Roasting concentrates the sugar rather than leaching them out into cooking liquid. Beets of different size and color cook at different rates. Select beets uniform in size to prevent overcooking. They are done when easily pricked with a fork. Raw beets need only to be scrubbed and grated or sliced as thinly as possible.
Borscht is a popular beet soup which can be served hot in winter and cold in summer.
Beets can be frozen, canned or pickled and dried beets yield fairly good results. Freezing magnifies imperfections and woodiness in over mature beets. Select deep, uniformly-red, tender, young beets for freezing. Wash gently and sort according to size. Cool promptly in cold water or ice water.