How to bake a sweet potato in the microwave

 

The simplest method to microwave a sweet potato

If you've ever wondered how to cook sweet potatoes quickly or what the simplest way to make sweet potatoes is, today is your lucky day!

This cooking method yields a fluffy, soft sweet potato that is ideal for mashing and using in other sweet potato dishes or eating on its own. Extra bonus: I use an appliance in my house that almost often goes unnoticed, a piece of equipment that hangs above my stove and is normally only used to boil water and reheat leftovers.

And I guarantee you'll never go back to the old way.

 

This is by far the quickest method for cooking sweet potatoes, which is fantastic (YAY SPEED. TIME IS MONEY. All of that, but it's also THE BEST. The texture is soft and fluffy, it doesn't heat up the house only for a few sweet potatoes, and it consumes less electricity than cranking up my

enormous, old oven.

How to cook a sweet potato in the microwave

First, thoroughly wash the sweet potato by scrubbing it with your hands and fingers under running water or in a bowl of water. Remove any tendrils that are clinging to it.

 

Then, using a fork, pierce the sweet potato 4 to 6 times. Take care when doing this!

The safest technique to avoid harm is to place the sweet potato on a cutting board with one hand and thrust it down toward the cutting board with the other. Translation: do not hold something in one hand's palm while stabbing at it with the other.

 

Wrap the sweet potato in a paper towel and place it on the turntable in the center of the microwave. You may place it on a microwave-safe plate if you want, but I believe it's no more difficult to clean the microwave's turntable than it is to clean a plate, so why bother?

 How long should it be cooked?

Microwave on high for 4–6 minutes. Start with 5 minutes if you're not sure how long it will take with your unique microwave.

 It's difficult to overcook them, but an undercooked one is disgusting! For my microwave, 5 minutes is generally enough, but for the rare extra-large potato, I try 5 minutes, squish it, and if it's not super soft, throw it back in for another minute at a time until it is.

That's all! Is it really that simple?

How can you know if sweet potato is cooked?

The skin will balloon up while it cooks, then collapses as it cools. A cooked sweet potato will have somewhat wrinkly skin (see photo below) and will "give" when pressed or squeezed gently.

Is it necessary to pierce a sweet potato before cooking it?

YES! Piercing the skin allows steam to escape throughout the cooking process, which is good for both safety and taste. If you don't let the steam escape, you can end up with an exploding potato ( and on your microwave. ) That is something that no one desires. It also aids in the preparation of a fluffy sweet potato in order to puncture it!

 

What are some tasty sweet potato garnishes?

After the sweet potato has finished cooking, puncture a line lengthwise down the center with a fork. Then, using the same fork, pierce the sweet potato and fluff the insides. Then you can add a garnish! Here are some of my favorites:

1. Salted butter and/or a sprinkling of cinnamon
2. Chili Peanut Butter, oats, and slices of banana
3. Cubed chicken, crumbled bacon, diced avocado, ranch drizzling
4. Fillings for fajitas that were leftover (grilled chicken or steak, peppers, sour cream, salsa)

Is it okay to microwave sweet potatoes?

Yep! However, you must puncture it before cooking in order for it to release steam throughout the cooking process. The stabbing is most likely the most dangerous component of the entire situation!

Some good tips:

1. What if I need to microwave more than one sweet potato at the same time?
2. While you may microwave numerous sweet potatoes at once, I prefer heating them one at a time. They stay warm for a long time after being removed from the microwave, and cooking two sweet potatoes at once takes twice as long as one, if not longer! So I'm assuming I'll do them one at a time.
3. Is this procedure applicable to "ordinary" non-sweet potatoes?
4. Yep! You can use the same instructions, cook time, and everything else for this recipe to make a baked potato in the microwave (that is, a regular non-sweet non-baked baked/microwaved potato haha! ).

Do you have a lot of sweet potatoes leftover? Prepare a sweet potato casserole!

How long can cooked sweet potato be stored?

Wrapped in foil or in a storage container, a cooked sweet potato can be stored in the fridge for 5 to 6 days. Cooked sweet potatoes will ultimately begin to seep a sticky, stretchy liquid that is difficult to clean up! So keep that in mind while you store them.

How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in the Microwave

The simplest way to prepare sweet potatoes! Everything you need to know about cooking sweet potatoes in the microwave.

The Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato
• ½ Tablespoon butter optional
• dash of cinnamon optional

The Instructions

• Scrub the potato clean and eliminate any trends or strings hanging from it.
• Pierce the potato several times, and wrap in a paper towel.
• Microwave the wrapped sweet potato for 4 - 6 minutes, or until it is soft to the touch.
• Slice the sweet potato lengthwise, fluff with a fork, and add a pat of butter and/or sprinkle of cinnamon before serving.