To Boil Beet-root
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash the beet roots thoroughly, avoiding scraping or cutting them.
Place the whole roots in boiling water.
Cook and serve
Boil for 1.5 to 2.5 hours, depending on size.
Once cooked, peel and serve whole or thickly sliced.
Serve with melted butter.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Beet roots
- Provide the main body, earthy sweetness and colour of the dish.
- Melted butter
- Adds richness and fat that softens the earthy flavour of the beetroot.
The step that matters
Leave the skins and root ends intact while washing. Scraping or cutting the beetroot opens the skin, letting colour and sugars bleed out into the cooking water. Keeping the root whole during boiling keeps it moist, flavourful and vividly coloured.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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