I use a veg peeler and peel them before I roast them. Yes that takes some of the nutrients away but then you can roast them cubed and it takes less time and you can serve straight out of the oven.

I roast them whole in the oven (sometimes wrapped in foil, sometimes in a covered dish). Take them out when done, let rest on a rack until they're cool enough to touch. Then I slice the non-pointy end off and usually can slip the skins off fairly easily. Sometimes I have to go back with a knife and cut a resistant piece of skin off.

If I'm gonna have them raw (in juice or salad), I peel them with a vegetable peeler.

I wash them. I hardly ever peel them.

I wrap each one individually in foil and roast. Once done, they cool a bit in their little foil packet and the skins easily slip off.

Another tip - If you rub or spray your hands with some vegetable oil before peeling, they won't stain.

I roast them in foil or a covered dish and then let them cool a bit. The skins slip off pretty easily, but I usually wear dish gloves during that part of the process. No stained skin, and the dish gloves clean off with a quick rinse.

I don't peel them, just give them a good scrubbing first. They cook up just fine.

You can pour boiling water over them and the skin slides right off....a trick my grandmother showed me when she was going to can beets. The last ones I prepared I just left skin on and roasted and ate the whole thing. Yum!

I'm a big fan of the pre-working week prep, so I roast mine whole in a pyrex baking dish, filled with about 1/2 inch of water @ 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. I then transfer into a tupperware after they've cooled and refrigerate and peel with a spoon when I'm ready to get to them. Just place them on a cutting board and use the side of the spoon to remove the peel - comes right off. - jess @ www.cooksmarts.com

I roast my beets, but I've never been able to get the skin to slip off with my fingers when they're done. I just peel them with a knife, when I want them peeled at all.

To get more of the skin to slip off, after you've roasted them whole in-skin, invert a bowl over the top so the heat helps steam off the skin (5-10 minutes resting time usually does the trick and this works for roasting peppers as well). When they're cool enough to handle I either put on a pair of gloves, reserved for this purpose, or I hold onto a beet with one hand (or tongs) and use a grapefruit spoon to scrape off any stubborn bits of skin. If your hands are stained with beet juice scouring your hands with coffee grinds seems to do the trick for me.

I just scrub them using a veg scrubber mitt.

Wow, all that sounds like a lot of extra work. I have never had any problem with slipping the skins off after the beets have been boiled, which is usually how I cook them. Perhaps if the beets are old the skins do not slip off readily. Unless you grow them yourself or buy from a reputable farmers market they very may well be months old. I never peel them or cut into the flesh before cooking.

When they're done roasting, I let them cool a bit, and turn on cool running water. PALM the beat in both hands firmly and just twist it in your hands under the water...the skin should come all the way off nice and easily! The running water will keep your hands clean and cool. Both hands and twist...I hope I'm explaining it well.

I hold the beet with a dish towel or paper towel while using a vegetable peeler to minimize the staining, but what does end up on my hands usually scrubs off with lemon juice.

I often peel them under running water. Helps a lot. But in my experience if the peels don't slip off easily they are undercooked.

@Judiau. Thank you, thank you! I usually like to cook my veggies to a bit on a firm side. I hate overcooked and lifeless vegs. You have totally answered my question. My beets are not cooked long enough!!! I now remember that when I cooked them longer while roasting them it was a breeze to slide the skins off. If microwaving, they'll have to cook a bit longer. I also like the tips on rubbing them with paper towels. Makes a lot of sense.

If the skins don't slip off easily, I use a spoon to scrape the skin off. Safer than a knife, especially if you oil your hands, which I don't...I kind of like the beet carnage :)

If you boil them the skin will slip off