Sweet potatoes might inspire you to buy too many when you see a recipe using them. Though potatoes are good for quite a while, you might not want to cook them every day within a week or two. How should sweet potatoes be stored?
Sweet potatoes can be frozen raw? The raw sweet potato can be frozen. Before freezing raw potatoes, it is recommended that they be blanched. As a result of freezing and defrosting processes, freezing and blanching can cause flavor and texture changes in sweet potatoes.
You will learn how to properly freeze sweet potatoes in this article, as well as what steps you shouldn’t skip.
Additionally, you’ll learn what are the signs that raw frozen sweet potatoes have gone bad and how long they should be kept.
Do Raw Potatoes Freeze Well?
You can’t freeze raw potatoes regardless of the variety. It is impossible to freeze raw potatoes because of their high water content.
When you defrost potatoes, they become mushy, watery, and grainy because of their high water content.
To prevent this from happening, it is recommended that potatoes are blanched before they are frozen. While it may seem time-saving to peel, chop, and store potatoes directly in the freezer, it is not a good idea.
It will, however, pay off to spend a few minutes more preparing your potatoes properly in order to ensure you get better results and extend the shelf life of your food.
Can You Freeze Raw Sweet Potatoes?
Putting raw potatoes in the freezer isn’t the best idea, as explained above. It’s no different with sweet potatoes.
A proper freezing technique and the blanching procedure are vital if you want to prevent flavor changes and texture changes.
Before freezing sweet potatoes, they should be bled for several reasons. By blanching sweet potatoes and reducing the water content, they are prevented from becoming too watery and mushy.
Blanched sweet potatoes also maintain their color. Third, it enables sweet potatoes to maintain their flavor after defrosting.
Last but not least, blanching is said to retain the nutritional value of vegetables.
After the sweet potatoes are thawed, blanching them does not guarantee their freshness. If you are freezing sweet potatoes raw, be sure to freeze only those that are in good condition and still fresh.
How To Store Sweet Potatoes
What is the best way to store potatoes in the freezer if you aren’t using them right away? What about sweet potatoes that are raw and cut but not yet in use?
If you blanch sweet potatoes first, freezing them works well. To store potatoes without blanching them, place them in a bowl of cold water. In this way, it will be possible to store the raw potatoes for up to 4 days.
How To Freeze Raw Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes can be frozen raw if you do not wish to cook them before freezing. Using this versatile vegetable in this way is a much better option than wasting it.
You can freeze sweet potatoes without having to cook them by following the steps outlined below.
- To peel sweet potatoes, start by peeling them. If your potatoes have large eyes, cut them out.
- Make sticks or chunks out of the potatoes. It is preferred that the potato pieces have a thickness of 1 inch. In addition to cutting the potatoes into wedges, you can also slice them in half.
- Sweet potatoes should be blanched for 1-2 minutes in boiling water.
- The potatoes should be removed from boiling water and transferred to ice water after a few minutes. By doing so, the drying process will stop immediately and you won’t have to worry about overcooked potatoes. Defrosting the potatoes after blanching prevents mushy sweet potatoes.
- Put the potatoes in a strainer and let them drain. By the time the potatoes have cooled completely, they will be safe to handle.
- Lay the drained potatoes out on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Frozen potatoes on a baking sheet can be lifted off without sticking to one another.
- Put the frozen sweet potato slices into airtight freezer bags after 2-3 hours. A heavy-duty freezer bag will prevent freezer burn on the potatoes, as well as absorb odors from other products within the freezer.
- Empty the freezer bags of excess air.
- As soon as you can, label the potatoes with the date and use them.
Can You Freeze Sweet Potatoes Without Blanching?
Some people are too busy to blanch the sweet potatoes, even though it only takes a few minutes.
Raw sweet potatoes can be frozen without blanching, although we don’t recommend that. Defrosted potatoes, however, are likely to become highly starchy, soft, and stringy once they are heated.
Make sure to use frozen sweet potatoes as soon as possible if you have frozen them raw and without blanching.
Also, visit Can You Freeze Scotch Eggs?
How Long Do Raw Sweet Potatoes Last In The Freezer?
Unlike many other vegetables, sweet potatoes can be stored for a long time. Sweet potatoes will last up to one month when stored in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated place.
Raw sweet potatoes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three months.
Note, however, that cold storage of raw potatoes leads to their hardening in the middle and not taste as good when cooked.
Sweet potatoes can be stored longer if they are placed in the freezer. Cooked sweet potatoes last for approximately 12 months in the freezer. No matter whether they are mashed, sliced, or whole, frozen cooked sweet potatoes have a shelf life of about one year.
Unlike raw sweet potatoes, frozen sweet potatoes do not last as long. If you use raw sweet potatoes in their frozen state within three months, we recommend you do so.
Also, there is no need to worry about them spoiling after that date. Nevertheless, the longer you freeze them, the more their taste and texture will change.
Other Methods For Freezing Sweet Potatoes
Putting raw sweet potatoes in cold storage is not recommended, as you already know.
Before freezing sweet potatoes, it’s best to cook them first. In advance, you can boil, bake, or mash your sweet potatoes depending on what you will do with them later.
Boiled, baked, or mashed potatoes stored in the freezer will greatly speed up the preparation of many dishes and make meal and snack preparation a lot easier.
Sweet potatoes, for example, are perfect for stews and soups made with frozen sweet potatoes. On the other hand, frozen baked potatoes require around half an hour in the oven to thaw.
How To Thaw Frozen Sweet Potatoes
Once thawed in the refrigerator, sweet potatoes are ready for use. Refrigerate the potatoes overnight to allow them to fully defrost.
In case you need to defrost the sweet potatoes quickly, you can use cold water.
Put a bowl filled with cold water over a bag of frozen sweet potatoes. It will speed up the process of softening and re-hydrating the potatoes.
For instant defrosting, the microwave can also be used. Potatoes can be easily dried out by this method, however. Use this method of defrosting with caution.
Using hot water or room temperature to defrost sweet potatoes is never recommended. Consequently, food is more likely to be contaminated with bacteria.
Blanched potatoes can be heated right up in hot dishes, however, they are frozen. Making sure the potatoes are cooked through is the key.
Using frozen potatoes for soups, stews, and casseroles is easy. It is also possible to roast or grill the sweet potatoes without thawing them first.
Blanched sweet potatoes should be tossed directly on a baking sheet without thawing before roasting. Bake until the potatoes are cooked through and have become crispy, then drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Signs That Frozen Potatoes Have Gone Bad
When potatoes are frozen, they naturally darken. In order to preserve the color of the cooked potatoes, many people add lemon juice to them before freezing them.
However, although slight darkening is acceptable, heavy discoloration indicates the potatoes have gone bad. They should be discarded. Also, frozen potatoes with dry spots are not suitable for consumption.
Similarly, you should discard any defrosted potatoes if they smell bad or appear moldy.
A freezer burn may occur if you don’t wrap the sweet potatoes correctly. A sweet potato that has been frozen-burnt can be consumed.
The potatoes will lose their flavor and texture, though, if they are frozen. You may be better off discarding them.
