Beetroot - a useful product. And so it must be included in your diet. And in the winter especially, because at this time of year the body receives vitamins significantly less than in summer or autumn.
But not every hostess likes to tinker with this vegetable, especially if the beets are needed boiled. After all, she has been cooking for so long! Yes, and the workplace after it has to be washed.
But beets can be frozen. What is the advantage of this method of preparation?
- It is necessary to devote time to beets only once, having prepared it for the winter, and after washing everything in the kitchen. But then you can simply take a bag of beets, which is already cut, as required by the recipe, and add to the dish. As they say, with one hand movement!
- Practically all useful substances are stored in frozen beets. But if there is no special room for storing root crops (cellar, basement), then it’s impossible to store beets in the beets for a long time. It will still sprout, rot, or deteriorate.
- In winter, beets are much more expensive in the market than in the fall. And not the fact that it will be of high quality. Very often in the winter, the beets are sold either frostbitten or with black spots, which say that the beets have started to deteriorate.
Preparing beets for freezing
Beets are frozen, either raw or boiled.
But in any case, beet intended for freezing should be flawless. Root crop should be smooth, strong, dark burgundy color.
Do not freeze very large beets, as well as the one on the tail of which there are many hairs (thin roots). It is believed that such beets are very tough, which can affect the quality of frozen products. In beets, cut the base of the tops, leave part of the tail.
Root vegetables are thoroughly washed with a brush.
How to freeze raw beets
Although it is believed that frozen raw beets during cooking change in color, this method of preparation is very popular because of its simplicity.
Washed beets are peeled and washed well again.
Spread on paper towels and wait until all the water runs out, and the beetroot dries.
Method 1. Beets cut into cubes, strips or slices. It depends on the preferences of the hostess and on which dishes the vegetable is harvested for.
Cut the beets are laid out in small bags, preferably intended for freezing products, and sealed or tied, not forgetting to make a mark that the beets are raw.
If they want the slices not to be frozen one to the other, the beets are frozen in two stages.
First, cut the beets are laid out in a thin layer on a tray, covered with foil and cleaned in the freezer for 1-2 hours. During this time, the beets will freeze.
Then it is laid out in small bags, deflate the air out of them and close well. The bags prepared in this way are put into the freezer.
Method 2. Beetroot rubbed on a medium or small grater and laid out in bags, giving them a flat shape. Or placed in plastic containers. The container is well closed, signed and put in the freezer.
How to freeze boiled beets
Method 1. Washed root vegetables are baked right in the skin in the oven until soft.
Peeled and well cooled.
Cut the beets, based on their preferences. For example, for a vinaigrette, it is better to cut it into small cubes, and in a snack of beets it will be better to look if it is cut into straws. To cut the beets in the process of freezing does not turn into one big lump, it is frozen in two doses.
To do this, beets are laid out in one layer on a flat dish and placed in the freezer for 1-2 hours. During this time, the pieces of beet will be covered with ice shell and no longer stick to each other.
After that, the beets are packaged in portion sachets, hermetically sealed, signed, indicating that the beets are boiled, and put into the freezer.
Method 2. Washed, but not peeled beets are placed in a saucepan, poured with cold water and put on the stove.
Cook until cooked.
To the beet has not lost its color, you need to monitor the boil - it should be barely noticeable. Some housewives add some vinegar to the water, which helps to keep the beet color.
Cooked beets immediately dipped in cold water, and then peeled.
The beetroot prepared in this way is cut into cubes or otherwise.
Freeze on the same principle as in the first embodiment.
Some housewives are interested in whether it is possible to freeze beets cooked without peel.
Sure you may. But in such a beet will be a little less nutrients, although this will not affect the appearance of the vegetable.
To keep the beet from losing its rich color, it is boiled at a low boil, and the boiled beetroot is quickly rinsed with very cold water and placed in a refrigerator until it cools completely. This technique returns the beet to the original color. Tested in practice!
Method 3. Boiled and chilled beetroot rubbed on a medium or small grater and laid out in small plastic containers or thick plastic bags. They are well sealed, closed or tied and put into the freezer for further storage.
How to freeze beet puree
This puree harvested for baby food.
Washed beetroot, without peeling, is cooked until ready.
Rinse with cold water and peel.
Cut into pieces and grind in a blender.
Lay out in small plastic containers or bags, close well and put into the freezer.
This puree is added to the dish at the very end of cooking, both frozen and thawed.
The shelf life of frozen in any way beets 8-10 months.
How to defrost beets
Beets are defrosted in the plus section of the refrigerator or at room temperature, for example, beets, grated on a grater, which they want to use for salad.
Beets, frozen raw, require further heat treatment. But we must remember that frozen beets are cooked much faster than fresh ones. It can be added to the dish during cooking, without defrosting in advance.
And the beetroot, frozen in boiled form, is placed in a cooked dish at the very end of cooking.
