Does microwaving sweet potatoes destroy nutrients?
In this brief article, we will answer does microwaving sweet potatoes destroy nutrients and three benefits of microwaving sweet potatoes
Does microwaving sweet potatoes destroy nutrients?
No, from a general point of view, “microwaving does not destroy the nutrients in food,” says USDA. This is because other cooking methods that involve direct heating damage the water-soluble vitamins.
Nutrition in Sweet Potato:
Sweet Potato is a plant that belongs to the morning glory family or bindweed family. It is rich in starch, sweet in taste, and is a root vegetable. Its shoots and leaves are worldwide consumed.
Sweet Potato has high nutritional value despite being sweet; it has a low glycemic index and high amounts of fiber. It is a good source of vitamin C and potassium. It is rich in beta carotene, which gets converted to vitamin A in the body.
Difference between Potato and Sweet Potato:
Sweet Potato is a lot different from all Potato varieties in appearance, taste, and nutrition. The difference arises in nutritional value; white potatoes are rich in potassium and have a higher amount than sweet Potato. On the other hand, Sweet Potato provides more Vitamin A than potatoes
Microwaving sweet potatoes:
Sweet potatoes are generally cooked or boiled and sometimes eaten raw, but there are times when you don’t have time to cook sweet potatoes, and the recipe requires cooking them. An easy way is to microwave sweet potatoes.
Method to Microwave Sweet Potatoes:
To microwave Sweet Potato a microwave plate or container is needed without any plastic wrap or foil. The method is as:
- Wash the Sweet potatoes in clean water to remove all the surface dirt and microorganisms
- Dry the Sweet Potatoes with the help of a towel; poke 5-6 holes in the Sweet Potato with the use of a fork
- Place the Sweet Potato in a microwave-friendly container or microwave-safe plate and set the timer to 5-10 minutes
- Rotate the Sweet Potatoes in the oven; once you are halfway through the process, check their firmness by spearing with the help of a fork. If it goes all the way down to the bottom of the container, you can remove the Sweet Potato from the microwave oven
- If the sweet Potato is not cooked properly or isn’t soft enough, microwave it again for 1 or 2 minutes
The microwaved sweet Potato is ready to eat, and you can use this sweet Potato in any recipe you want. One of the delicious ways to consume this microwaved sweet Potato is making mashed potatoes with them. You need sweet potatoes, unsalted butter, and salt for it.
Another way to consume microwaved sweet Potato is by making crisps of them; all you need is parchment paper and a microwave friendly plate. Cut thin slices of sweet Potato, line them over the parchment paper over the plate, Microwave them for 4 minutes and check for crispness. If required, crispness is not reached in the microwave after 30 more seconds. Add spices of your choice over them as seasonings
Other FAQs about Potatoes which you may be interested in.
How much does a medium potato weigh?
Can sweet potatoes be peeled ahead of time?
Benefits of microwaving Sweet Potatoes:
Retains the nutrition:
Sweet potatoes are highly nutritional and provide a large number of Vitamins and minerals. Cooking sweet potatoes overheat makes them lose their nutrition value. Microwaves do not destroy the nutrition of sweet potatoes.
Microwaving sweet potatoes helps retain nutrition, especially Folate, vitamins A and Vitamins C. These nutritional components get destroyed by boiling or heating sweet potatoes.
Reduce cooking time:
Microwaving reduces cooking time by 45-55 minutes and helps save nutrition in this way. Microwaving a sweet potato to soften it only requires 5-10 minutes, and add 2 minutes for two potatoes.
Microwaving sweet potatoes is not a challenging process and doesn’t require a lot of your cooking time; it also doesn’t affect the texture much as it softens the sweet potatoes. In case of crisping the sweet Potato, microwave for 4 minutes and 30 seconds more if you need them extra crisp
Requires less preparation:
Microwaving sweet potatoes is not a long process and takes less time than cooking sweet potatoes. Preparing a sweet potato for microwaving requires a microwave-friendly plate, fork, and sweet potatoes.
You need to place the dry sweet Potato with a fork before placing it in the microwave as the moisture will escape from these holes. If you want to make crisps, parchment paper is needed; otherwise, placing sweet Potato on a microwave-safe plate is enough. You don’t need to cover the sweet Potato or wrap it in foil.
Sweet Potato is safe for microwaving if you want to cook it ready to eat a meal or soften it before cooking. Microwaving a sweet potato is not dangerous and does not affect the nutritional value in any way
Conclusion:
In this brief article, we have answered does microwaving sweet potatoes destroy nutrients and explain three benefits of microwaving sweet potatoes
References:
https://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/thanksgiving/pajama-thanksgiving
https://healthyliving.azcentral.com/baking-vs-microwaving-sweet-potatoes-2709.html’
