Every cook has his own nightmare in the kitchen. For me, it’s peeling sweet potatoes. As soon as I open my French Cookbook and find that root vegetables in one of the recipes that I want to try, I’m bound to close the book, get my Omelette Pan, Egglette, or Egg Cooker and cook a light dinner instead. I mean, what’s wrong with some scrambled eggs and a Champagne Glass or a Beer Glass, right?
Admit it, you hate peeling the thick, sickening skin of sweet potatoes yourself. That’s like a universal thing for us, aspiring chefs. The problem is, that veggie is full of benefits, and you cannot keep avoiding it forever. If just there was a tool to peel sweet potatoes that’s as effective as an Apple Peeler or regular Potato Peelers.
To end your suffering and help you with that huge issue, here’s how you can easily peel sweet potatoes to get the most out of them without ruining your cooking experience.
The Ultimate Guide to Peeling Sweet Potatoes
It’s only natural to find yourself struggling whenever you need to cook something with sweet potatoes. That’s especially normal if you’re just starting out with your cooking journey.
When I was a beginner, I used to cut myself all the time. It was indeed my biggest nightmare. Thankfully, That’s not the case anymore. Now, peeling sweet potatoes is easier than sipping my daily energy drink from my Coffee Mug.
First things first, you should know that there are multiple methods through which you can get your peeled sweet potatoes, and choosing one depends on your preferences and whether you need to do it before or after cooking.
The first thing you need to do is to clean your potatoes. You must rinse and scrub them really well to remove all the dirt since potatoes grow underground, which makes them more prone to carry germs around compared to other vegetables. An extra step that may help here is using warm water instead of cool one to make the skin a bit softer.
How to Peel Sweet Potatoes Before Cooking
Once you’re done cleaning the potatoes, it’s time for the real action, peeling them. Even if you used warm water, the veggies are probably still hard-skinned, so here goes the process:
- Get either a serrated or a regular peeler, just make sure that it’s sharp enough for the hard skin of the sweet potatoes.
- Peel the potatoes from root to tip through long strokes while turning the vegetable around.
- Roll the potato on the Cutting Board until you feel that it’s stable enough to start the cutting process. If no side is that stable, use the knife to make one yourself. Should you start cutting while the potato isn’t stable, you’re bound to hurt yourself.
- Start cutting evenly-sized pieces as that can facilitate the cooking phase afterward. This step applies whether you’re cutting the sweet veggie into rounds, cubes, or sticks
- Voila! Your sweet potatoes are now ready for the pan!
How to Peel Sweet Potatoes After Cooking
Let me tell you a little secret; sweet potatoes are easier to peel when they’re cooked. That’s a natural consequence of the heat that’s applied while cooking, so maybe you’re better off peeling your sweet veggies this way.
- Fill a pot with clean water then fill it with the potatoes.
- Place the pot on your Gas Cooktop over high heat then bring it to boil after covering it.
- Wait for ten minutes then remove the lid and stab the potatoes with a sharp paring knife to speed up the cooking phase.
- Leave the potatoes for another 20 minutes or until they get softer. You can know whether the sweet veggies are ready or not by driving a knife through them. If it passes without resistance, your potatoes are ready to go.
- Once the potatoes are tender enough, use a Colander to get rid of the extra water and leave the veggies on the Cooling Rack until they’re cool enough to handle.
- Now comes the peeling phase. Simply use a paring knife to peel off the skin just like you’d do for a banana. To make things even easier, start by removing the tip then move on to peeling the rest of the body. Thank me later.
How to Peel Sweet Potatoes Using a Paring Knife
You only need to use a paring knife if you don’t own a peeler in the kitchen.
- Start by cleaning the potatoes thoroughly then place them on the cutting board
- The next step aims at stabilizing the potato so you can peel it comfortably. Simply cut off one end of the veggie then place it upright on that side and you’re good to go.
- Peel off one section of the vegetable at a time, from top to bottom, while holding the rounded end. Once the cutting for one part is done, rotate the potato and repeat.
- Cut the potato into any shape or form you’d like.
- Bon Appetit!
When you’re peeling the potato, do it carefully to avoid slicing too much of the flesh while doing so. Do not worry if many parts find their way to the Garbage Disposal at first, you’ll get better with practice.
What Can You Cook with Sweet Potatoes?
Once you’re done with the peeling process, you’re ready to get cooking. Countless recipes involve using sweet potatoes, but my favorites are the Sweet Potato Casserole and Sweet Potato Soup. If you’ve never prepared those before, here’s how you can serve them on your Dinnerware Set tonight!
Sweet Potato Soup
If you’re looking for a side, light dish that you can serve to your family, you can’t go wrong with the Sweet Potato Soup. Here’s how you can make it:
- Clean, peel, and cut the sweet potatoes. Make sure to get them into small pieces as this is soup we’re preparing.
- Place the pieces into a pot along with some chicken stock in a medium to big bowl.
- Purée the potato pieces as soon as they’re done.
- Place the potatoes back into the pot, add heavy whipping cream, butter, nutmeg, and brown sugar, then slowly stir the mixture.
- All that’s left to do is to add some salt and pepper according to your preferences.
- Voila! Have a nice dinner!
Sweet Potato Casserole
While there are many Sweet Potato Casserole recipes, nothing can rival the traditional one. It’s perfect for many occasions, especially those that involve the whole family, especially Thanksgiving. What’s even better is that this dish isn’t that hard to make, all you need is some sweet mashed potatoes, and you’re ready to rock your kitchen.
- Mix the mashed potatoes with cinnamon, brown sugar, pecans, nutmeg, and vanilla extract to get the spicy, sweet taste of the casserole.
- Use some marshmallows and pecans as toppings.
- Use the oven to bake for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Bon Appetit!
Verdict
What’s great about sweet potatoes is the endless possibilities of dishes that include them. You can serve them either as the main dish, a side meal, or even a dessert. Furthermore, these veggies are loved by everybody. Perfect, right?
Believe me, once you master the art of peeling sweet potatoes the right way, you’ll get a lot closer to your goal of becoming a master chef. What are you waiting for? Go on, start your journey, cook some sweet potatoes!
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