How to Boil Beets

Cleaning and Trimming Your Beets

Choose beets that are roughly the same size to ensure that they cook evenly. Pick out a few beets that are a suitable size for the dish you'll be using them in. Bigger beets typically take longer to cook than smaller ones. Using different-sized specimens will therefore make it harder to achieve a consistent texture. You can boil beets of any size. However, medium-sized beets tend to work best, as they offer the best balance between heartiness and cook time. Pass up beets with noticeable bruises or blemishes or dry, wrinkly-looking skin. These are usually indications that they’re past their prime.

Cut the leafy stalks off of the top of your beets. Lay your beets out on a cutting board one at a time and use a sharp knife to slice off the lush greens growing out of the upper end. Leave about ⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) of the stalk intact to avoid cutting into the beetroot itself. Raw beets can be tough, which means you may need to apply quite a bit of pressure to get your knife all the way through. Be sure to watch your fingers! If you like, you can save your beet greens and use them in other dishes. Beet greens can be prepared much like spinach, kale, collards, and other greens.

Slice off the roots protruding from the bottom of the beets. Once you've removed the stalks, turn your beets around and do the same for the long, tendril-like feeler root on the lower portion of the vegetable. Make your cut right around the point where the bulbs taper so as not to waste any of the juicy, nutritious meat. You can skip this step if your beets came pre-trimmed. This part of the beet is technically edible, though it isn't very good on its own due to its tough, stringy texture. However, it could make a flavorful addition to a homemade vegetable stock.Tip: If you happen to get beet juice on your cutting board, slice a fresh lemon in half and rub the cut side into the discolored area vigorously. Together, the friction and acid will help lift out the pigment and keep it from leaving a permanent stain.

Scrub your beets with a vegetable brush to remove excess dirt and debris. Run the head of the brush lightly over the outer surface of each beet using short, sweeping motions. Focus on spots that are heavily caked with dirt or sediment. Place the clean beets in a bowl, or set them on a layer of folded paper towels or another sanitary surface. Try not to scrub your beets too hard. Damaging the skin could cause some of their color, flavor, and nutrient contents to leach out into the boiling water. Beets grow in the ground, so it’s important to make sure that they’re nice and clean before cooking with them.

Rinse your beets thoroughly with cool, clean water. Turn on the faucet and run each beet under the stream, using the pads of your fingers to loosen any lingering dirt. When working with large batches, place your beets in a colander or wire strainer so that you can rinse them all at once. If you're a stickler for cleanliness, you can also soak your beets in a bowl full of water for around 5 minutes. Add ⁄4 cup (59 mL) of vinegar or lemon juice to help kill bacteria.

Cooking Your Beets

Place your beets at the bottom of a pot or saucepan. A standard 1.5–2 qt (1.4–1.9 L) saucepan should be big enough to cook 1-4 individual servings at one time. For larger batches, you’ll need to upsize to a medium-sized pot, stockpot, or Dutch oven to make sure there's enough room for all of the beets you're preparing. Whatever piece of cookware you use should be big enough to hold all of the beets you plan on boiling, plus an equal volume of water. Spreading out your beets a bit will allow the heat of your boiling water to better circulate between them.

Fill the pot with enough water to completely cover the beets. There’s no need to measure out a precise amount of liquid. Just turn on the faucet and let it run into your pot until the water sits 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) above the top of your beets. Don’t overfill your pot. Doing so will cause all that water to take much longer to heat up. You’ll also burn a lot of unnecessary energy trying to maintain the optimal cooking temperature.

Add 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of vinegar or lemon juice to prevent bleeding. Use a measuring cup or spoon to portion out your acid of choice, then dump it into the pot with your boiling water. It will help lock in the beets’ natural juices as they cook. As a result, they’ll come out perfectly soft, tender, and flavorful. Double the amount of acid you add for every additional ⁄2 gallon (1.9 L) of water in your pot.Tip: If you decide to use vinegar, ordinary distilled white vinegar is your best bet. Stay away from flavored varieties of vinegar, such as balsamic, red wine, or apple cider vinegar, as these could interfere with the flavor or color of your beets.

Bring the water in your pot to a boil. Set the pot on one of the eyes of your stove and switch on the cooktop to medium-high or high heat. Allow the water to heat up until it reaches a full, rolling boil. This should take around 8-10 minutes, depending on the total volume of your pot. Putting a lid on the pot will prevent excess heat from escaping, which in turn will help the water boil faster.

Reduce the heat and simmer the beets for 30-45 minutes. As soon as your water begins boiling, turn the temperature down to low-medium heat. Let the beets simmer at this decreased heat setting for around half an hour, or until they reach the desired doneness. Come back and give your beets a stir periodically to keep the heat evenly distributed throughout your pot. Be sure to leave the lid on the pot the whole time it’s on the stove. Otherwise, the temperature of the water will drop and your cook time will increase. Especially large beets or those that have been in cold storage may need closer to an hour to cook all the way through.

Use a knife to check whether your beets are done. Remove the lid from the pot, reach in carefully, and jab one of the boiled beets with the tip of your knife. If it pierces easily, it’s time for them to come off of the stove. If it still feels tough, leave them on the stove for another 10-15 minutes to soften them up. Choose a knife with a long blade to avoid burning your hand. It may also be a good idea to slip on an oven mitt if there’s a lot of steam escaping from the pot.

Peeling Boiled Beets

Fill a large bowl with ice water. Run cold water into the bowl, then add a couple handfuls of ice cubes. Place the bowl on the countertop next to your stove. You’ll be using it as an ice bath to quickly cool the boiled beets. A spacious serving or mixing bowl will work well for this purpose, but you could also fill up the sink itself if you're working with a large quantity of beets or don't have a suitable container handy.

Transfer the beets to the ice bath using a slotted spoon or pair of tongs. Once your beets are fully cooked, switch off the cooktop and remove the pot from the hot eye. Scoop the beets out of the hot cooking liquid with your spoon or tongs one-by-one and deposit them in the bowl of ice water. Alternatively, you can dump the entire contents of the pot into a colander or wire strainer before transferring the drained beets to the ice bath. You also have the option of simply emptying the boiling pot and rising your beets with cold water if you’d rather not go to the trouble of chilling them.Tip: When you’re finished, you can either drain the deep-red cooking liquid or save it and use it as the base for a flavorful soup or vegetable broth. Water infused with beet juice can even be used as an all-natural dye.

Let the beets cool in the ice bath for 2-3 minutes. Plunging your freshly-boiled beets into ice water will instantly kill their residual heat and stop them from cooking them any further. The drastic change in temperature will also loosen up the connection between the skin and the meat, making them a breeze to peel. You may need to chill your beets in batches, depending on the quantity you’ve cooked. Be sure to refill your bowl with fresh water and ice after each batch.

Peel the loose skin off of your beets by hand. At this point, the tough skin will have softened enough to allow you to simply pull it away in large sections. Use the pad of your thumb or thumbnail to scrape away any stubborn clinging spots you happen to encounter. It might be a good idea to pull on a pair of latex gloves before you begin peeling your beets to make sure that the flowing juice doesn’t stain your fingers. Discard the skins immediately to avoid discoloring your clothes, countertops, floors, or other surrounding surfaces.