Give Your Oven A Rest And Throw Your Sweet Potatoes In The Air Fryer
There is nothing like a delicious pan of perfectly crisp and tender sweet potatoes. With the weather taking a significant downturn toward colder temps, many foodies enjoy hearty root vegetables to keep their bellies full and warm. If you want to create a holiday dish of sweet potatoes with maple granola topping, or if you simply want a different way to bake a few sweet spuds for a nightly side dish, you may want to consider using your air fryer.
While using your stovetop or oven has its benefits, these cooking appliances often involve the use of extra pans. Not only that, but air fryers typically require no time to preheat, which makes it a convenient solution when you're running behind on dinner prep. Apart from saving wasted time waiting for your oven to preheat, you can also cook your beloved sweet potatoes in less time when utilizing your air fryer. Next to being a faster and more convenient solution to your standard oven, you can cook these bright orange root vegetables in several different ways depending on the side dish or meal at hand. Before we divulge a few drawbacks associated with cooking sweet potatoes in an air fryer, let's dive into the versatility air fryers provide in terms of different preparation techniques.
The benefits of cooking sweet potatoes in an air fryer
If you're up for roasting sweet potatoes in your air fryer, you're in for a real treat since these root vegetables cook easily in this simple and convenient appliance. First, for home chefs planning to make whole baked sweet potatoes, there truly isn't too much difference in cooking times between an air fryer and an oven; beyond waiting for your conventional oven to preheat, both cooking methods suggest taking at least 40 minutes. The benefit of using an air fryer, however, is that once your sweet potatoes are cooked, you're sure to be rewarded with delightfully crisp outer skin and evenly creamy spuds thanks to your air fryer's convection-like fan.
For foodies into the idea of roasting cubed or sliced sweet potatoes, there is more of a noticeable difference in cooking methods. When roasting smaller foods, air fryers typically require less fat, so besides choosing your favorite spices, feel free to cut down on cooking oil. Besides using less oil, you'll produce perfectly crispy yet tender sweet potato cubes in less time. Sweet potatoes roasted in a 400-degree air fryer may take up to 15 minutes, but those roasted in a 400-degree oven usually take at least 30 minutes to cook thoroughly. While there are many positive reasons to cook your next batch of sweet potatoes in your air fryer, there are a few drawbacks worth mentioning.
The downside to roasting sweet potatoes in an air fryer versus an oven
Even though there are plenty of appetizing air fryer recipes for everyday meals, including roasted sweet potatoes, you may choose your oven over this handy appliance based on a few noteworthy considerations. If you plan to make roasted spuds for a large family meal like Thanksgiving, you will need more room than the space in your air fryer basket. While ovens are large-scale appliances that typically hold at least two sheet pans worth of food, an average air fryer holds 2-5 quarts. You also want to be careful not to overfill your air fryer since crowded fryer baskets may cause your food to turn out steamed and soft instead of crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. While you can combat this lack of room by purchasing a large-scale air fryer, this appliance does need a convenient location on your counter and can take up quite a bit of space.
Also, since air fryers typically run at high temperatures, you're more prone to overcooking your food, including those precious sweet potatoes. If you plan on using your air fryer in conjunction with your stove top and oven for a large meal, keeping an eye on this fast-acting appliance is crucial. Beyond these small factors, home chefs should consider cooking them air-fryer style.