How To Freeze Sweet Potatoes?

Sweet potatoes can stay fresh for quite a while, but if you leave them out at room temperature, they might spoil or get moldy. Normally, people keep them in the pantry for about two months or in the fridge for up to two weeks, although they might change color and taste a bit weird in the fridge. The best way to keep them fresh for a long time is to freeze them for about a year, but you’ve got to do a few things to get them ready.

When you freeze sweet potatoes, their texture might change a bit over time because they’re full of water. When you freeze them, the water inside makes their cells expand and break, so they become softer. This makes them perfect for things like casseroles, soups, and stews, but not so good for dishes like hash browns, gratins, or salads. If you want to make gnocchi or fries, fresh potatoes are your best bet.

Freezing sweet potatoes not only keeps them tasting good but also helps cut down on food waste. The trick is to cook or blanch them before freezing, even if it means spending a bit more time in the kitchen.

You see, raw sweet potatoes have a lot of water in them, so they can turn mushy in the freezer. That’s why packaged fries are precooked before you buy them. Also, freezing can make them sweeter and increase the levels of something called acrylamide, which isn’t good for you, according to Healthline. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also says it’s not great to expose potatoes to cold temperatures when storing or transporting them.

To freeze sweet potatoes without messing up their texture, start by giving them a good wash under cold water to get rid of any dirt. Then peel and chop them into pieces, depending on how you’ll use them later. Boil them for a few minutes in hot water—about five minutes should do it. The smaller the pieces, the quicker they’ll cook. After boiling, put them in ice water to cool down, then drain and dry them. Spread them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and stick them in the freezer for a few hours. Once you freeze them, you can transfer them into containers or bags and keep them in the freezer for up to a year.

You can also cook them completely before freezing. For instance, bake them with the skin on, then wrap each one in foil and put them in containers in the freezer. Or you can boil them whole, leave the skin on, and freeze them in bags.