Add it to the water, and your beets will not lose their color. A method from a familiar cook

Beets are particularly worth reaching for in the fall. Like other root vegetables (such as carrots, parsley or celery) and onion ones (garlic also works well in addition to onions), they are very helpful for our weakened bodies at that time. Beets, apart from a fairly large amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber, are also a rich source of anthocyanins, which exhibit antioxidant and antibacterial properties.

It is precisely in the aforementioned anthocyanins, and specifically one of them — betanin — where the source of the problem with beetroots losing their color lies. Betanin is a powerful, health-promoting pigment, but it also has its drawbacks — it's a rather delicate substance. The cooking process (especially prolonged and at high heat) often causes betanin to break down, and beetroots from perfectly purple become pale and unappetizing. Can this be prevented? Absolutely!

In culinary matters, when in doubt, turn to... a chef. And in this case, a familiar cook. It was she who told me that there is a way to prevent beets from fading during cooking. To be precise, there are several ways. Each of them involves adding a simple and inexpensive ingredient to the cooked vegetables.

The simplest trick to prevent beets from losing their color is to cook them with a small amount of sugar. Half a teaspoon will ensure the color of the vegetables is preserved, and the dish you later prepare from them will look incredibly tasty. Just in time for autumn, right?

You can also replace the sugar with lemon juice, citric acid or apple cider vinegar. Each of these products will make the betanin more durable, and the beets will stay purple, as if they were just pulled out. How does it work? That's something the familiar cook didn't say - after all, she is a cooking expert, not a molecular chemist.