Secrets of the Best Chefs

To cook the beets, keep the red and golden ones separate and
roast them in baking dishes or pans with a little water, covered
with foil, at 350°F for 45 minutes to an hour, until a knife easily
goes through them. They’ll peel more easily once cooked. If
you’re feeling lazy or need to make this salad in a hurry, you
can skip the cooked beets and just use the raw ones.

A neat trick for slicing avocado is to cut the whole avocado in
half vertically, then, once you remove the pit, make horizontal
slits in the soft green part without going through the skin. Use a
spoon to remove the flesh and fan out on the plate.

To make pita chips, cut a pita into wedges and fry in a shallow
layer of hot oil until crisp and brown. Blot on paper towels and
sprinkle with salt.