Sous Vide Beets

[Chez56]

I have been playing around with beets sous vide. I have seen a lot of different times for them ranging from 45 mins at185 f or 85 C I have increased the temp to 188 F and held for one hour dropped it to 187 F for another hour and finished it at 185 F for the last hour and still they are a little too al dente for most peoples taste. This is way beyond the 45 mins I have seen posted for most recipes.

I have peeled and cut the beets into 1/2 inch cubes, heated water on top of the stove and plunged the bags into them before submersing them into the bath and started the original temp in the circulator to about 196 F to adjust for the temp loss when dropping the units in. Not overfilling  the bags, maybe some more than one layer, liquid in bags at about one third volume and still no great results. I usually braise them in a oven, covered in cold liquid for about 3 hours whole beets and they come out tender. Any suggestions?

 

Thank you

[boudin noir]

Do them in the oven.

[weinoo]

How big are beets that you braise in the oven for 3 hours?

 

I think you'll have better luck steaming them - it certainly will take a lot less time.

[rotuts]

Cuisinart Combi Oven, on the steam-bake setting.

[slkinsey]

I have had amazing results with peeled and quartered small golden beets at 85C for an hour with butter. They do have some tooth to them and aren't completely soft, but they are definitely cooked.

What texture are you going for? If you want them just as soft as your three-hour oven braise, I'm not sure what there is to be gained through use of sous vide techniques. Certainly you can't expect a similar level of tenderness after cooking them at a much lower temperature for a shorter period of time. You might consider trying sous vide carrots, which are dead easy and wonderful, to see if the texture of vegetables prepared this way is agreeable to you. One way of describing this style is that it has a slightly toothy texture that would normally go along with "not quite cooked" flavors, except that it tastes fully cooked.

[slkinsey]

root vegetables cooking sous vide in butter:

[rotuts]

inspirational  !

[slkinsey]

Those were for a thanksgiving dinner course. The great thing about preparing vegetables this way is that, just as with many proteins, you can chill the bags down in ice water, chuck them in the refrigerator for a few days, and either simply re-therm in a bath or caramelize them in butter for service. I've also experimented to good results with running all the trimmings through the juicer and using that liquid in the bag instead of butter, effectively making "carrots braised in carrot juice," "beets braised in beet juice," etc. Its also possible to, for example, put a little ginger and cumin in the bag for another layer of flavor.

Edited July 23, 2014 by slkinsey (log)

[Chez56]

The reason behind the Sous Vide Beets is volume, storage, shelf life etc. The amount of liquid required to braise them in the Oven is so much more than sous vide. I'm doing about 30 #s of beets a week and I also make a stock with all of the trimmings, a little orange juice, vinegar, herbs, olive oil etc. and add to the bag. The size i have braised in the past has been tennis ball size. (for Weinoo) It is so nice to ice bath and stack after sous vide and not have to peel, cut, strain each batch. I guess I will go back to the old method.

[weinoo]

Tennis ball sized beets?!  Those are huge and probably woodier than, say, the beets Sam is cooking above (more like golf ball, I'd guess).

Edited July 23, 2014 by weinoo (log)

[rotuts]

made soft-ball size'd beets   cut in 1/2 in the cuisi-SB and they were delicious.

'

woody-ness seems independent of size in my area, you know a 'Woodie' as soon as you cut it in 1/2

 

you toss it.

[scubadoo97]

My only experience with SV root vegetables is carrots and fennel. Both retained a lot of intense natural flavors. Beets I think should at least be quartered or they will take for ever to cook through

[weedy]

I know some purists (and phobes) are going to balk at this,

 

but for root veg, I go Voltaggio:

 

vacuumed in the bag with butter; in the microwave.

the precise temp of the immersion circulator simply isn't necessary

 

[MelissaH]

Bump!

 

Anything new in the world of sous-vide beets? The ones I regularly see around here are a little smaller than a tennis ball, but definitely bigger than a golf ball. I usually scrub them well, wrap them individually in foil, and then roast till they're soft all the way through. The skins slip right off when they're cooked. But in the supermarket this morning, I saw what appear to be vacuum-sealed cooked beets that are marked with a reasonably long shelf life. Is it possible to make them at home? Or would they freeze, so when I want beets with dinner I can just thaw a package?

[Anna N]

 I cannot answer your question but I can tell you I have tried those pre-cooked beets and the ones that I found were completely devoid of any flavour.   I tried on more than one occasion and they were quite disappointing.  YMMV

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

4 hours ago, MelissaH said:

Bump!

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but beets are root vegetables with a rather long shelf life -- that is to say all winter.  I confess to throwing out a lot of things from my hydrator, but never, to my remembrance, a rotted beet.

 

1.)  Buy beets with the greens on.

 

2.)  Remove greens and saute for dinner.  Yum.  Store beets in hydrator till needed.

 

3.)  Scrub beets, leave whole and cook in the Cuisinart Steam Oven by the @weinoo method.

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/146617-cuisinart-combo-steamconvection-oven-part-1/?do=findComment&comment=1950041

 

...placing parchment underneath the beets.  You will thank me.

 

[Anna N]

 I seem to recall David Lebovitz discussing the availability of cooked beets in French supermarkets long before I saw them here.

[rotuts]

Beets in the CSB  are very very nice

 

they are very easy and very very nice in the IP   HP steam above the water in a basket cut into 1/4's

 

I mention this as an alternative worth trying.   much easier than SV

Edited October 1, 2016 by rotuts (log)

[lindag]

I always pressure cook my beets, it doesn't usually take more than about 15 mins. and the flavor is kept in.

[Anna N]

 What I love and I am most grateful for is having options. Sometimes logistics rule. Being able to choose whether I roast, pressure cook, boil or sous vide opens up possibilities that I might not otherwise have.

[blue_dolphin]

18 hours ago, Anna N said:

 I cannot answer your question but I can tell you I have tried those pre-cooked beets and the ones that I found were completely devoid of any flavour.   I tried on more than one occasion and they were quite disappointing.  YMMV

 

This is my experience as well. I picked some up the other day to try making some little stuffed beets.  They were pretty tasteless.   Sort of makes me wonder if there are any nutrients left in them?

[Smithy]

I went on a beet kick last month and bought a small bucket of them.  As an experiment I sliced some, vacuum-packed them with a bit of oil or butter and some herbs, and then sous-vided them until they felt tender. Haven't opened any of the packages yet, but I'll report back here when I do.

[mgaretz]

I was skeptical of the Voltaggio technique but I tried it last night on some fresh green beens (the long slender type).  Vacuum packed with just some butter and microwaved until the bag looked like it would burst. It was only a single serving of beens, about 4 ozs, and it only took one minute. I let them rest for another minute or so.  They were great.

[scubadoo97]

I do roasted in the oven. But maybe a change is due.  What's the benefit?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I agree precise heat is unnecessary.  But then neither is the bagging of the beet.  I employ several hammers* for several different types of nail.

 

 

*Really.