Cooking and cleaning
Heating vacuum packed beetroot
Vacuum packed beetroot can be heated in the bag – simply add the bag to boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes, or pierce the top of the bag a couple of times and microwave (3½ mins at 650w or 3mins at 750w). Either way, leave the bag to cool for one minute before opening carefully.
Cooking beetroot from raw
Don't peel or cut beetroot prior to cooking or the colour (and nutrients) will leach out. Instead, gently scrub the beets to clean thoroughly and twist off the green tops and then either:
- Roast: Small to medium beets can be roasted whole, or cut into quarters. Pre-boil for 15-20 minutes, drain and place in a roasting tin. Lightly coat with oil and seasoning and roast at 180C/360F/Gas 4 for 40-45 minutes (timing will vary depending on the size of the beets).
- Boil: Put beetroot in a pan of water, bring to the boil and heat for 40 - 45 minutes. Beetroot is naturally quite high in sodium so you don’t need to add salt.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Put the whole beets into a baking dish, cover with foil and cook for 1-2 hours (depending on the size of the beets). Leave till cool enough to handle, and remove the skins - they should slip off easily.
Raw beetroot
Raw beetroot can be peeled and grated to add a sweet flavour and great colour to salads, or try juicing it with other vegetables such as carrots and celery. Use gloves or a plastic sandwich bag to hold beetroot when grating it to avoid pink fingers!
Cleaning up beetroot stains
Beetroot is a water-soluble dye so try one of these methods to clean up stains:
- To remove from hands, rub with lemon juice and salt before washing with soap and water
- On fabrics, rub a slice of raw pear on the stain before washing or rinse in cold water before washing in a biological powder
- Use a bleach solution for cutting boards and containers.
