Long time no see! This is Hiracchi.
Once September started, it was nothing but rain, summer ended in a flash, and now we finally have that lovely autumn weather.
It's perfect weather for going out!
You shouldn't just stay cooped up doing work on your PC, you know?
We had a long weekend recently—did everyone go anywhere? Trips and travel are the absolute best this time of year!
Since there hasn't been much trending news around the office lately... ←
I'd like to talk about my super personal love for sweet potatoes.
Autumn is the season for good food! Sweet potatoes are in season now ♡♡♡♡
I'm a massive fan of sweet potatoes.
I even order 5kg of them as a hometown tax donation gift.
I might actually eat more sweet potatoes than snacks or sweets.
I just can't get enough of those gooey, sweet-as-honey potatoes.
Sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fiber and vitamins, plus they're a low-GI food that doesn't spike blood sugar, so they're great for your health! Though honestly, I mostly just eat them because they're simply delicious.
To make roasted sweet potatoes sweet and creamy,the key is choosing high-sugar varieties like Beniharuka or Anno-imo, and slow-cooking them at low temperatures around 60–70°C to activate the enzymes (beta-amylase).
Did you know that fluffier, dry-type varieties like Beniazuma or Kuri Kaguya won't turn gooey?
Beniharuka and Silk Sweet are pretty easy to find at the supermarket!
If you want to make roasted sweet potatoes at home, regular aluminum foil works, but there's actually special black aluminum foil made just for roasted sweet potatoes! Wrap them in that and bake slowly in the oven for about two hours, and you get amazingly creamy sweet potatoes!
There are also ceramic cookware items for microwave use. They come with natural stones so you can make authentic stone-roasted sweet potatoes! The only downside is you can only cook one at a time...
This is the ultimate one, though.
An appliance made solely for roasting sweet potatoes. It's a bit pricey, but serious sweet potato lovers should definitely check it out!
If you want something versatile for more than just sweet potatoes, I recommend an air fryer!
I use one all the time and it's seriously awesome! Highly recommended! (*I am not being sponsored, I promise!)
Besides roasted sweet potatoes, you can also make oil-free karaage fried chicken or tonkatsu!
Once you press start, you can focus on cooking other dishes, and cleanup is super easy!
You can even thinly slice sweet potatoes to make sweet potato chips! So handy!
On a side note, I go to a sweet potato event every year.
This year, I went to the Yokohama Oimo Expo!
I'd love to hear your recommendations for food and places to visit for the autumn season of appetite!
