How to make a sweet potato even sweeter: freeze it before baking (2024)

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How to make a sweet potato even sweeter: freeze it before baking? ›

Freezing also lowers the starting temperature of the potato, allowing more time for amylase enzymes to convert starch to sweet-tasting maltose. Starting the sweet potatoes in a cold oven further enhances sweetness via gradual heating, which stretches out the time spent in the “sweet spot” for enzymatic activity.

I'll cut right to the chase: Chef Sin is right, freezing your sweet potatoes for 2-3 hours then baking them results in a sweeter, fluffier potato. The overall texture is great! I tested with a purple, red and white sweet potatoes as well as a russet potato and small new potatoes.

Why Are Sweet Potatoes Sweet? When you heat a sweet potato, an enzyme starts breaking down it's starch into a sugar called maltose. Maltose is made up of two glucose molecules bound together, and tastes about a third as sweet as regular table sugar, also known as sucrose.

A study from 2012 found that the sugar content of one type of sweet potato was almost five times higher after baking for 90 minutes, mainly due… to an increase in maltose. A fragrant aroma and soft texture are also important to the experience, and the cooking method has a big effect here.

Peel and slice a sweet potato into chunks, then boil for 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Drain and let them cool completely. Transfer to a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible, and seal. Store for up to 6 months in the freezer.

If you freeze them without cooking them first, they're likely to get freezer burn and develop an unpleasant texture. 2. Try blanching your potatoes to save prep time. If you need to quickly prepare sweet potatoes for the freezer, try blanching them.

They contain high levels of starch which is converted to maltose during the cooking process. If you taste a raw sweet potato, it won't taste sweet to you. It's the low, slow cooking that really brings out their flavor. You can actually control how sweet your potatoes become by how you go about cooking them.

Wrapping sweet potatoes in foil helps in a few ways. It prevents the exterior of the tuber from drying out and overheating too quickly, which would minimize enzymatic activity; it also results in a more evenly cooked texture.

You need to cure them after harvest for several reasons. First, curing allows any cuts, abrasions or bruises to heal which allows for better storability of roots. Second, curing is when the roots develop their flavors and starches are converted into sugars that give sweet potatoes their sweetness and flavor.

What enhances the flavor of sweet potatoes? ›

Dice the sweet potato, and leave the skins on. Then toss the chunks in a splash of tamari, oil, and maple syrup, and then dust heavily with chili powder, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Roast at 400 Fahrenheit for about 30-50 minutes, or until the potatoes begin to crisp up.

When potatoes are stored too long, in a too-cold environment (below 41°F) the starches within convert to sugar. This not only makes for an overly-sweet potato but also alters the cooking chemistry – resulting in uneven cooking performance and discoloration.

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.

The theory is that soaking draws out starch from inside the potatoes, helping them crisp up. I've tested soaking sweet potato fries many times, and I've found that it doesn't make them much crispier, if at all.

Sweet potatoes, like fine cabernets, get better with age. Fresh out of the ground, they are considered “green” and have a high degree of starch. But if handled properly, their starch converts to sugar and, when cooked, sweet potatoes live up to their sugary appellation.

Storing raw sweet potatoes in the freezer will actually make them spoil faster, however it's best to keep baked sweet potatoes or cooked yams in the freezer. Because sweet potatoes are so popular in many recipes around Thanksgiving, it's recommended to store your cooked sweet potato leftovers in the freezer.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (200°C conventional / 400°F / gas mark 6). Place the cooked sweet potato wedges on a metal baking tray and place in the preheated oven for approximately 10 minutes until they are hot through.

For the Easier Method: Freeze the sweet potatoes for as long as you can (if you don't have time, proceed with cooking). Place them onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Place on the center rack of a cold oven and turn the oven on to 425ºF (220ºC) and cook until fork tender, about 1 hour.