The common potato is one of the most versatile starches around, but sweet potatoes are delicious in desserts or just eaten plain — things regular potatoes can't do as well. Sweet potatoes can be yellow, orange, or purple with floral, nutty, or even malty flavors, but one of the best ways to prepare any variety is to steam them.

Steaming sweet potatoes whole is not only easier than baking or frying, but it also delivers a deliciously light, moist, and pillowy-soft texture. Steaming only takes up half the cooking time of the oven method, since the potatoes' skin traps heat and moisture inside, and the creamy flesh can be scooped right out of the skin with a spoon.

Steaming is also one of the best ways to keep sweet potatoes' nutrients intact; their naturally high vitamin, potassium, fiber, and beta-carotene content won't be burned off in a steamer basket. Both boiling and steaming also keeps the potatoes' glycemic index down, meaning less of a blood sugar spike for you.