Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes vs. Yams - How To Choose and Handle Sweet Potatoes

How to Choose and Handle Sweet Potatoes:

Some of the following information is from the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission:

Sweet Potatoes are available every month of the year.

Select firm, fairly evenly-shaped sweet potatoes with even skin coloration. Do not purchase if they have white areas or are damaged; this probably means decay. Avoid sweet potatoes with any signs of decay.  For the most nutrition value, always select sweet potatoes with a deep orange color.

Sweet potatoes store well. If you grow your own, they will be sweeter when allowed to age for a month or so (the very minute they are harvested, sugar starts to form).

DO NOT STORE SWEET POTATOES IN THE REFRIGERATOR. Storing in the fridge will produce a hard core in the center.
Instead…Store sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, well ventilated container at approximately 55 degress F. (Your basement in the summer or your garage in the winter is best!).

Otherwise, for the best flavor and freshness, use your sweet potatoes within a week or two after purchase.

When cutting sweet potatoes, always use a stainless steel knife.

To peel sweet potatoes easily, take them from boiling water and immerse immediately in very cold water. The skins will almost fall off by themselves.

To keep raw sweet potatoes from turning dark when peeling, place them in one quart water mixed with 3 tablespoons lemon juice for a few minutes. Drain well before using.

Sweet potatoes are more nutritious if cooked in their jackets (skins).

Sweet potatoes have four (4) times the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (USRDA) for beta-carotene when eaten with the skin on.

Wash and dry thoroughly before cooking.

Cooked sweet potatoes freeze well. Wrap unpeeled cooked sweet potatoes individually in aluminum foil or freezer wrap. Place in plastic freezer bags, label, date, and freeze!

Sweet Potato Equivalents:

1 pound fresh sweet potatoes = 3 medium sweet potatoes = 3 1/2 to 4 cups cooked and chopped sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato vs. Yams:

In the United States, most people use both terminologies to refer to a sweet potato. What is marketed in the United States as “yams” are really a variety of sweet potato, grown in the South. A true yam is a starchy edible root of the Dioscorea genus, and is generally imported to America from the Caribbean. Yams contain more natural sugar than sweet potatoes and have a higher moisture content.

Both the sweet potato and the yam are available fresh from October through March.

Sweet Potato Nutrition:

Sweet potatoes are virtually fat-free, cholesterol-free and very low in sodium. One cup (200 grams) of cooked sweet potatoes has 180 calories.