Are you in a hurry and want to make a delicious meal in no time? Enjoy tender sweet potatoes with this easy microwave cooking method. Microwave sweet potato is quick and easy, and the resulting sweet potato will have the same sweet taste as an oven baked sweet potato. The texture of the thin skin of the sweet potato will become crispy when it is cooked and the flesh will become soft and sweet. Eat delicious sweet potatoes plain, or try topping them with a variety of toppings for a sweet potato with a different flavor each time you make it!
Step
Method 1 of 2: Microwave Cooking Sweet Potatoes
Step 1. Clean the sweet potato
Clean the sweet potatoes under cold running water and scrub the sweet potatoes with a food-grade brush. Make sure that you clean it well. Use a paper towel to pat the sweet potato dry.
This stage is very important, especially if you like to eat sweet potato skins
Step 2. Prick the skin of the sweet potato with a fork
Pierce the skin around the surface of the sweet potato six to eight times. When you heat sweet potatoes in the microwave, they heat up more quickly and the steam will get to the inside of the flesh and skin. If you don't poke a hole in the surface of the sweet potato skin to allow steam to escape, the sweet potato will explode in the microwave.
- You only need to make a small hole in the skin of the sweet potato, so make sure that you don't poke it too deep.
- Alternatively, you can make "X"-shaped slices on the surface of the sweet potato with a knife.
- Believe that this stage is important and you should not miss it.
Step 3. Wrap the sweet potatoes for cooking
Take a whole-sized tissue, then wet it with cold water. Gently squeeze the tissue to remove excess water and be careful not to tear the tissue. Place the paper towels wide and evenly on a microwaveable plate, then place the sweet potato in the center of the paper towels. Wrap the sweet potato by folding the sides of the paper towel so that it loosely covers the sweet potato.
- Wet wipes will help the process of steam formation when the sweet potato is cooked in the microwave.
- Wet wipes will also help in keeping the sweet potato moisturised, preventing it from shrinking, and also resulting in softer skin.
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Never use foil to cook anything in the microwave!
Do not wrap sweet potatoes in foil when you want to cook them in the microwave. Metallic substances can trigger sparks and even cause fires. The microwave will also be damaged if you do this.
Step 4. Put the dish in the microwave and determine the required cooking time
The cooking time required depends on the size of the sweet potato and the power of the microwave. Most medium to large sweet potatoes take 8 to 12 minutes to cook when cooked at full power.
- Start by putting in the sweet potato for 5 minutes, then remove the sweet potato and flip it over so that both sides cook evenly. Return the sweet potato to the microwave for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how soft the sweet potato was when first removed.
- After that, if the sweet potato doesn't look completely cooked, continue cooking the sweet potato for another 1 minute, then check again to see if the sweet potato is done. If it's still not cooked through, continue to cook for 1 minute and check for doneness until the sweet potato is fully cooked.
- If you are cooking several sweet potatoes at once, you will need to increase the cooking time by 2/3. For example, if a large sweet potato takes 10 minutes to cook, two sweet potatoes may take about 16-17 minutes.
- If you want crispy skin, you can microwave the sweet potato for 5 to 6 minutes, then remove the paper towels and transfer the sweet potato to a baking tray. After that, bake the sweet potatoes in the preheated oven to 204 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. This method is great if you want to get crispy sweet potato skins that are processed in the oven in half as long as usual!
Step 5. Check the potatoes for doneness
Carefully remove the sweet potato from the microwave. The sweet potato and plate will be hot! The sweet potato should be soft enough that it will deform when pressed firmly, but make sure that it is not too mushy. If the sweet potato is still too firm, cook the sweet potato in loops for 1 minute in the microwave again, then check. Repeat this until the potatoes are fully cooked. You can check for doneness by sticking a fork in the middle of the sweet potato; If a fork can pierce the sweet potato easily, but the center is still a little firm, the sweet potato is ready to eat.
When in doubt, it's best to choose an undercooked sweet potato, as overcooked sweet potatoes may scorch or explode in the microwave
Step 6. Allow the sweet potato to cool
Remove all the wet wipes covering the sweet potato, then throw it away. It is recommended that you refrigerate the sweet potatoes for about five minutes. In this way, the process of ripening the core of the sweet potato will run using the heat trapped in the inner layer of the sweet potato. This step is also useful for making the inside of the sweet potato soft without making the outside too dry.
If you want to leave the sweet potato for someone to eat later, you can wrap the sweet potato in foil to keep it warm for a while. Make sure that you do this as soon as possible after removing the sweet potato from the microwave, so that the temperature inside is maintained as much as possible
Step 7. Serve the potatoes
Cut the potato in half and enjoy.
Method 2 of 2: Adding Sprinkles
Step 1. Make sweet and savory sweet potatoes
Sprinkle the classic ingredients to taste on the surface of the sweet potato. Add the melted butter, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, a spoonful of sour cream, and a little diced chives.
If you want a bit of meat to go with the sweet potatoes, small chunks of bacon or sausage slices are great for sweet potatoes
Step 2. Make sweet potatoes sweeter
Sprinkle a little brown sugar, butter, and salt on the sweet potatoes. These sweet potatoes are perfect enough to eat as a dessert!
- You can also add a little maple syrup on top.
- If you want to try a new flavor and want a sweeter taste, try adding a little whipped cream.
Step 3. Keep experimenting
You can add a combination of the above sprinkles or try things like:
- Sliced avocado
- Salsa
- Yellow mustard
- Fried egg
- Chopped onions or cilantro.
- You can also enjoy sweet potatoes with your favorite seasoning, such as mustard, tomato sauce, or steak sauce.
Step 4. Serve with side dishes
There are many food choices that can accompany sweet potatoes. Prepare a simple dinner salad, applesauce to taste, or enjoy sweet potatoes with a cup of yogurt. In addition, you can also add sweet potatoes to eat with steaks, grilled chicken, or mixed vegetables!
Tips
- Some microwaves have a "baked potato" option button; use this option when you are in doubt.
- Sweet potatoes and yams are two different types of vegetables. Most types of sweet potato are similar in shape and size; all types of sweet potatoes have a pointed end and are slightly smaller than yams. Sweet potatoes aren't dry and aren't as starchy as cassava, though they both taste similar. If you accidentally buy cassava, you can cook it the same way; there's even a chance you won't even notice the difference.
- If you're in a hurry, you can cut the sweet potato right after the microwave stops, add sprinkles (or not), and enter the final cooking stage by microwaving them again for another 30 to 60 seconds.
- Enjoy and fulfill your craving for sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes will taste weird if you eat them without a sprinkling! If you're craving a certain flavor, try adding a little to the sweet potato. It's so much fun when you make your own sweet potato combination.
- The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) rates sweet potatoes as the most nutritious vegetable.
Warning
- By adding a little fat, you can increase the beta-carotene content of sweet potatoes. You can add a tablespoon (15 ml) of extra virgin olive oil to the sweet potatoes if you don't plan to serve them with other ingredients.
- If you don't want to cook sweet potatoes right after buying them, you should store them in a cool, dark, dry place. Do not store it in the refrigerator because the sweet potato will dry out.
