Why is it important
Why is it so important to know the answer to the question of how long boiled beets can be 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 the immune system;
- preventing the formation of malignant tumors;
- improved mood;
- calming effect on the nervous system;
- increase in hemoglobin levels in the blood.
You might be interested in: Cottage cheese “Dmitrovsky Dairy Plant”: composition, GOST, reviews
Boiled beets retain most of the beneficial properties inherent in the raw product. Proper storage will avoid their loss.
"Benefits" of beets
Boiled beets are the most valuable component for our health. What is its “usefulness”?
Useful qualities of boiled root vegetables:
- strengthens our immunity;
- will help you get rid of extra pounds;
- cleanses the liver of toxic compounds;
- will cheer you up;
- will help men with urological problems;
- will increase hemoglobin level;
- will normalize the activity of the gastrointestinal tract;
- will help in the treatment of oncological pathologies;
- will calm your nerves.
On a note! Beets may have a mild laxative effect.
In a refrigerator
Boiled beets in their properties are almost as good as the raw product in terms of usefulness, while significantly superior in taste. Obviously, the shelf life of a cooked vegetable is shorter than that of a raw one. Beets will spoil if kept at room temperature for more than a day. Leaving the cooked vegetable on the table for more than a few hours is strongly discouraged.
You may be interested in: Sandwich with caviar and butter: calorie content and method of preparation
How long do boiled beets last in the refrigerator? The answer to this question depends primarily on the condition of the product. If the vegetable has already been peeled and cut into pieces, it is not recommended to keep it for more than a day, even at a low temperature. It is advisable to wrap 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 can boiled beets be stored if they have not yet been peeled? In this case, the vegetable can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days. Recommended temperature is from 0 to 6 degrees. If you leave beets for a longer period, they will begin to lose their beneficial properties.
In the basement or cellar
If you have the opportunity to place supplies in a basement or cellar, be sure to take advantage of it. This is a good place, since the duration of storage in such a room, provided favorable conditions are created, is 7-9 months. To achieve such deadlines, you need to properly prepare the cellar and the harvest:
- Make sure cool air circulates freely in the room.
- Place supplies 15 cm above floor level for best airing.
- Check the temperature, which should be between 0 and +2°C. Sudden temperature changes reduce storage time.
- Humidity is not higher than 85%.
- When planting vegetables, choose seeds of less demanding varieties.
- Combination with potatoes, onions, and garlic is allowed. It is better to put carrots in a separate container.
- Dry freshly dug root vegetables in the sun, remove any remaining dirt without using water. Carefully cut off the leaves.
- It is recommended to treat with a salt solution or ash to create additional protection against rot and mold.
- Place in wooden or plastic boxes with holes. Sprinkle with sand or dry sawdust.
- Periodically check the condition of vegetables, promptly remove diseased and moldy ones.
Vacuum bags
What should you do if you plan to keep the vegetable in the refrigerator for more than three days? A vacuum bag, which can be easily purchased at the hardware store, will help extend its life. How many days can boiled beets be stored with this packaging? The product can retain its beneficial properties for up to 10 days.
Beets can be stored whole in a vacuum bag. You must wait until the vegetable cools down after cooking and then place it in the package. The product should be placed in the refrigerator in a sealed bag that does not allow air to penetrate.
You can also first peel the beets and then cut them into strips, circles or cubes. It is recommended to place the product on a sieve for some time. This is required in order for the juice to drain. You should not keep the beets on the sieve for a long time, as the chopped slices may develop a dry crust. When the juice has drained, you can pack the product. The cut pieces should lie tightly, but not in a thick layer. They can also be stored for up to 10 days, if necessary. The vacuum bag can be replaced with a container if desired. This does not change the shelf life.
Storage options
Root crops are cleaned, dried, sorted and ready for winter storage. We will describe the most convenient and most common storage methods and options, and you will choose which one suits you best. The choice depends on your preferences and capabilities. If you have a cellar, that’s great, but even an ordinary apartment will serve as a storage space.
In the apartment
You shouldn’t expect that beets will last for a long time at home, but you can count on 3-4 months. Apartment storage involves placing boxes with root vegetables in a dark place - in a pantry, under a bed or closet. The main condition is to be away from heating devices. Boxes should be chosen low. The beets need to be lined with sand, sawdust or chalk.
