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Cooking Sweet Potatoes

Cooking sweet potatoes is easy but there are certain things that you should know first. This vegetable is pretty common and is one of the main crops cultivated in the United States. Sweet potatoes are originally native of South America and eventually spread through North America and other areas.

This crop usually grows well in warm temperatures around 75 Fahrenheit degrees. This tuber develops very well in tropical areas since they provide the perfect amount of light and water that it needs. When the sweet potato is grown in colder areas it has to be harvested before winter or the crops will be lost.

The sweet potato is usually stored in special warehouses where the humidity and temperature are controlled. In these special warehouses the crops can be maintained for a whole year

. Sweet potatoes and most tubers should not be refrigerated until they have been cooked. If they have to be at normal temperature they should be eaten within a week. In the market you have to be careful when choosing your sweet potatoes. They should be very firm, dry, smooth and without wrinkles. Decaying areas in the potato are a signal of spoiling and they will affect the taste even when the area has been cut.

There are some steps that have to be taken before cooking sweet potatoes. Before starting to peel them you must make sure they are peeled deep enough into the skin. Removing the skin and the layer below it is necessary for it to cook better otherwise it will take a dark color.

The first step before cooking is to wash the sweet potatoes to remove any dirt that it might have. You can choose to remove the skin before cooking them or wait until they are done to peel them. Some people prefer removing the skin after is cooked; that way peeling them is easier. Pierce the skin of the sweet potatoes before starting to cook them. Proceed to put them in a pan then into the oven. Adjust the temperature to 370 to 375 Fahrenheit degrees and wait around 50 minutes. If you cooked them with the skin wait for a couple of minutes to cool for a bit before removing it.

Another very popular way for cooking sweet potatoes is by using the microwave. You begin the same way by washing them and piercing the skin. The next step is to put them in the microwave and set the timer on high for approximately 8 minutes. This works well for 2 normal sized potatoes if you put more for example 4 potatoes it will take a bit more time something like 4 to 5 minutes more. Depending on the type of the sweet potato the cooking times might vary slightly (2-3 minutes).

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