Glazed Sweet Potato Coins Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do sweet potatoes get sweeter the longer you cook them? ›

Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking explains that the enzyme becomes active at around 135° and stops at around 170°. This means that if you bake your sweet potatoes low and slow, the enzyme will have more time to break down more starch and the finished potatoes will be very sweet.

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!

Start your slips by placing sections of mature sweet potato in a jar or glass of water with half of the potato below the water and half above. Use toothpicks to hold the sweet potato in place. The slips need warmth, so put them on a window ledge or on top of a radiator.

Sweet potatoes are between 1 and 2.5 per cent sugar when raw, but they get sweeter as they cook thanks to the work of amylase enzymes that break down starch into simple sugars. These enzymes are most active at 75°C (167°F).

Can you overcook sweet potatoes? Unfortunately, yes! If your sweet potatoes cook too long in the oven they can overbake and become dry. The insides will become mushy.

The most versatile and sweetest variation of sweet potatoes is the Beauregard. Throughout the United States, you will see this species stacked high in the grocery stores during the holiday season. Beauregard's have a bit of a stringy texture, but they stay soft: this is what makes them so popular.

Sweet potatoes are often touted as being healthier than white potatoes, but in reality, both types can be highly nutritious. While regular and sweet potatoes are comparable in their calorie, protein, and carb content, white potatoes provide more potassium, whereas sweet potatoes are incredibly high in vitamin A.

So if you want a sweet, sweet potato, you have to cook it until it reaches 135–170°F (57–77°C). And you want to keep sweet potatoes in that range for as long as possible. That will maximize how sweet the potatoes taste.

What about soaking? Some recipes for homemade sweet potato fries ask you to soak the fries before cooking. The theory is that soaking draws out starch from inside the potatoes, helping them crisp up.

Should I peel sweet potatoes before boiling? ›

There is not much difference between boiling sweet potatoes with the skins on versus peeling them, but you will get a boost of fiber and potassium if you keep the skin on. The skin also adds a subtle texture to each bite. If you're looking for a smoother mash, peel the potatoes first before boiling.

Peel and season with butter and salt to taste. Use 1 medium sweet potato per person. Boiled sweet potatoes can be used for pies, cookies, casseroles, glazed, candied or frozen.

If you have a sweet potato sprouting in the cupboard, it might be too far gone for dinner. However, if you plant the sprouting section, called a slip, you can grow your own sweet potatoes in just a few months time. Store-bought sweet potatoes work perfectly well and growing them is simple.

The jewel sweet potato, with its copper skin and deep-orange flesh, is probably what you think of when you think sweet potato. It's traditionally used for baking and casseroles, especially around holidays. But there are also sweet potatoes, such as the hannah variety, that doesn't have an orange interior at all.

So if you want a sweet, sweet potato, you have to cook it until it reaches 135–170°F (57–77°C). And you want to keep sweet potatoes in that range for as long as possible. That will maximize how sweet the potatoes taste.

If you want the sweetest of sweet potatoes, that is where time comes in. Flavor improves with storage, as starch is converted to sugar. Let the roots dry in the sun until you can easily brush the soil off. Then cure by storing 10 to 14 days in a warm, humid place around 85 degrees.

Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let the potatoes cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until you can easily pierce several pieces (always test more than one) with a knife. Potatoes cut into small pieces will take less time to cook.

If you're cooking other items in the oven at 375°F, add the sweet potatoes and just remember to cook them 15 minutes longer. Alternatively, if you're cooking other items in the oven at 425°F, your sweet potatoes will be done about 15 minutes sooner. But again, this is all dependent on the size of your sweet potato.