Potatoes, Sweet

Appears in
Professional Cooking
Professional Cooking

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2014

  • About
  • Identification: Sweet potatoes are any of several types of tubers, usually bulbous, with tapered or pointed ends. They are unrelated to potatoes and to yams. (True yams are an entirely different vegetable, with starchy white flesh. They are not often seen in North America, except in Hispanic and some other specialty markets.)
  • Related Varieties: There are two basic groups of sweet potatoes, those with a creamy white or pale yellow flesh and those with orange flesh. The variety that has a moister, deeper orange flesh is sometimes referred to, incorrectly, as the yam. These varieties are interchangeable for most purposes. Skin colors range from beige to orange to red, depending on the variety.
  • Evaluation: Look for clean, dry surface. Firm, not shriveled or blemished. Fat, regular shapes are preferable because of less waste in trimming and portioning.
  • Preparation: Scrub, boil, or steam, then peel. May be peeled before cooking but must be dipped in antioxidant to prevent discoloring. Machine paring is wasteful with irregular shapes.
  • Percentage Yield: 80%