The storage method in sand boxes involves simple steps. River sand must be clean, sifted and calcined. You can heat it in the oven; this disinfection method is the most convenient. Root crops are placed in boxes in layers: a layer of sand, a layer of beets, and so on. This technique guarantees excellent condition of vegetables for several months.
If the apartment has a balcony protected from frost, and the temperature on it does not drop below 0°C, the beets will be perfectly preserved there until spring. The box with sand and root vegetables should be placed on the balcony, covered with a blanket in case of frost.
An open, unglazed balcony can also be equipped as a bookmark. A tightly knit wooden box will do just fine. It is necessary to install it on the balcony, insulate it with polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam. You can add light to the box by installing a small lamp. It is convenient for pulling out vegetables and will serve as heating, preventing the tubers from freezing.
In the basement or cellar
The best option with the best conditions is a cellar or basement. You can preserve the harvest of root vegetables even by simply scattering beets on the floor. But it’s more convenient to make bins; this will only increase the shelf life.
Beets are stored well in plastic bags of 20-30 kg. In this case, the bags are not tied to allow free air flow. If condensation does appear on the walls of the bag, the tubers should be poured out and dried.
In the cellar it is also convenient to store tubers in boxes, sprinkled with sand or salt. We have already considered the method of layering with sand. And table salt will provide root vegetables with additional protection because it has antimicrobial properties.
Sprinkling with pre-sifted ash also prevents fruit from rotting. Storing beets in sawdust gives good results. Dry products of natural origin do not emit harmful substances, so they will not harm the crop.
The ancient method of storage is in clay. The method is harmless and very effective. Clay creates a protective shell for the tuber, preventing rot and disease development. You need to collect clay, sift through a large sieve and dilute with water to the consistency of sour cream. Dip the fruits into the resulting slurry one by one and set aside until completely dry. Dried root vegetables last until spring and longer.
Beets store well with potatoes. They get along great. Potatoes give up excess moisture to beets, which is exactly what they need. To do this, the beets are placed in 2-3 layers on top of the potatoes.
Is it really 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. Is it possible to store boiled beets in the freezer? The answer to this question is positive.
How to do this correctly? 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 into sealed bags and placed in the freezer.
Methods for storing beets and what is the best way to keep them
Proper storage of beets will ensure that they have the appropriate taste and the presence of all useful elements and vitamins. Special vacuum bags for freezing are most suitable. Their feature is that they do not allow air to pass through, due to which the contents do not deteriorate over a long period of time. The bags also protect against germs.
Airtight containers work well for storage in the refrigerator. Their only drawback is their volume, but if you have enough space, you can resort to this storage method.
Boiled beets should definitely be eaten, because they are healthy and quite tasty. If you follow the rules for storing vegetables in the freezer and refrigerator, you will always have an excellent addition to various dishes on hand. Pre-prepared beets will save you cooking time.
Useful tips
How to store boiled beets correctly? It is recommended to indicate the freezing date on each container. 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.
It is advisable to store no more than one serving in each package. This is due to the fact that repeated freezing is harmful to beets. Because of this, the vegetable loses its beneficial properties, and its taste also deteriorates significantly.
If the root crop is slightly dry, you can try to “revive” it with boiled water. Then you should keep the beets in plain water for some time. It will swell and take on its usual shape.
Methods for preparing beets
The least troublesome cooking method is baking. Properly baked beets retain maximum beneficial properties and do not require constant attention and monitoring of the water level in the pan. In addition, the baking sheet is washed much easier than the dishes in which this healthy vegetable had to be cooked for about an hour and a half.
The baking time for beets in the oven is from 40 minutes to an hour. The duration of the process depends on its variety and size.
Before placing the root vegetable in the oven, it must be thoroughly washed, dried and hermetically sealed in a baking bag. If this is not available, you can replace it with several layers of foil. It is recommended to wrap large tubers separately from each other. As for the foil itself, it should fit as tightly as possible to the vegetables. This way they can maintain their original volume and nutritional value.
A multicooker saves a lot of time, so steaming beets in it will not be difficult. The main thing is to load the prepared root vegetable into the bowl and turn on the appropriate mode.
