Sweet potatoes: to cook or not to cook?

I would like to dehydrate some sweet potatoes. Here I found a recipe for dehydrating fresh sweet potatoes in low temperatures without cooking them first. But here they say that fresh sweet potatoes contain toxins and should not be eaten without cooking. So what is the truth? Is it safe to eat dehydrated sweet potatoes that were not cooked first?

Best Answer

I would prefer cooking them first. Sun-dried sweet potatoes do exist in some parts of Asia as a snack. They are chewy chunks rather than crispy slices as shown in your link. There are also freeze-dried ones around these days. Anti-nutrition contents are not overwhelming in sweet potatoes to my knowledge. So, uncooked should be fine. I think you will get better texture and avoid browning by cooking them first.

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Is raw or cooked sweet potato better for you?

In terms of nutrition, a baked sweet potato is high in vitamins A and C, fiber, potassium and iron. Flavor-wise, it's like dessert and a savory casserole got married and had a baby. But a baked sweet potato also has twice the glycemic index of a raw sweet potato. Before you panic, don't.

Do sweet potatoes have to be cooked?

Can You Eat Sweet Potatoes Raw? Regular raw potatoes, especially green ones, can contain the toxic enzyme solanine, so they shouldn't be eaten raw. Sweet potatoes can be consumed without cooking them; however, they might cause some digestive issues.

When should you not cook sweet potatoes?

As sweet potatoes begin to spoil, they will shrivel (like the one on the photo above) as they lose moisture. The veggie will then become mushy and turn brown or black. Do not eat sweet potatoes once they have begun to shrivel, and certainly not past this point.

Is it healthier to bake or boil sweet potatoes?

Boiling sweet potatoes retains more beta-carotene and makes the nutrient more absorbable than other cooking methods such as baking or frying. Up to 92% of the nutrient can be retained by limiting the cook time, such as boiling in a pot with a tightly covered lid for 20 minutes.

Mistakes Everyone Makes When Cooking Sweet Potatoes

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