How to blanch sweet potatoes? This is one question that hovers in the minds of most newbie chefs when they think of making some sweet potato doshes. Well, you should better know it now, or else you will mess with the whole thing sooner or later. Read on if you are interested.
To begin with, sweet potatoes are a well-known superfood. If you like to eat healthy, you’ll understand why this root vegetable is so attractive. For one thing, it is is a very important source of complex carbohydrates.
The abundant vitamin C helps reduce flu and cold symptoms, and vitamin D promotes healthy bone development and maintains bone density. If you eat a lot of sweet potatoes, you’re probably constantly looking for new and creative ways to add sweet potatoes to your meals. One method we all can use is blanching.
But you’ll have one question in your mind: How long do I have to blanch sweet potatoes?
There’s a lot to know about blanching and how to do it correctly, but the answer is between 3 and 5 minutes. Now let’s see what blanching is and how to do it. I will also tell you why I prefer to blanch sweet potatoes. And it’s delicious.
What is blanching?
Blanching means turning something white, but in cooking it is not. In the kitchen, food is usually blanched with vegetables. Basically, you cook the vegetable (sometimes called boiling) in boiling water for a few minutes.
When it’s partially cooked, take it out of the boiling water and “shock” it by running it under cold water or putting it in ice water.
Why should you blanch?
This allows you to extend the shelf life of the sweet potato, making it great for salads and even freezing. Although 3-5 minutes is a good rule of thumb, the blanching time depends on how many potatoes you have.
As I mentioned above, the time it takes to blanch potatoes varies depending on how much you have in the pot, the type of slices you’ve made, and the size of the slices. For example, thick slices of sweet potatoes need more time in boiling water than julienne slices. And if you have a lot of potatoes in the pot, it will take longer than if you only have a few potatoes.
How to blanch sweet potatoes
Blanching is a cooking method that every cook (professional or amateur) should learn. It’s a great way to pre-cook your potatoes so they can be finished later, and it’s a good first step to freezing them. To blanch your sweet potatoes, you’ll need a few things:
Ice water
A jar
Salt
A large bowl
Knife and cutting board
Plate and paper napkins
Chopping and cooking
The first step is to bring the water in the pot to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, start chopping the potatoes. Make sure they are equal in size so they fry evenly.
This RSVP blanching basket from Amazon makes it easy for you!
RSVP Endurance 9 inch wide edge Mesh BasketView on Amazon
Salt to preserve flavor and color
Just before adding the potatoes to the boiling water, add plenty of salt to the pot (this prevents the potatoes from discoloring and adds to the flavor). Leave the potatoes in the boiling water for 3-5 minutes.
This Farberware pot from Amazon is one of our favourites for blanching vegetables. Farberware Classic Series 11 quart pot with glass lid
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Testing and dipping
After 3 minutes, taste how tender they’ve become. When partially cooked, i.e. soft but not spongy or tender, quickly remove from boiling water and place in a bowl of ice water.
These top-quality Pyrex bowls from Amazon should serve your purpose.
Pyrex glass mixing bowl set (3-piece set, interlocking, microwave and dishwasher safe)
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This step stops the cooking process. If you fail to shock the potatoes, they will continue to cook for several minutes after you remove them from the boiling water.
Cooling and drying
When they are completely cool, you can remove them from the ice water and place them on a plate with dry kitchen paper. Dry them and you’re done blanching your sweet potatoes.
I love these Pyrex containers to store blanched veggies in the freezer.
Why blanching is great
If you’re like 90% of the population, you’re busy all week, whether it’s at work, school or with the kids, you always have something to do. This lack of time probably keeps you from preparing balanced meals for you and your family (an overwhelming number of Americans say the reason they eat out so often is convenience).
Blanching vegetables is a great way to drastically reduce cooking time. In general, vegetables are the most time-consuming part of a meal. Try blanching your sweet potatoes on one of your days off. It doesn’t take long and can save you a lot of prep time when you get home to make dinner.
Anyone want some sweet potato fries?
My favorite use of the blanching technique is sweet potato fries. It’s done a little differently.
Don’t have a fryer? Amazon has a fabulous one from T-Fal. This T-fal fryer with basket, which is made of stainless steel, is quite easy to clean, having oil filtration( 2.6 pounds, silver, model FR8000).
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You should set your fryer to 260º and place your sweet potato pieces in for 5 minutes. However, you must make sure to let the oil warm up to 260º first. Once you’ve removed them from the oil, turn your fryer to 360º and finish the fries. It’s easy to tell if your fries are done, because if they float, they are done.
Wrapping up
How to blanch sweet potatoes
Blanching vegetables can be a great way to incorporate vegetables into your daily meals. For example, you can prepare them to freeze for later use. And if you blanch potatoes earlier in the week, they will be ready to cook in no time on busy weekday evenings.
Sweet potatoes are an obvious candidates for blanching, so it’s easy to combine the convenience of preparing blanched vegetables with the many benefits of sweet potatoes, not to mention their awesome flavor. So, now that you know how to blanch sweet potatoes, I am sure you will be able to do your job more confidently and make your family happy with your sweet potato dishes.