If you don’t have a multicooker, a microwave oven is perfect as an oven. You can either boil vegetables in it or cook them baked. In the first case, the beets undergo heat treatment in a special container filled with water, and in the second they are baked. Moreover, each of these express methods takes no more than 15 minutes.
If you drizzle the beets with vegetable oil before mixing, they will lessen the color of the neighboring vegetables in the vinaigrette.
Recommendations for selection
The taste of a root vegetable depends not only on whether it is stored correctly. Of course, it is best to freeze vegetables grown on your own plot. Unfortunately, not everyone has this opportunity.
When purchasing a product on the market, you need to pay great attention to its appearance. Preference should be given to vegetables with thin skin of a dark red hue. The best size is medium. Optimal dimensions are from 12 to 15 cm in diameter.
For many, what is important is how much sugar a vegetable contains. This can be determined by its shape. Flattened roots are sweeter, while oblong ones have a neutral taste.
The age of beets is also easy to determine. Old root vegetables are coarse and have a fibrous structure. They take a long time to cook, but they are better for storage. Young vegetables have a mild taste and delicate structure. You shouldn’t cook them for a long time, as all the color will go into the water.
How to cook properly
How to store boiled beets at home? The result also depends on whether the product is prepared 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 hides the vegetable. The water should rise above it by about 5-8 cm. To make the water boil faster, you need to turn on the maximum heat.
After the liquid boils, you can add a teaspoon of vinegar or a tablespoon of lemon juice to the pan. Thanks to this, the color of the root crop will not change under the influence of heat treatment. After the water boils, the fire should be kept to a minimum. The beets are cooked for about an hour. The cooking time depends on whether the root vegetable is young or mature, as well as on the size of the vegetable.
You can reduce the cooking time for beets by leaving the gas at maximum. In this case, you will have to cook the product for about 20 minutes. After this, the root crop is placed in ice water, where it must be kept for about 10 minutes. The advantage of this approach is that beets are easy to clean and retain their beautiful color. This method is best preferred if you plan to store the vegetable for a long time.
Chemical composition and calorie content of beets
So, what are the benefits of boiled beets for the body?
Due to the presence of fiber and amino acids, consuming root vegetables is useful for disorders of the digestive system, namely chronic constipation. Beets are considered a natural “broom” for both the intestines and the whole body, since they have a pronounced laxative effect.
The rich chemical composition and high content of hematopoietic nutrients make this vegetable a natural medicine for anemia and anemia, and its substances are actively involved in hematopoiesis. This property of the product is used by women for menstrual irregularities and painful periods.
Betaine regulates fat metabolism, normalizes liver function, preventing the accumulation of fat in it. This organic substance also destroys the accumulation of the substance homocysteine in the body, which harms blood vessels in the same way as cholesterol. Therefore, the inclusion of this vegetable crop in the daily diet reduces the risk of heart attacks, strokes and the development of atherosclerosis.
In addition to betaine, potassium and magnesium strengthen the heart muscle and promote the dissolution of atherosclerotic plaques, and therefore the root vegetable is indicated in the diet of hypertensive patients. This ability is also supported by the strong diuretic effect of this vegetable.
Bentaine also performs a very important job in the body - it protects cells from dehydration and excess salt. Cellular dehydration leads to fatigue and weakness. Including enough beetroot in your dishes solves this problem.
Systematic consumption of this root vegetable sharply reduces the likelihood of diabetes and metabolic disorders in general.
The benefit of boiled beets is its anti-inflammatory effect, especially in the gastrointestinal tract. It is an excellent pain reliever and general strengthening product, as well as an excellent remedy for combating toxins, including hangovers.
Are beets good for depression and bad mood? Certainly! Because it is rich in B vitamins, which heal the nervous system and help normalize its functioning. By the way, this is why pregnant women should also include the root vegetable in the menu - to form a healthy nervous system in the unborn child.
Having looked in our table at how many calories are in fresh beets, you should have a question about the calorie content of boiled beets. It is slightly higher - 45 calories, although this figure also depends on the method of heat treatment of this vegetable crop. The low calorie content of these root vegetables, along with their health benefits, allows nutritionists to include it in many diets and nutritional systems.
Boiled beets, the benefits of which are obvious, can also cause harm. Let's dwell on this aspect too!
