Boiling sweet potatoes retains more beta-carotene and makes the nutrient more absorbable than other cooking methods such as baking or frying.
Therefore, from a nutritional standpoint, boiling rather than baking should be recommended for cooking sweet potato. Boiling may theoretically be best, but sweet potatoes are so incredibly healthy that the actual best way to prepare them is whichever way will get you to eat the most of them!
In addition to being an excellent source of vitamins A and C, sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber, vitamin B-6 and potassium. And like all vegetables, they're relatively low in calories — one-half of a large sweet potato has just 81 calories.
Boiling sweet potatoes is an easy way to get perfectly tender potatoes that can be used in numerous recipes. What is this? While you can Bake Sweet Potatoes in the Oven, or make Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes… Cooking them in a pot of boiling water is definitely a foolproof method for an easy side dish.
You do not need to peel a sweet potato prior to cooking it in the oven. The skins of sweet potatoes are safe to eat, both raw and cooked, and contain nutrients such as fiber and antioxidants. Whether or not you peel the potato is completely personal preference.
Eating sweet potatoes regularly is even good for your skin. “Beta-carotene is an antioxidant, so it helps to reverse damage from the sun,” Lehmann explains. “It also improves wrinkling and sagging of the skin.”
You can either peel or leave the skin on: just make sure to cut off any black spots. Place the sweet potatoes in a pot and cover with 1 inch of lukewarm water; add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, around 7 to 12 minutes. Then drain.
If you decide not to peel them, be sure you wash and scrub them very well before cooking. Since sweet potatoes grow in the dirt, they carry some of that dirt with them right to your kitchen. It's important that you chop the sweet potatoes into evenly-sized cubes before boiling them.
According to the USDA, microwaves “generally do not destroy nutrients in food” and in fact microwaved foods retain more water-soluble vitamins than foods cooked using other cooking methods. So not only is cooking sweet potatoes in the microwave the fastest and easiest cooking method, but it's one of the healthiest too.
Because of their higher sugar levels and high vitamin A content, you can likely enjoy them in moderation about two or three times per week. Eating these vegetables too often could lead to too much vitamin A intake or increase the potential for negative effects on your blood sugar.
Fish – Salmon, walleye, halibut, cod and mahi mahi pair well with sweet potatoes. Vegetables – Just about any veggie on the planet accompanies sweet potatoes perfectly. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, zucchini, collard greens, carrots, cauliflower, green beans and bell peppers are great choices.
Sweet potatoes are a great source of potassium. Potassium helps seniors maintain normal blood pressure, heart function, and fluid and electrolyte levels in the cells, which is why sweet potatoes are especially beneficial for those who aren't physically active and cannot strengthen their hearts on their own.
Boil sweet potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are tender when pierced with a fork. It will take less time if you cut the sweet potatoes into smaller pieces. Drain and return to the pot.
Baking a sweet potato in the microwave preserves far more nutrients (folate, vitamins A and C) than boiling it, for example.
Bring a saucepan 3/4 of the way full of clean, cold water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt to the water. Add sweet potatoes to the water and boil for 5-7 minutes. Drain and cool.
After rinsing and scrubbing, poke holes into the sweet potato with a large fork. This step enables them to release any excess moisture while baking in the oven. It is optional, but you can also drizzle a little oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper over each one if you'd like to eat the skin.
Boiling sweet potatoes retains more beta-carotene and makes the nutrient more absorbable than other cooking methods such as baking or frying. Up to 92% of the nutrient can be retained by limiting the cook time, such as boiling in a pot with a tightly covered lid for 20 minutes.
Bring to boiling, cover, and cook until tender. How long to boil sweet potatoes: For one pound of sweet potatoes, cover the pan and cook sweet potatoes in the boiling salted water 20 to 25 minutes or until just tender.
You can clean sweet potatoes much as you would clean a regular white potato. Simply place them in a colander beneath running cold water and scrub away any dirt. Warm water works, too, but avoid using hot water, which can cook parts of the potato. Only wash potatoes when you are ready to start cooking.
Sweet potatoes grow in the ground, and skipping the cleaning step means dirt or grit can end up in your sweet potato casserole. Before cooking or cutting sweet potatoes, wash the skins and give them a scrub with a clean vegetable brush.
Since sweet potatoes grow underground, it is essential to scrub them before peeling them to remove any residual dirt or bacteria from the skins—use warm water and your hands or a scrubbing brush. Completely dry the sweet potatoes with a tea towel or paper towel.
As long as the texture of the sweet potato is firm and there are no other signs of expiration (such as mold), there is nothing to worry about. However, if the texture is mushy and you notice liquid oozing out, the sweet potato has expired. There will also be other signs such as mold, sprouts or a bad odor.
Lunch: The best time to eat the sweet potato is to eat at lunch. After eating, calcium in sweet potatoes takes 4-5 hours to absorb into the body, 2 to 5 pm sunlight can promote calcium absorption. In addition, the ability to help the potatoes long enough to work to help you reduce appetite in the evening.
OK, so you might be thinking, “What about all of the sugar in sweet potatoes?” Though sweet potatoes do have more sugar, they're actually considered “low” on the glycemic index (GI) compared to regular white potatoes, which are considered “high.” This means your blood sugar will rise more slowly, preventing a sharp ...