Can You Reheat Sweet Potatoes?
Sweat potatoes are either loved or hated by people, there is no in-between. Sweet potatoes are the norm in many households, it’s quite normal to store the leftovers in the fridge. But you may wonder whether storing and reheating sweet potatoes possess health risks.
You may question- “can you reheat sweet potatoes?”
Yes, you can. You just need to place the sweet potatoes in the microwave and set the temperature to about 74°C or 165°F. Keep it in the oven for 2-3 minutes and thus, your sweet potatoes are reheated.
In this article, we are going to talk about how to reheat sweet potatoes, whether reheating sweet potatoes poses any health risks, what to reheat and what foods are not okay to reheat, plus more. Stay tuned to this article to know more.
Can You Reheat Sweet Potatoes?
Absolutely, you can reheat sweet potatoes any day. You just need to know the proper ways to do it so that it doesn’t go to waste.
When you go for reheating the sweet potatoes, you need to first wrap the sweet potatoes with a damp towel. After wrapping it with a towel, you should heat it for two to three minutes. And for mashed potatoes, the heating should be for about 1-2 minutes.
Sweet potatoes are one of the most wholesome foods which have great nutritional value along with a variety of different tastes. The taste of sweet potatoes goes well with a variety of different cuisines, even if it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
You can make amazing dishes with sweet potatoes when baked, fried, or microwaved. You may quickly revive a sweet potato by heating it in the microwave for simple preparation.
What’s The Best Way To Store Potatoes?
Before reheating the potatoes, you need to know the proper way to store every kind of potato. So, that when you go through the reheating procedure, no other issues can get in your way.
Storing Sweet Potatoes
The main reason why storing sweet potatoes is very simple is cause sweet potatoes are root vegetables. U.S. Sweet Potato Council advises maintaining the potatoes at a cool or room temperature where the airflow is very good.
If you want to use or eat the potatoes within 1 month or even in fewer days, do not store them in the fridge. Because storing the sweet potatoes in the fridge may cause them to become very hard and the taste and texture of the sweet potato might decay. Although they won’t taste as good if they’re refrigerated, they will theoretically last longer.
Storing Sweet Potato Fries
If you want the sweet potatoes to stay crispy, you definitely need to give the fries an appropriate amount of time to let it come down to room temperature first. So that there is no chance of condensation on the fries if the fries cool down instantly in the fridge. Condensation will result in freezer burn, which will ruin the color and the taste of the fried sweet potato.
So, after the fries have cooled down to room temperature, put the container in the fridge. You can store it for about 6 months in the fridge at about 46-50°F (10°C).
Storing Steamed Potatoes
You may place sweet potatoes that have been cooked or baked right away in the refrigerator. Your sweet potatoes should be promptly cooled, and putting them straight into the refrigerator will help. If you do not put the potatoes in the fridge, it will result in developing mold.
This is the main reason why you shouldn’t leave sweet potatoes out on the counter to cool; instead, put them in the refrigerator right away (unless you’re going to eat them, of course). You can store it in the fridge for about a week at a temperature of 40°F (4°C) or below.
To prevent freezer burn, let the whole sweet potato cool fully in the refrigerator before putting it in the freezer.
Reheating Sweet Potatoes
When you reheat sweet potatoes, you can do that in both the microwave and the oven. The temperature and procedure vary. To make it easier for you, we will talk about microwaves and ovens in this article.
Reheating in the microwave
If you want the fastest way for reheating, the microwave is the way to go. Follow these steps when you are preparing to reheat the sweet potatoes using a microwave-
- First thing first, bring out the sweet potatoes from the fridge and put the potatoes in your room to let them come back to room temperature. Leaving it for 5-10 minutes will get the job done. For frozen leftover sweet potatoes, you need to first defrost them using the microwave or naturally.
- The next step would be to place the leftover sweet potatoes in the microwave. Before doing that, make sure the plate is covered with a damp paper towel. Why wet or damp paper towels? That’s cause the wet paper towel will help to soak the excess moisture in the sweet potatoes so that it doesn’t become mushy or wetter. You can carry on this same procedure with regular potatoes also.
- The temperature should be medium keep the potatoes in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Microwaving would be longer if the sweet potatoes are baked.
- When your potatoes are done with heating, uncover the wet paper towel and leave the plate at normal temperature
- The usual time frame for reheating sweet potato mash is about 5-10 minutes per pound.
- For sweet potato mash, a damp paper towel is not needed and the required time is about 1 minute max.
Reheating in the oven
Reheating the sweet potatoes in the oven is better when you’re reheating leftover baked potatoes or potato fries.
For baked potatoes:
- Set your oven to around 400 degrees F. Then cover the plate of sweet potatoes with a sheet and reheat for about fifteen to thirty minutes.
For potato fries:
- The time estimation is about 10 to 15 minutes max. As we said earlier in the microwave, baked sweet potatoes will take longer.
Following our recommendation will get your job done. But you need to be cautious doing all of these. You should be around the microwave or oven you are reheating. Be careful that you don’t burn your sweet potatoes in the oven.
Is It Dangerous To Reheat Sweet Potatoes?
No, it is not. The food is safe when it reaches the heat of 165 degrees F. Reheating sweet potatoes does not carry any health hazards. Although, you should eat the foods within 3-4 days according to USDA.
Ways To Keep Sweet Potatoes From Getting Soggy
Another concern for sweet potatoes are their sogginess. Following some precautions will help you return the crispiness of the fries-
- Simply place your potato fries on the pan and cook them for 3 to 5 minutes on high.
- You have to ensure that the sweet potatoes are not attached to each other. If the fries are attached to each other, it will result in sogginess.
- Coating the fries in the cornstarch is a great way to avoid making the fries soggy. Cornstarch absorbs moisture which is a reason for crispiness
Last but the least, you can reheat the potato fries in the oven or air fryers to retain the crispiness.
What Foods You Can Reheat and Cannot Reheat
You may think about what harms it may bring to reheating foods. But you will be surprised, reheating some certain foods and eating them will be detrimental to your health. See for yourself-
| Foods You can reheat | Foods You cannot reheat |
| Quorn | Spinach |
| Meat and Chicken | Eggs |
| Sausages | Beets |
| Gammon | Mushrooms |
| Milk | Rice |
FAQ
Can I store reheated sweet potatoes?
We wouldn’t advise doing that. You wouldn’t want to consume food that had been prepared, then preserved, warmed, and then consumed once more. Just because meal leftovers might allow germs to thrive doesn’t make it safe. Additionally, some of the beneficial elements in your sweet potatoes will be lost in this process.
Can You Reheat Sweet Potato on the Stove?
The stovetop is the ideal method for reheating sweet potatoes. Any potato responds nicely to the straightforward method: Add the oil and turn the sweet potato over. For about 8 minutes, cook covered over high heat until the food is mushy and the edges are browned.
Cooking should periodically include stirring to prevent scorching. Take off from the heat and allow to cool for 5–6 minutes. Utilize a paring knife to peel the skin off. To make bite-sized pieces, chop.
Last Thoughts
Did you find the answers you were looking for?
It is absolutely normal to be concerned about eating reheated foods from the fridge. There are many foods that shouldn’t be eaten after reheating, as we talked about those in the article. Potatoes are widely used and eaten by reheating, so you shouldn’t stress about them much.
Following the instructions we have provided in the article will remove any risk of health issues. Good luck!
