Beetroot is a tasty and healthy vegetable, loved by many housewives. It can be eaten raw, but it becomes much tastier if you boil it. How long is boiled beets stored? What to do if you have to cook it for the future, say, for salads for the holiday? How fast can a vegetable go bad?
Why is it important
Why is it important to know the answer to the question of how much boiled beets are stored? First of all, because this product has a lot of useful properties. Among them:
- normalization of the gastrointestinal tract;
- cleansing the liver of toxins;
- strengthening immunity;
- prevention of malignant tumors;
- mood improvement;
- calming effect on the nervous system;
- increased hemoglobin in the blood.
Boiled beets retain most of the beneficial properties of a raw product. Proper storage will avoid their loss.
In the fridge
Boiled beets in their properties are almost as useful as a raw product, and at the same time they are much better in taste. Obviously, the shelf life of cooked vegetables is less than that of raw vegetables. Beets will deteriorate if kept for more than a day at room temperature. Leaving the cooked vegetable on the table for more than a few hours is strongly discouraged.
How long is boiled beets stored in the refrigerator? The answer to this question depends primarily on the state of the product. If the vegetable is already peeled and cut into pieces, it is not recommended to hold it for longer than a day, even at low temperatures. It is advisable to pack the beets in cling film before placing them in the refrigerator. You can also put the vegetable in a deep bowl and cover it with something on top.
How long is boiled beets stored if it has not yet been peeled? In this case, the vegetable is allowed to be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days. Recommended temperature is from 0 to 6 degrees. If you leave the beets for a longer period, then it will begin to lose its beneficial properties.
Vacuum bags
What to do if you plan to keep the vegetable in the refrigerator for more than three days? Extend his life will help a vacuum bag, which is easy to purchase in the economic department. How many days can be cooked beets with such packaging? The product will be able to maintain its beneficial properties for up to 10 days.
Beets in a vacuum bag can be stored in their entirety. It is necessary to wait until the vegetable cools down after cooking, and then place it in the package. In a sealed bag in which air does not penetrate, the product should be refrigerated.
You can also pre-peel the beets from the skin, and then cut into strips, slices or cubes. For some time, the product is recommended to be placed on a sieve. This is required in order for the juice to stack. It is not necessary to keep beets on a sieve for a long time, since chopped slices can grow into a dry crust. When the juice drains, you can pack the product. Sliced pieces should lie tightly, but not in a thick layer. They can also be stored for up to 10 days, if there is such a need. The vacuum bag can be replaced with a container if desired. The shelf life of this does not change.
Is it possible to store boiled beets in the freezer
The methods described above are relevant if the vegetable is not planned to be kept in the refrigerator for more than 10 days. Longer storage of the product may also be required. Can i store boiled beets in the freezer? This question is answered in the affirmative.
How to do it right? First of all, boiled beets need to be peeled. Next, the product should be cut into strips, rings or cubes. The result should be distributed in sealed bags and placed in the freezer.
Shelf life in the freezer
How long is boiled beets stored in the freezer? It depends primarily on temperature. With an indicator of -12 degrees, the shelf life of the root crop does not exceed 90 days. Up to six months, the life expectancy of a vegetable increases if the temperature is -18 degrees and below.
If you freeze cooked beets, then it will retain most of the nutrients. However, it should be understood that its palatability will deteriorate.
Useful Tips
How to store boiled beets correctly? On each container, it is recommended to indicate the date of freezing. This precaution will help you remember when exactly the product expires. This is especially true when it comes to long-term storage in the freezer.
In each package, it is advisable to store no more than one serving. This is due to the fact that repeated freezing is harmful to beets. Because of this, a vegetable loses its beneficial properties, and its taste significantly deteriorates.
If the root crop is slightly dried up, then you can try to "revive" it with boiled water. Then it’s worth holding the beets in plain water for some time. It will swell and take on the usual form.
Selection recommendations
The taste of the root crop depends not only on whether it is stored properly. Of course, it is best to freeze vegetables grown on your own site. Unfortunately, not everyone has such an opportunity.
When buying goods on the market, great attention must be paid to its appearance. Preference should be given to a vegetable with a thin skin of a dark red hue. The best size is medium. Optimum dimensions - from 12 to 15 cm in diameter.
For many, it is important how much sugar is contained in the vegetable. This can be determined by its shape. Flattened root vegetables are sweeter, while oblong ones have a neutral taste.
The age of beets is also easy to determine. Old root crops are coarse, characterized by a fibrous structure. They have to be cooked for a long time, but they are better suited for storage. Young vegetables have a mild flavor, delicate structure. Cooking them for a long time is not worth it, since all the color will go into the water.
How to cook
How to store boiled beets at home? The result also depends on whether the product is cooked correctly. First you need to wash the root crop, remove the tail and tops. Next, the beets are placed in a cooking pot. It is important that the liquid conceals the vegetable. The water should rise above it by about 5-8 cm. In order for the water to boil faster, it is necessary to turn on the maximum fire.
After boiling the liquid, you can add a teaspoon of vinegar or a tablespoon of lemon juice to the pan. Due to this, the color of the root crop does not change under the influence of heat treatment. After boiling water, the fire should be minimized. Beets are cooked for about an hour. Cooking time depends on whether a young or mature root crop is selected, as well as on the size of the vegetable.
You can reduce the cooking time of beets if you leave the gas at maximum. In this case, it takes about 20 minutes to cook the product. After this, the root crop is placed in ice water, where it needs to be kept for about 10 minutes. The advantage of this approach is that the beets are easy to clean and retain their beautiful color. It is this method that is best preferred if long-term storage of the vegetable is planned.
Store or not
So, the answer to the question of how much boiled beets are stored is known. Is it worth it to cook the product for the future or not - each person decides independently. Unfortunately, even with proper storage of some of its useful properties, the product will still lose. Therefore, whenever possible, it is recommended to eat freshly prepared root crops. Fortunately, beets can be purchased at any time of the year.