How to quickly cook whole beets in a pan
Nutrient properties, useful microelements, affordability and delicious color made beets the object of close attention of culinary experts from around the world. Boiled beets are the main ingredient in many dishes of traditional cuisine: beetroot, borsch, vinaigrette, appetizers with garlic and prunes, vegetable cutlets. We will discuss how to quickly cook beets whole in a pan.
The ability to cook beets correctly determines the quality of the whole dish. It is important to withstand the time of heat treatment, to preserve useful and taste properties, not to lose texture and color. Dozens of secrets of competent cooking are known, and this article is intended to reveal some of them.
Calorie boiled beets
Vegetable has a low calorie and energy value. It should be used with caution in persons with diabetes mellitus, with bowel disease, prone to indigestion.
The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in 100 grams of boiled beets is shown in the table:
Squirrels | 1.8 g |
Fats | 0 g |
Carbohydrates | 10.8 g |
Calorie content | 49 kcal |
The right recipe for cooking beets whole in a pan
Typically, beets weighing 150 grams are cooked for at least 2 hours. However, there is a way to reduce time costs:
- To speed up the process, you need to choose small tubers with a thin burgundy skin.
- Wash the vegetable, leaving the bottom of the tops and root. Without mechanical damage, juiciness is preserved.
- Dip in boiling water for 30 minutes. To determine readiness, you need to pierce with a fork - it should be easy.
- Place in ice water for 15 minutes. The temperature difference contributes to the rapid softening of the fibers. In addition, after exposure to cold water, the peel is more easily removed.
According to the instructions, the cooking time is 45 minutes, there is no destruction of vitamins and significant color loss.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW! If fast cooking is the most important priority compared to preserving the juiciness, usefulness and color, beets should be cleaned and cut into large cubes before cooking.
Video recipe
How to cook beets so that they do not lose color
As during the preparation of borsch, and during simple cooking, to save the color of beets after boiling water in a pan add 0.5 tsp. table or apple cider vinegar. Instead of vinegar, you can add 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tbsp. l fresh lemon juice.
Cooking beets in a package in a pan
Cooking in a bag has 3 goals:
- To prevent the appearance of plaque on the pan, which is difficult to wash;
- Eliminate the smell when cooking;
- Preserve root color.
Stages of cooking in a package:
- Place the beets in a plastic bag, squeeze the air, tie tightly as close to the edge as possible.
- Put in a pan, pour water so that covers the package by 5 cm. Put on a strong fire.
- After boiling, reduce heat, cover, cook for about 50 minutes.
The usefulness of beets boiled in a package is called into question: according to housewives, when heated, polyethylene releases substances that can cause damage to health in large quantities.
Video tip
The benefits and harms of boiled beets
When cooking, trace elements are practically not destroyed, so boiled beets are not inferior to raw in terms of utility. It contains vitamins PP, P, B, fiber, iodine, manganese, iron, cesium, rubidium, folic and oxalic acids, zinc, amino acids (valine, arginine, betaine).
Useful properties include:
- Fullness with iron, necessary for the process of hematopoiesis during the onset of menstruation in women and anemia.
- Wealth in fiber, which cleanses the gastrointestinal tract from putrefactive bacteria, enhances intestinal motility, and promotes a laxative effect.
- Regulation of fat breakdown, lowering blood pressure due to betaine in the composition.
- Prevention of hypertension with magnesium.
- Iodine helps with thyroid disease.
- High content of antioxidants that support the functioning of the immune system.
Harm cooked beets:
- Increased acidity.
- High sugar, dangerous for diabetics.
- Oxalic acid can aggravate urolithiasis.
- Participation in the leaching of calcium, which is extremely dangerous for patients with osteoporosis.
- Bowel disorders.
Boiled beets are a vegetable, on the basis of which culinary masterpieces of European cuisine are created. It is included in the most effective diet for weight loss due to antioxidant and laxative properties. However, only a competent choice of the method of preparation will reveal the listed qualities in full.