I just thought of something.

[conuly]

Typically, when I want to make a vegetable a little softer, I steam it. I steam green beans, and broccoli, and the occasional carrots.

But when I want to make, say, mashed sweet potato... I boil it.

Should I be steaming my sweet potato as well to retain nutrients? How about my potatoes? (I mean, I recognize that's a bit silly with typical potatoes, but what if I have fancy purple ones?)

Obviously "steam your potatoes!" would be limited by the quantity of potatoes I intend to cook... but why do I boil them?

(Why do I ostensibly boil them, that is. Mostly I only ever do that for mashed potatoes, which invariably have a sweet potato or some carrots blended in.)

Comments

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

I microwave mine - half-way house between boiling and steaming, since there's so little water involved. Could be worth a try?

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

How much does the density of the vegetables in question have to do with it? Would a steamed sweet potato cook evenly enough for steaming to work? Or had you planned to grate them and then steam them?

[noodles-morgyn.livejournal.com]

Steaming works well for potatoes (and sweet potatoes). You can chop each one into a couple of pieces, leaving the skin on, then after they're steamed you can just take the skin off with your fingers. It saves a lot of time on peeling...

[ser-kai.livejournal.com]

I boil my potatoes whole in their skins. They mash better, they retain nutrients and flavour, and the skins aren't all that noticeable.