How to Cook Beets to Retain Nutrients (2024)

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How to Cook Beets to Retain Nutrients (1)

David Hopkins

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Get the Most Bang for Your Beet

There’s plenty to love about beets. This root vegetable is hardy, filling and a natural comfort food, but its incredible nutritional value is the real draw. How do you prepare them to get the most bang for your beet? Discover the nutritional benefits of beets, the best ways to cook them and the benefits of cooking in stainless steel.

Health Benefits of Beets

Beets are rich in nutrients like potassium, magnesium, folate, vitamin C, nitrates and betaine. Studies have shown that beets can helpreduce blood pressure and improve cognitive function.

Beets could improveathletic performance by enhancingblood flow and alleviating muscle soreness in some types of exercise. That's why downing a glass of beet juice has become a standard pregame ritual for many endurance athletes.

How to Prepare Beets

If you want to maximize beets' nutritional value, follow the tips below when storing and cooking them.

1. Store Them Properly

After bringing beets home from the grocery, try to store them immediately unless you're cooking them right away. Proper storage can preserve their flavor and life span.

Start by cutting off the beet greens, leaving about an inch of stem attached. Wrap the beets gently in paper towels, then store them in a plastic Ziploc bag in the refrigerator. They should last for about two or three weeks.

You can blanch and freeze them if you'd like to store them for longer — they should last up to eight months. Washing beets before storage can make them rot faster, so remember to leave them unwashed until right before you use them.

Remove the beets from the refrigerator when you're ready to cook them. Wash and scrub them gently with a vegetable brush, then prepare them using one of the methods below.

2. Roast Them

Roasting is an overall healthy cooking method with minimal vitamin loss, particularly vitamin C. Roasted beets are rich and sweet with slight mineral flavors. Remember to avoid long cooking times and high temperatures, as these can reduce nutrients. Try using smaller bulbs if you want to prepare them faster. You can roast beets in an oven with dry heat, or with Saladmaster cookware on the stove.

How to Cook Beets to Retain Nutrients (2)

3. Stir-Fry Them

While cooking techniques like pan-frying, shallow-frying and deep-frying increase calorie, salt and fat content, stir-frying is a healthier technique. We recommend using a stainless steel wok from Saladmaster to stir-fry beets and other vegetables.

Whatever cooking method you use, we recommend keeping the skin on your beets — there are valuable nutrients in those root vegetable skins. Use a Saladmaster food processor to slice it, and you won’t even notice the skin.

4. Use Stainless Steel Cookware

At Saladmaster, our 316Ti stainless steel cookware makes it easy to prepare vegetables without unnecessary oils. Other advantages of stainless steel cookware include the following.

  • Durable: Quality stainless steel cookware is reliable and durable. Unlike aluminum, glass, ceramic and other materials, it can last for many years without rusting, chipping, bending or warping.
  • No toxins: Most nonstick and aluminum pans have potentially harmful chemical coatings, like Teflon and polyfluoroalkyl. Stainless steel cookware is free of these toxins, making them safer for the oven and regular use.
  • Easy cleaning: Stainless steel cookware is easy to clean and disinfect. It has a smooth, nonporous surface that blocks air and liquid. It reduces germ and bacterial buildup, as food can't penetrate its surface.

Reap the Benefits of Stainless Steel Cookware With Saladmaster

After exploring the pros of stainless steel cookware, you might consider investing in a premium stainless steel cookware set from Saladmaster. Our semi-vacuum Vapo-Valve™ technology has the following features to lock in nutrients and make cooking a breeze.

  • No water or oil: Saladmaster cookware cooks the food in the steam of its juices. It doesn't require water, oil, butter or other fats, thus protecting nutritional value without sacrificing flavor.
  • Precise cooking times: The built-in Vapo-Valve™ clicks when your food reaches maximum cooking temperature, preventing overheating while reducing cooking times.
  • Protects nutrients: Our cookware can retain up to 93% of your food's vitamins and minerals.

If you're interested in purchasing or learning more about our innovative cookware, find an Authorized Saladmaster Dealer near you today!

