How to Make Steamed Sweet Potatoes
Peel the sweet potatoes., Cut the potatoes into chunks., Place the sweet potatoes in a steam tray., Boil the water., Serve and enjoy.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Peel the sweet potatoes.
This is generally easiest to do with a conventional potato peeler.
You can also use a sharp knife.
Throw the peelings into a compost bin to avoid waste.
Better yet, cut the peels into long strips, leave a little flesh on them, and make sweet potato skins -
Step 2: Cut the potatoes into chunks.
The exact size isn't important — cutting each potato into three or four slices is usually fine.
What matters is that all the chunks are about the same size so that they cook evenly. , Steaming the sweet potatoes means exposing them to hot steam without submerging them in the boiling water below them.
To do this, first put your potato chunks into a steam tray, which is a metal device that sits in a pot above the boiling water.
Put the full steam tray in a large pot with two cups of water at the bottom.
If you don't have a steam tray, you can improvise one from a small metal strainer.
You can even put a clean cooking rack at the bottom of your pot. , Put the pot + steam tray on the stove over high heat.
Cover the pot.
When the water reaches a strong boil, reduce the heat to medium.
Let the potatoes cook this way until soft all the way through.
Depending on how big the sweet potato pieces are, cooking times will vary from about 15-20 minutes.
A good policy is to check the potatoes for done-ness after about 12 minutes.
You can do this by prodding them with a fork.
If the fork slides in easily, the potato is cooked.
If they still feel hard, cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove the pot lid carefully — the escaping steam can burn you. , When the sweet potatoes are soft, they're ready to eat.
Turn off the heat and transfer them to a serving plate.
Serve immediately.
Season as desired.
Sweet potatoes are (obviously) naturally sweet, so you can enjoy them as-is if you wish.
In the next section, however, we've provided a few easy serving suggestions if you don't want to eat them plain. -
Step 3: Place the sweet potatoes in a steam tray.
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Step 4: Boil the water.
-
Step 5: Serve and enjoy.
Detailed Guide
This is generally easiest to do with a conventional potato peeler.
You can also use a sharp knife.
Throw the peelings into a compost bin to avoid waste.
Better yet, cut the peels into long strips, leave a little flesh on them, and make sweet potato skins
The exact size isn't important — cutting each potato into three or four slices is usually fine.
What matters is that all the chunks are about the same size so that they cook evenly. , Steaming the sweet potatoes means exposing them to hot steam without submerging them in the boiling water below them.
To do this, first put your potato chunks into a steam tray, which is a metal device that sits in a pot above the boiling water.
Put the full steam tray in a large pot with two cups of water at the bottom.
If you don't have a steam tray, you can improvise one from a small metal strainer.
You can even put a clean cooking rack at the bottom of your pot. , Put the pot + steam tray on the stove over high heat.
Cover the pot.
When the water reaches a strong boil, reduce the heat to medium.
Let the potatoes cook this way until soft all the way through.
Depending on how big the sweet potato pieces are, cooking times will vary from about 15-20 minutes.
A good policy is to check the potatoes for done-ness after about 12 minutes.
You can do this by prodding them with a fork.
If the fork slides in easily, the potato is cooked.
If they still feel hard, cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove the pot lid carefully — the escaping steam can burn you. , When the sweet potatoes are soft, they're ready to eat.
Turn off the heat and transfer them to a serving plate.
Serve immediately.
Season as desired.
Sweet potatoes are (obviously) naturally sweet, so you can enjoy them as-is if you wish.
In the next section, however, we've provided a few easy serving suggestions if you don't want to eat them plain.
About the Author
Sandra Smith
Committed to making DIY projects accessible and understandable for everyone.
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