How Long To Boil Sweet Potatoes (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 12 to 50 Minutes

Sweet potatoes are a very versatile vegetable. Excruciatingly satisfying because of the fresh, sweet, and smooth texture of this element in the potato tuber family. When it is about cooking sweet potatoes, one can bake, microwave, or boil them. The method for boiling sweet potatoes will still be the same, even if one keeps the skin or without it. Boiled sweet potatoes are very fulfilling and make a nice and simple side dish on the menu.

How Long To Boil Sweet Potatoes?

There is no collective difference between boiling sweet potatoes with their skins on and peeling them off. But one can get a surge of potassium and fibers if boiled and eaten the cooked potatoes with the skin. If someone is looking for a mashed smooth sweet potato dish, they can peel the potatoes before boiling them. The skin adds a detailed texture to every bite.

Boiling about 4 pounds of chopped potatoes which is approximately six sweet potatoes to mash, will take 15 to 20 minutes to cook in cold water. One only needs sufficient water in the pot to cover the sweet potatoes. If making mashed sweet potatoes, it is best to dice the potatoes rather than boiling them as a whole that saves quite a lot of time.

Nutrition-packed and inexpensive sweet potatoes can cook comfortably in a pot of boiling water. And once cooked, the potentialities for using them are endless. Sweet potatoes are delicious any time of the year but are at their peak in the fall and winter seasons, from October to January.

The amount of time needed to cook primarily depends on the size of the tuber. Boiling the sweet potatoes as a whole will take 30 to 50 minutes which chiefly depends on the size of the potatoes. Smaller potatoes cook faster than larger potatoes that take a little longer. Boiling cubed or diced sweet potatoes, they chopped into 1-inch cubes and cooked for 12 to 15 minutes in the pot. And for 2-inch cubes, one must cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

Why Would It Take That Long To Boil Sweet Potatoes?

While purchasing the sweet potatoes, one must check for small to medium-sized potatoes, which have smooth skin, is firm and free from any soft spot. To store unpeeled and whole sweet potatoes, kept in a cool, dark, and dry place till a week. Never refrigerate the potatoes, or they will dry up. To comprehend how much sweet potatoes will require for any recipe, one medium-sized sweet potato, which is about 8 ounces, equals approximately 1½ cups when peeled and then cubed.

To prepare the tubers, wash them thoroughly scouring with a clean produce brush, and clean with cool running water. Use a potato peeler or paring knife to peel the sweet potatoes. Using a sharp knife, chop off any ligneous portions or tips. Then cut them into bite-size dies. Try keeping the pieces close to the identical size for even cooking.

Pick a pot that is big and deep enough to carry the sweet potatoes without packing them. Add sufficient cold or normal water to cover potatoes and sprinkle the desired amount of salt. Bring the contents to a boil, lid the pot, and cook till it’s tender. It should take 20 to 25 minutes and one can easily pierce the sweet potato with a fork or knife to check how much they are cooked.

Remove the lid from the pot and carefully pour out the water and the sweet potatoes into a vessel to drain. Keep the sweet potatoes apart until they are cold enough to touch, or one can run cold water over them to quickly bring down the temperature to prevent overcooking.

Conclusion

Hence, sweet potatoes, identified by their copper-colored skin and vibrant orange appearance of the flesh. Hundreds of species grown globally display colors like white, yellow, orange, reddish-purple, and dark purple. Sweet potatoes have a characteristically sweet flavor, which is more enhanced when cooked using methods like roasting. They are a top source of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A.

Boiling sweet potatoes sustains more beta-carotene. Thus, make the nutrient more absorbable than any other cooking method such as baking. Around 92% of retainable nutrients are in this method. As, cooking time was limited to 20 to 25 minutes, in a pot with boiling water, covered with a lid. When cooking the potatoes with their skin helps reduce the loss of nutrients that is beta-carotene and vitamin C.

Reference

1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11130-011-0262-0
2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1745-4557.2001.tb00591.x