Drying sweet potatoes will turn black easily if they are dried right after cutting? Remember the "5 tips" to make dry sweet potatoes soft and glutinous but not hard

Sweet potatoes are a whole grain that I like to eat very much. Their soft, glutinous and sweet texture always makes people love them. Every winter, when I see a stall selling roasted sweet potatoes on the streets, I can't help but stop. No matter whether I buy it or not, just smelling the sweet fragrance is a great healing experience.

There are many ways to make and eat sweet potatoes. Sometimes when I buy too many sweet potatoes at once, I will use them to dry them. Sweet potatoes are more durable after being dried and can be eaten as snacks, which is very convenient. However, when drying dried sweet potatoes, I believe many friends will encounter similar problems to me, such as the dried sweet potatoes turning black in color and tasting hard.

Regarding this, I specifically asked my neighbor’s grandmother for advice. She dries sweet potatoes every winter and is particularly experienced in this area. After some study, I suddenly realized it. I summarized the experience I learned into "5 major skills", and I will tell you about them one by one below.

There are many kinds of sweet potatoes sold in the vegetable market, but not every kind of sweet potato is suitable for drying. When choosing sun-dried sweet potatoes, we should pay attention to two points. One is to choose the right variety of sweet potatoes, and the other is to choose fresh and complete sweet potatoes.

In terms of sweet potato varieties, you should choose sweet potatoes with high sweetness, so that they will taste sweeter after being dried. Generally speaking, red sweet potatoes have the highest sweetness, followed by yellow sweet potatoes, and white sweet potatoes have lower sweetness. Red sweet potatoes are the best choice. Among sweet potato varieties, tobacco potatoes, watermelon red sweet potatoes, etc. are all very suitable for drying sweet potatoes.

In terms of the freshness of sweet potatoes, you should choose sweet potatoes that have a complete appearance, less surface wear, and no signs of mold or sprouts. Such sweet potatoes will have high freshness and will naturally taste better.

Don’t be impatient with the fresh sweet potatoes you just bought home, use them to make dried sweet potatoes right away. This is because fresh sweet potatoes usually contain a lot of water, have a lower sugar concentration, and have a less sweet taste. The correct method is to spread the sweet potatoes flat on the floor and let them dry in the sun for about 5-7 days.

During the drying process, the water in the sweet potatoes will slowly evaporate, and the sugar concentration inside will gradually become higher. At this time, the sweetness of the sweet potatoes will be higher. After drying, the sweet potatoes can be eaten. It will also taste sweeter. Therefore, everyone must remember to dry the whole sweet potatoes before drying them.

After cleaning the dried sweet potatoes, remember to soak them in salt water for about an hour, then take them out to dry them out. Soaking sweet potatoes in salt water can weaken the effect of oxidase in sweet potatoes, promote the internal ripening of sweet potatoes, and thereby increase the sweetness of sweet potatoes.

In addition, salt also has a bactericidal effect, which can extend the storage time of sweet potatoes. It will also form a protective film on the surface of sweet potatoes. During the drying process, dried sweet potatoes will not easily turn black due to oxidation. . The dried sweet potatoes will have a better color. This technique also works when making baked sweet potatoes.

In the process of drying sweet potatoes, there are two very important steps, steaming and drying. When steaming, everyone must remember to "three steams", that is, steaming three times. The method and purpose of steaming are different each time. After being dried in the sun, the sweet potatoes that have been steamed three times will taste very different from the sweet potatoes that are steamed once.

The first steaming is for steaming. Wash the sweet potatoes, put them in a pot and steam them over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until they can be penetrated with chopsticks. Do not steam them too much, rather they will be a little raw. , if the sweet potato is large, you can cut it into several small pieces and steam it;

The second steaming is for sweetness. Peel the sweet potato that has been steamed once and cut it into vertical strips or thick slices. , remember not to be too thin, otherwise it will affect the taste. After the "first drying", put it into the steamer and steam for about 20 minutes;

The third steaming is to steam it until it is soft. After the "second steaming" "Put the dried sweet potatoes into the steamer again and steam them for about 10 minutes this time.

When drying sweet potatoes, the "three steaming and three drying" methods used are the legendary ancient method of reverse steaming sweet potatoes. The process of "three drying" is interspersed with the process of "three steaming". Although the process is complicated and time-consuming, the dried sweet potatoes will taste very good.

The first drying is after the "first steaming" is completed. The steamed sweet potatoes cut into strips or slices are placed in the sun for 2 days until the surface of the sweet potatoes dries and looks visibly wrinkled. That's it;

The second drying is after completing the "second steaming". Place the dried sweet potatoes that have been steamed for the second time under the sun and continue to dry them for 2 days. At this time, the color of the dried sweet potatoes will change. It's more beautiful;

The third drying is after completing the "three steamings". This is also the last drying. Put the dried sweet potatoes in the sun for another 2 days and you're done.

When drying sweet potatoes, remember to check the weather forecast in advance. It is best to choose sunny weather for several consecutive days. Without enough sunlight, sweet potatoes tend to darken in color when dried.

Lazy Meow’s Experience

If you want to make dried sweet potatoes that are golden in color but not black, and taste soft and glutinous but not hard, you must pay attention to the details. The "5 tips" shared with you above are all key points when drying sweet potatoes:

Choose the right sweet potatoes, dry them before cooking, remember to soak them in salt water, and make sure to steam them three times. Ensure three times of exposure.

This way, everyone can apply what they have learned next time they dry sweet potatoes.