Sous Vide Beets
By America's Test KitchenPublished on March 21, 2019
Time
Sous vide: 4 to 6 hours; active cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Sous Vide Temperature
191°F/88°C
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Look for beets that are roughly 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Be sure to double bag the beets to protect against seam failure. Beets have a tendency to float when placed in a sous vide water bath, which can lead to uneven cooking. Use weights to make sure the beets are fully immersed during cooking. For more about sous vide cooking, refer to our sous vide guide.
Instructions
- Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 191°F/88°C in 7-quart container.
- Toss beets, oil, vinegar, thyme, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper in 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag. Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Place bag in second 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and seal bag. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath, weight bag until beets are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release any remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for 4 to 6 hours.
- Transfer beets to cutting board. Discard thyme sprigs and transfer cooking liquid to large bowl. When beets are cool enough to handle, rub off skins with paper towel and cut into ½-inch wedges. Add beets and chives to bowl with cooking liquid and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
- Beets can be rapidly chilled in ice bath and then refrigerated for up to 7 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
to make ahead
Time
Sous vide: 4 to 6 hours; active cooking time: 30 minutesYield
Serves 4Sous Vide Temperature
191°F/88°CIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
You can't go wrong with good old steamed or oven-roasted beets. But sous vide is a powerful tool: It can elevate the humble beet to a tastier, more intensely flavored vegetable. Cooking beets in a sealed bag helps with flavor penetration; we found that the aromatics and seasoning we put in the bag with the beets seeped to their core. Because there was no moisture loss due to evaporation, the beets also stayed juicy. Because we didn't have to cook the beets in water, all those natural juices that accumulated during cooking remained and concentrated in the bag. Throw in some oil and a little sherry vinegar? We effectively created a ready-to-go vinaigrette. Last but certainly not least, cooking beets sous vide produced perfectly uniform, perfectly cooked texture from end to end (no easy task!).
Before You Begin
Look for beets that are roughly 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Be sure to double bag the beets to protect against seam failure. Beets have a tendency to float when placed in a sous vide water bath, which can lead to uneven cooking. Use weights to make sure the beets are fully immersed during cooking. For more about sous vide cooking, refer to our sous vide guide.
Instructions
- Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 191°F/88°C in 7-quart container.
- Toss beets, oil, vinegar, thyme, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper in 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag. Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Place bag in second 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and seal bag. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath, weight bag until beets are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release any remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for 4 to 6 hours.
- Transfer beets to cutting board. Discard thyme sprigs and transfer cooking liquid to large bowl. When beets are cool enough to handle, rub off skins with paper towel and cut into ½-inch wedges. Add beets and chives to bowl with cooking liquid and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
- Beets can be rapidly chilled in ice bath and then refrigerated for up to 7 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
to make ahead
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