Connect with Saladmaster

To learn more about what Saladmaster can do for you, pleasecontact a dealer,and enjoy tasting the Saladmaster difference by hosting a cooking show.

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How to Cook Beets to Retain Nutrients (2024)

FAQs

How to Cook Beets to Retain Nutrients? ›

Steaming beets is a healthful cooking method because they retain most of their vitamins and minerals—they're not boiled out in water—and stay incredibly vibrant. Plus, steaming small beets or beet quarters is quick and easy for weeknights.

How do you cook beets for maximum benefits? ›

Steaming in the oven rather than baking helps preserve more of the healthy vitamins and minerals in beets. This method also helps beets better retain their beautiful, vibrant color. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place prepped beets and 3 tablespoons to ¼ cup water in a shallow baking dish.

What is the healthiest way to eat beets? ›

Eating beets raw or juicing and roasting them may be more beneficial than boiling them. Beetroots, commonly known as beets, are a vibrant and versatile type of vegetable. They're known for their earthy flavor and aroma. Many people call them a superfood because of their rich nutritional profile.

Do beets lose nutrients when cooked? ›

Betalains are highly concentrated in the peel and flesh of the beet, however, beets do undergo a steady loss of nutritional value with heat, so to get the most betalain benefit, beets should be steamed for no more than 15 minutes, if at all.

How do you eat beetroot without losing nutrients? ›

How to Prepare Beets
  1. Store Them Properly. After bringing beets home from the grocery, try to store them immediately unless you're cooking them right away. ...
  2. Roast Them. Roasting is an overall healthy cooking method with minimal vitamin loss, particularly vitamin C. ...
  3. Stir-Fry Them. ...
  4. Use Stainless Steel Cookware.
Aug 22, 2018

What is the most nutritious way to cook fresh beets? ›

Steaming beets is a healthful cooking method because they retain most of their vitamins and minerals—they're not boiled out in water—and stay incredibly vibrant. Plus, steaming small beets or beet quarters is quick and easy for weeknights.

How many times a week is it safe to eat beets? ›

The oxalates found in beets can increase your uric acid level, meaning that too many beets can lead to gout. To avoid this, stick to no more than a single half-cup serving of beets per day.

Is it better to boil or roast beets? ›

Roasting beets gives them a sweeter, richer, and deeper flavor than boiling does.

What happens to your body when you eat beets everyday? ›

Beets may help reduce the risk of chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and dementia. They are high in antioxidants, which can reduce the risk of cellular damage and some cancers. The nitrate content in beets may also help regulate blood pressure and have anti-inflammatory effects.

Is it better to drink beet juice or eat beets? ›

Both eating beets and drinking beet juice will give you anti-inflammatory betalains and other phytonutrients. If you're looking to enhance athletic performance, drink up. Juicing beets delivers a concentrated dose of nitrates, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. However, you lose the fiber when you juice the beets.

When should you not eat beetroot? ›

Anyone who has low blood pressure or is currently taking blood pressure medication should speak with a healthcare professional before adding beets or beetroot juice to their diet. Beets contain high levels of oxalates, which can cause kidney stones in people with a high risk of this condition.

Why is vinegar added in water for boiling beetroot? ›

Place the beets in a large saucepan and add water to cover and the lemon juice or vinegar. This will help to keep the beets from bleeding. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Place pot under running cold water and let rinse until beets can be handled.

Do you peel beets before cooking? ›

Keep checking whichever method you're using. Don't remove the beet skin before cooking. It's really not necessary and it's much easier to do so after cooking. Some also find that removing the skin prior to cooking takes away some of the beet's earthy test.

How many beets do you have to eat to get benefits? ›

According to Dr. Melamed, the typical serving size recommendation is one cup of cooked beets per day. But that doesn't mean you actually have to eat them every day; it's always best, she adds, to rotate your healthy foods so you get a variety of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

Should you drink the water after boiling beets? ›

Yes, you can. It's completely safe to drink water that has been used to boil beetroots.

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