Properly stored sweet potatoes can last several months, but proper storage procedures must be followed meticulously to prevent bruising or spoilage. Here’s everything you need to know about storing sweet potatoes at ambient temperature and in the freezer. This article, will explain how to store sweet potatoes so they last longer.
How To Store Sweet Potatoes So They Last Longer
1. Storing At A Cool Room Temperature
Utilize Fat, Fresh, Sweet Potatoes
- Utilize only freshly harvested sweet potatoes with their roots still attached.
- Plump sweet potatoes store exactly as well as skinny sweet potatoes and have more edible “meat.”
- Using a spade fork, dig 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) into the soil to unearth all of the sweet potato roots if you are harvesting the tubers yourself. Because sweet potatoes tend to bruise readily, handle them carefully and shake off any excess soil but do not wash the roots.
Prepare The Sweet Potatoes For One To Two Weeks Of Curing
- Keep the plant’s roots in a room or other location between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (24 and 27 degrees Celsius) and 90 to 95 percent relative humidity.
- The sweet potatoes must cure for at least seven days but can be stored for up to fourteen.
- The curing process produces a second skin over scratches and bruises, extending the storage life of the sweet potatoes.
- Use a compact electric fan to maintain air circulation in the area. This prevents decay and mildew growth.
- Regularly check the temperature and humidity to ensure the sweet potatoes are in the ideal conditions for curing.
- For optimal results, keep the sweet potatoes separate while they cure.
Throw Away Wounded Sweet Potatoes
- After curing, discard any sweet potatoes that appear bruised, decaying, or moldy.
- Bruised sweet potatoes have not been adequately cured, so they will not last as long as other sweet potatoes and may hasten the spoilage of other sweet potatoes.
Wrap Each Item Individually In The Newspaper
- Wrap the sweet potatoes individually in sheets of newspaper or brown paper sacks.
- Both newspaper and brown paper bags are reasonably porous, allowing for sufficient air circulation to prevent the sweet potatoes from rotting too rapidly.
The sweet potatoes Should Be Packed In A Carton Or Basket
- The sweet potatoes should be stored in a cardboard box, wooden box, or wooden container.
- Do not utilize an airtight container.
- Insert an apple into the receptacle. The apple will inhibit the sweet potato from flowering.
Place In A Cold, Dark Area
- Keep the sweet potatoes between 13 and 16 degrees Celsius (55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit) at all times.
- Preserve the sweet potatoes in a root cellar or basement for optimal results. If neither option is available, store them in a dark, cool, well-ventilated cupboard or pantry away from intense heat sources.
- Avoid using a refrigerator.
- Monitor the temperature to ensure it does not fall below or exceed this range.
- The sweet potatoes can be stored in this manner for up to six months. Remove them carefully from storage to prevent bruising.
2. Storing In The Freezer
Peel And Scrub The Sweet Potatoes
- Scrub fresh sweet potatoes with a vegetable brush and flowing water. Utilize a vegetable peeler to peel the fruit.
- More than simply rinsing the sweet potatoes under flowing water is required. To thoroughly clean them, use a vegetable scrubber with light pressure. Scrub softly so as not to bruise the epidermis.
- If you do not have a vegetable peeler, you can use a small paring knife with a smooth blade to remove the skin.
- Start with raw sweet potatoes to maximize their storage life.
Sweet Potatoes Should Be Boiled For 15 To 20 Minutes
- Fill a huge stockpot with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Sweet potatoes should be cooked until they are soft.
- The sweet potatoes must be cooked before they can be frozen, as fresh sweet potatoes tend to decompose and lose flavor and nutrients in the freezer.
- For freezing purposes, boiling is the preferred method of preparing sweet potatoes. The boiling process should take approximately 20 minutes for a sweet potato of average size.
Slice The Sweet Potatoes Or Puree Them
- Cut the sweet potatoes into thin slices with a knife, or puree them with a potato masher.
- Whole-cooked sweet potatoes should not be stored.
- You could also use an electric mixer to achieve a pureed texture with the sweet potatoes.
Lemon Juice Should Be Applied As A Finishing Touch
- Add approximately 1 tsp (5 ml) of lemon juice per slice or puree of sweet potato.
- Ensure that the sweet potatoes are thoroughly saturated with the lemon juice. Lemon juice can prevent discoloration, but only a small quantity should be used to avoid altering the flavor.
Allow To Settle
- Before preserving the sweet potatoes, allow them to cool down.
- Warm, frozen sweet potatoes can cause condensation in the receptacle, hastening their spoilage.
Transfer The Sweet Potatoes To Airtight Containers
Place the pureed or sliced sweet potatoes in freezer-safe, resealable plastic bags or plastic containers that are safe for the freezer.
Avoid using metal and glass containers.
Freeze Between 10 And 12 Months
- The average shelf life of cooked sweet potatoes stored in the freezer is between 10 and 12 months.
By following these basic storage guidelines, you can preserve the freshness and flavor of your sweet potatoes for a more extended period, thereby reducing food waste and ensuring that you always have this nutritious ingredient on hand for your favorite recipes.
Thanks for reading.
