Using microwave to reheat sweet potatoes is convenient, and easy to do. Follow a handful of microwave tips that ensure success of that reheated sweet potato every time.
How to reheat sweet potatoes in the microwave? Place the sweet potato on a microwave-safe dish and nuke for 2 to 3 minutes until fully reheated to an internal temperature of 74°C or 165°F.
If you are reheating baked sweet potatoes, wrap with a damp paper towel and heat for 2 to 3 minutes. For mashed sweet potatoes, high heat for 1 to 2 minutes and sweet potato fries should be reheated on a microwave crisper for best results.
Sweet potatoes are known for their wholesome nutritional value and versatile flavors that go well with breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. If you often find yourself with leftover sweet potatoes, then you must be thinking can you reheat it in a microwave?
A sweet potato can be baked, fried or microwaved to make amazing dishes. Microwave a sweet potato for easy cooking that can help you instantly bring the sweet potato back to life.
Well, the good news is you can easily reheat sweet potatoes in microwave to warm it up in just a few minutes. Next, every question you might have about reheating them in a microwave have been answered for you.
Is it dangerous to reheat sweet potatoes?
If you have stored the cooked sweet potatoes correctly, then it is not at all dangerous to reheat sweet potatoes in the microwave. For this reason, it is important to know how to properly store leftover sweet potatoes dishes.
Store leftover cooked sweet potatoes in the fridge, and reheated to an internal temperature of 74°C or 165°F to be considered safe to eat.
If the leftover sweet potatoes are not properly cooled, stored and reheated, then the can become a potentially hazardous food. The bacteria growth will become rampant and you may fall ill to a food borne illness.
How to store cooked sweet potatoes
According to the USDA, cooked sweet potatoes are a perishable food that must be kept outside the temperature danger zone of 41°F to 140°F. Therefore, they must be stored in refrigerated conditions to prevent rapid spoilage and growth of food borne bacteria.
When dealing with leftover sweet potatoes, throwing it in the freezer will make them turn soft and mushy. So, it will be best to store them in the fridge and consume within 2 to 3 days.
When putting them in the fridge make sure that they are completely cooled down. In case of baked or steamed sweet potatoes, stick them in the fridge as when they are cooled off completely.
For mashed sweet potatoes, you can put them in the freezer as well as the fridge. Do use a shallow airtight container when keeping them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
How do you reheat a sweet potato in the microwave?
Different sweet potato dishes will require different styles of microwave reheating. Here are the most popular ways to reheat a sweet potato in the microwave:
Sweet potato fries: To return the crisp texture, you need to place the fries in a browning tray with spaces in between each fry. Preheat the microwave crisper pan in the microwave and then nuke the sweet potato fried on the hot tray for 3 minutes.
Baked or Steamed sweet potato: Microwave is the fastest way to reheat steamed or baked sweet potato, but there is a chance of it drying up. Split the sweet potato in the middle and place a damp paper towel on top, use microwave safe plate to put on top and reheat for 3 minutes on 100% power for 1 sweet potato.
If you are reheating more than 1 sweet potato, add 2 minutes for each additional sweet potato. Make sure to rotate and flip them over halfway through on each side until the center of the reheated sweet potato reaches 74°C or 165°F.
Mashed sweet potatoes: First you need to transfer it to a microwave safe casserole bowl and spread the top so that the layer is even. Cover with lid or plastic wrap, and nuke on high for 1 minute. Stir the potatoes and continue microwaving for another minute. If it feels too thick, add splash of extra milk or a tablespoon of butter to loosen up the consistency.
Chopped sweet potato dishes: You need to transfer it from the airtight container to a microwave safe dish. After that you can simply reheat the sweet potatoes in microwave for 1 minute, stir and then continue nuking for one more minute.
How long do you heat up a sweet potato in the microwave?
In general, one medium sized cooked sweet potato will take about 3 to 5 minutes to fully reheat. Based on the type of dish, it takes between 3 to 10 minutes to reheat sweet potato in the microwave.
A major difference in reheat timing is the current temperature of the food. If the sweet potato is pulled out of the ridge and left at room temperature for 30 minutes, it will require less microwaving reheating time than a frozen dish of sweet potato mash.
Be careful when microwaving cold glass, rather it is important to defrost to room temperature before microwaving glass on high heat.
However, you should store the sweet potatoes properly and use the best ways to reheat them. Only then are you able to reheat them to perfection within just a few minutes.
Tips to reheat a sweet potato in microwave
Microwaving a sweet potato is not that hard once you know a handful of microwave tricks. After you have washed the sweet potato and gotten rid of all the tendrils, it is important to poke holes in the sweet potato to provide a place for the steam to escape while it gets cooked.
Use a thin knife or fork to pierce the sweet potato all over. And stab the potato 5 to 6 times. After that, cover the sweet potato with a damp paper towel if you like to have soft sweet potatoes.
The paper towel will ensure the sweet potato gets cooked evenly. If you follow these two tips, then you can get prefect microwaved sweet potato with very minimal effort.
Best way to reheat a sweet potato in microwave
The best way to reheat a sweet potato in the microwave is to cover it up with a wet paper towel. The loose wrapping with trap steam while it gets cooked and the paper towel will ensure that it gets reheated evenly.
Other options to consider are using a microwave cover or microwaveable plastic wrap. Use caution when microwaving plastic as the intense concentrations of steam may melt the plastic and leach harmful chemicals into your food.
Steps to be followed:
- Bring the sweet potato to room temperature for 10 to 30 minutes if possible.
- Place the sweet potato on a microwave safe dish, glass and ceramic are generally recommended.
- Cover the sweet potato with a wetted paper towel or microwaveable lid. This will ensure that the sweet potato reheats evenly in the microwave. However, if you want to season the skin then it will be best to leave the paper towel out or it will absorb the oil and seasoning.
- Place the dish in the middle of the turntable.
- Microwave the sweet potato on high power for 3 to 5 minutes or until it is reheated to an internal temperature of 74°C or 165°F.
Reheat Sweet Potatoes In The Microwave-Final Thoughts
Whether it is fries, baked, and mashed, there are many ways for you to enjoy sweet potatoes. Each type of meal need to be stored properly to bring the flavor back to life when reheated in the microwave.
Depending on its size, start by placing the cooked sweet potato in a microwave-safe dish. Reheat on medium or high heat based on the wattage power of your microwave.
The length of the reheat depends on the size and quantity of the sweet potatoes, but in generally it reheats in the microwave in about 3 minutes.
For best results, store the sweet potato properly to save the texture and flavor when reheated. Then, bring the cold sweet potato to room temperature for 10 to 30 minutes before nuking.
If the sweet potato tends to dry up while microwaving, wrap the sweet potato with damp paper towel or use a microwaveable cover over the top to keep the moisture intact within the vegetable.
There you have it; this was everything that you needed to know about using a microwave to reheat sweet potatoes. The information provided here will help you to reheat sweet potato dishes to perfection.