How to quickly and correctly cook beets in the microwave?

How to quickly and correctly cook beets in the microwave?

It's no secret that beets are considered one of the most delicious and healthy vegetable crops. Nevertheless, the rather long preparation of this root crop makes many housewives give up the pleasure of eating this product. However, not everyone knows that beets can be cooked in just five minutes. How this is possible and what needs to be done for this, we will understand below.

Advantages and disadvantages

Beets really bring great benefits to the human body. Most often it is used as a component to add to a salad, first course or appetizer. However, the frantic pace of life contributed to the fact that many began to forget about delicious home cooking and recipes passed down from generation to generation.

Most people have switched to the use of semi-finished products. Perhaps, having familiarized yourself with the list of useful properties of beets, you will begin to use this root crop more often.

  • Beets are primarily a source of vital folate, which is popularly known as vitamin B9. It is essential for women who are preparing to become a mother, and has an excellent rejuvenating effect.
  • Dietary fiber, contained in large quantities, is a kind of food for the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract.Fiber helps to strengthen the immune system and is responsible for the body's ability to cleanse itself.
  • Regular consumption of beets is an excellent prevention of atherosclerosis or hypertension.
  • Few people know, but this root crop reduces the risk of cancerous tumors.
  • Beetroot decoction, which is often called beetroot among the people, is a real lifesaver for a person suffering from a hangover.
  • Beets are one of the most delicious diet foods. People suffering from obesity or seeking to lose weight can consume this root vegetable in large quantities, without fear of gaining unnecessary kilograms.

Despite the huge number of advantages, like any other product, beets have a number of minor drawbacks that you still need to be aware of.

  • Doctors in no case recommend eating beets raw. The fact is that, getting into the stomach, an unpeeled vegetable causes digestive heartburn. If you have ever experienced internal bleeding, heartburn or colic, eating a raw vegetable can cause unpleasant consequences.
  • When switching to a healthy diet, it is not recommended to lean on salads with beets for the first time. The fact is that a person who has been abusing starch for a long time has significantly depleted the number of beneficial prebiotic bacteria during this period, which allow you to digest vegetable crops rich in fiber. Abruptly switching to healthy foods can cause severe bloating and gas.
  • There have been rare cases of an allergic reaction to eating beets.Allergy is expressed in the form of swelling in the nasopharynx, rashes on the skin and enlarged lymph nodes.

What will be needed?

The main advantage of cooking root vegetables in the microwave is the quick cooking time. The use of the well-known method of cooking beets on the stove causes a number of unpleasant circumstances. First of all, the vegetable must be boiled for at least an hour, a specific aroma appears in the apartment, and there is also an increase in humidity, which makes it unbearably hot in the living room.

Using a microwave oven is much more convenient and practical. For example, many cooking recipes eliminate the need to add water. Consequently, the root crop will retain the complex of useful trace elements and vitamins as much as possible. A nice bonus is clean dishes that do not need to be washed from a long boil.

In order to cook the root crop, first of all, you need a microwave oven, the power of which reaches at least 850 watts. For the preparation of beets, only one plate is required, on which the root crop will be laid.

Keep in mind that not every dish is suitable for use in a microwave oven. For example, in no case should metal plates be used.

It is desirable that the container is transparent: this contributes to a better passage of microwaves. In addition, it should not contain substances that are good conductors for electric current (for example, copper or silver), and have a sufficient level of thermal stability. Also, for most recipes that allow you to cook beets in the microwave, you need a plastic bag or cling film.

Red beets for borscht are best baked whole for about 5 minutes. This method has mostly only positive reviews. Such boiled beets retain a maximum of color.

Beetroot chips can be baked in the oven. In this case, it must first be boiled or use a raw vegetable.

Methods and recipes

Today, there are many ways to cook beets. Cooks from all over the world never cease to amaze with new methods of cooking this healthy vegetable. Consider the most common and effective ways to quickly cook beets.

We cook a whole root vegetable in a bag

For this method, you will need to choose high-quality beets. It is advisable to give preference to a neat, small root crop. Next, thoroughly rinse the vegetable under a strong stream of warm water. To speed up the process, use a coarse dishwashing brush. The beet tail is usually cut off, but this is not necessary. Peeled and washed beets are placed inside a plastic bag, which is tied with a tight knot.

It is recommended to poke a few small holes in the bag with a toothpick so that the steam can escape. Before placing the bag in the microwave, place it on a plate.

To cook beets in a microwave oven, you must set the maximum power from 850 watts to 1000 watts. The cooking time of the root crop directly depends on its size. As a rule, cooking takes from 8 to 15 minutes. In the presence of especially large root crops, it is advisable to first cut them into several pieces.

