Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious vegetables that people can eat as is or without any complicated recipe.
In fact, in an article by healthline, among the benefits of consuming sweet potatoes is its containment of different antioxidants; not to mention studies being done on its hypothesized cancer-fighting properties.
WHY YOU SHOULD CLEAN SWEET POTATOES
Sweet potatoes are considered and classified under root vegetables. To recap elementary lessons, these types of produce, along with tubers (like regular potatoes), grow underground.
That said, sweet potatoes having grown below the soil makes it a nucleus of dirt and earth. Cooking Light in 2019 named potatoes as among the dirty dozen produce. They suggested buying only organic potatoes given their natural origin. Since sweet potatoes and carrots, similar to potatoes, grow below the earth, it is justified to clean them and treat them as much as regular potatoes.
One can never be too cautious when it comes to health. More so when we live in an age of pandemic where visiting the hospital and feeling sick is generally frowned upon
Since sweet potatoes are spuds wrapped in soil, it is imperative to clean them and clean them thoroughly. As a regular habit, people usually use vegetable brushes to cleanse sweet potatoes on top of rinsing them in water before cooking or consumption.
However, it is not every time that we can provide proper equipment. A question in the minds of every hygienic savant is “How to clean sweet potatoes without brush?”
In this article, we will be discussing different resourceful ways on how to clean sweet potatoes without brush or any fancy tool.
DIFFERENT WAYS OF CLEANING SWEET POTATOES
We live in a time where there is almost a distinct tool for every single action you can imagine. There is special equipment for chopping garlic, juicing fruits, or even separating egg yolks.
Granted, people use regular vegetable brushes when cleaning sweet potatoes. But there are instances wherein, for some reason, no brush is available. Perhaps the brush was old and got thrown out, the brush is misplaced, or maybe you simply don’t have one.
There are moments wherein you have to accomplish a task, in this case cleaning sweet potatoes thoroughly and is simply non-negotiable. In such cases, you have to bring your a-game and let creativity and resourcefulness flow.
The following are different ways on how to clean sweet potatoes without brush:
- Use an abrasive sponge
- Use a bath glove
- Paint Brush
- Kitchen Towel
In this article, we will be going over each of these – and their hows and whys.
Bath Glove
If you think you misread this option, then you’re wrong.
Should you have a stack of bath glove supplies and no vegetable brush in the kitchen, then you might want to consider getting one of your bathing equipment and using them instead for your cooking needs.
Bath Gloves are generally rough and exfoliating enough to scrub off dirt from your sunken vegetables but not too rough should you desire its skin layer and not want to peel.
For this option, it is specified that a glove type is used as you can have a better grip on the vegetable and get to scrub it completely unlike ball loofahs which might prove to be difficult to manipulate and end up not cleaning the sweet potato neatly.
Paint Brush
Paint brushes, specifically unused and sealed, are often used in kitchen needs.
Some even prefer literal paintbrushes in oil spreading over kitchen rubber brushes due to them being more natural and traditional.
In using a paintbrush, you should rinse the sweet potato under cool water with subtle finger scrubbing, and then brushing it exhaustively up to your preference.
Kitchen Towel
Since in-depth brushing is generally a personal choice, some people opt to use kitchen towels to rub off dirt residue from their sweet potatoes. In using this technique, one must be careful that the towel used is specifically for kitchen use.
Steps:
- Ensure that the towel does not contain any soap particles.
- Soak the sweet potato and the towel in running water. Remember to close the faucet afterward.
- Cover the sweet potato with the towel and rub it across the vegetable.
- Stroke the sweet potato gently but relatively harder than if you were to use a bath exfoliating glove.
- Rinse the sweet potato in running water. Should you feel that the sweet potato needs more scrubbing, repeat the massaging step until desired. Remember to rinse the sweet potato once finished.
- Pat dry using kitchen napkin.
- Clean the towel. Washing the towel with soap is a personal decision, but if done so, remember to rinse it completely leaving no traces of soap.
Abrasive Sponge
Using a sole abrasive sponge or the rough side of a double-sided dishwashing sponge is a great resourceful alternative in cleaning your sweet potatoes.
An abrasive sponge can scrub away the excess soil and dirt on the sweet potato with its adequate roughness. In using this option, one should ensure that a new sponge is utilized since a used sponge holds soap.
If you are on your way to choosing a sponge, Bryan Vu of yourbestdigs.com reviewed a Scrub Daddy sponge and compared it with different sponges. It was noted that scrub daddy sponges are ergonomic – meaning that the shapes of such sponges are retrofitted for human hands. The sponges were designed to provide a comfortable hold while adding different utilities.
But regular double-sided sponges and abrasive sponges can do just the trick and is more than enough to clean you those sweet potatoes you’ve been salivating to cook and eat.
One thing to keep in mind is that it is suggested to clean your sweet potatoes before cooking them and not after buying them. Cleaning the potatoes and storing them right after might cause moisture to be trapped on the skin and produce molds.
In Conclusion
These tips shared are only among the different possible ways you can go about how to clean sweet potatoes without a brush. So as long as the dirt residue in your vegetables is rinsed thoroughly and without unnecessary chemicals, then the means of cleaning shouldn’t be an issue.
