Beets

I mostly use my sous vide to cook meats. But on occasion I have cooked vegetables. Lately I have been cooking beets sous vide which results in tender, juicy, flavorful beets.

Tools

• Sous vide cooker: this is essential, my cooker looks like a crock pot, but any kind will work
• Zip-top bags: name-brand will be better; off-brand may leak which results in less-flavorful beets
• Large bowl: for driving out the air from the zip-top bags

Ingredients

• Beets (red, yellow, or otherwise)
• Water
• Mild-flavored oil (optional): I use a refined coconut oil which is liquid at room temperature

Directions

1. Prepare the sous vide
1. Fill the sous vide with water
2. Set its temperature to 185
2. Prepare the beets
1. If you bought the full beets, and not just the bulbs, then cut off the greens and set them aside. We won't use them in this recipe.
2. Rinse and peel the beets
3. Slice into 1/2-inch slabs
3. Prepare zip-top bags with the sliced beets
1. Place sliced beets in zip-top bag in a single layer. You may use a quart- or gallon-sized bag, depending on need.
2. Optional: Add a few tablespoons of the mild-flavored oil to the bag.
3. Submerge most of the zip-top bag in water to drive out the air.
1. The oil is there to fill in the gaps instead of leaving bubbles next to the beets. I actually have quit using oil and just try and drive out as much air as possible.
4. Zip seal the zip-top bag.
4. Once the sous vide is to temperature, place the filled zip-top bags into the sous vide
5. Cook for at least 1 hour (preferably at least 2 hours)
6. Remove the bags from the sous vide
7. Allow the beets to cool
8. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

I have been preparing these for months now, and I have quit using oil with these beets. I get the same great results with just driving the air out of the bags. Unfortunately, when you submerge the bag of beets in the sous vide, the remaining air tends to expand. A lot.

To compensate for the expanded air, after a couple minutes in the sous vide I will let out more of the air, sealing the bag again. I do this very carefully because I could easily get scalded by the water in the sous vide.

I also use a silicone rack to keep the beets off of the heating element on the bottom of the sous vide (you might not need this). I use s similar silicone rack to hold the bag of beets under the surface of the water. I like those racks because they are sturdy, don't rust, are do not get very hot even in very hot water.