The cooked beets are taken out of the microwave oven and removed from the polyethylene. Allow the vegetable to cool for 3-5 minutes. By the way, potatoes are boiled in a similar way.

Cooking vegetable pieces in a bag

This is one of the most effective methods to quickly bake a vegetable. Clean dishes are a nice bonus. First, select a vegetable of the required size, rinse thoroughly under a strong stream of water and lightly walk with a coarse brush. Next, cut the vegetable into several pieces and distribute evenly inside the plastic bag, then tie the bag in a tight knot.

As in the previous method, pierce several holes with a toothpick to let the steam escape. Holes that are too large will help the beets to brown. The number and size of the holes will depend on what result you want to get. Don't forget to place the bag on a plate before placing the beets in the microwave.

The power of the microwave oven should be set to maximum. Cooking time takes no more than 5 minutes. If you cut the root crop into very small pieces, this will significantly reduce the waiting time. At the end of cooking, the bag is carefully cut. After five minutes, you can start preparing salads.

We cook in water

First you need to thoroughly clean and rinse the root crop. Then cut it into several pieces of the same size. This method requires the presence of a deep glass container, in which previously cut beetroot pieces are laid in an even layer. The vegetable is filled with water and covered with a lid. The dishes are placed in the microwave, setting it to maximum power. The cooking process usually takes 5 to 7 minutes.

Whether the vegetable is cooked can be checked with an ordinary kitchen knife. The free entry of its tip indicates the readiness of the product. The remaining liquid in the container is drained.The vegetable is left to cool for a couple of minutes, after which you can start preparing salads.

If the water is not drained after boiling, the beets will begin to lose their characteristic flavor and the texture will become more watery. Many other vegetables, such as carrots, are cooked in this way.

Cooking a vegetable with cling film

This method of cooking beets may resemble boiling in a plastic bag. It is equally good for cooking a whole vegetable, and pre-cut into pieces. In the first case, the root crop is washed and cleaned. It is advisable not to cut the tail. With the help of cling film, the beets are wrapped several times. Make sure that there is no area not covered with a film. We send it to the microwave for 10-15 minutes. The oven power should not exceed 850 watts.

Sliced ​​beets are evenly placed on the surface of the plate, which is covered with a dense cling film. Cooking time takes no more than 10 minutes.

Tips & Tricks

To date, a lot of recommendations and little tricks have accumulated about how how to cook this delicious root vegetable correctly and quickly, while preserving its useful vitamins and minerals as much as possible.

  • This method is one of the easiest, not requiring much effort from you. The cover, which will be discussed, comes with any microwave oven. However, few people use it. First of all, the root crop must be thoroughly washed, and then cut in such a way as you would do it for making a salad. Next, you need to take a container that can be used to heat food in the microwave. Beet slices are laid out in an even layer in the selected container and covered with a lid for the microwave oven.The microwave power in this case should not exceed 850 watts. Cooking time takes 3 to 5 minutes.
  • In order not to violate the integrity of the root crop and preserve the beetroot juice, it is not recommended to cut off the tail before cooking. After getting rid of it, the vegetable turns watery and whitish. This option is more suitable for recipes where the beets are stewed after cooking. For adding to salads, it is desirable to keep the tasty beetroot juice.
  • It is not necessary to add salt during cooking, since the salt evaporates during cooking, without changing the taste of the vegetable, but makes it more solid, and therefore the cooking time increases significantly. It is recommended to salt a ready-made dish.
  • To preserve the bright burgundy hue characteristic of beets, you can add one teaspoon of table vinegar, one teaspoon of granulated sugar or citric acid when cooking.
  • Not everyone will like the specific flavor of beets. To neutralize it during cooking, add a small piece of black bread crust.
  • A peeled root vegetable that has been outdoors for a long time begins to lose vitamin C.
  • If, under any circumstances, your root crops have dried up, do not get rid of them. There is one trick. First, pour boiling water over the vegetables, then place them in a deep container. Add warm water to the dishes so that it completely covers the surface of the root crops. Leave for a few hours. During this time, the beets will swell, after which it can be boiled.
  • When preparing a vinaigrette, the addition of beets often helps to color the rest of the vegetables in a rich burgundy color.If the issue of preserving the color of each ingredient is fundamental, then chopped boiled beetroot pieces should be sprinkled with a little olive oil. This will prevent the root crop from coloring other vegetables, such as potatoes.
  • Beetroot decoction (or beetroot) is a good tool in the fight against a hangover. The liquid left after boiling the beets on the stove is the basis of this miracle drink.

Adding a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon, cinnamon stick or ginger will give the drink a unique taste.

How to cook beets in the microwave in 5 minutes is shown in the following video.

no comments
The information is provided for reference purposes. Do not self-medicate. For health issues, always consult a specialist.

Fruit

Berries

nuts