:
- 1 quarter of a cup of butter
- a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper
- 1/4 of a cup of light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
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