Are sweet potatoes and yams treated different in terms of cooking?
I saw this this question, and a few others, but there aren't any explanations I can find that say whether the two are treated differently or not. In other words, can they be used as a direct substitute?
Best Answer
It depends on what you mean by "yam".
Once upon a time, in the deep south of the US, there was a tuber known as the sweet potato, and it was good. And then one particular grower decided to sell theirs under the trade name "yam" to get better marketing recognition. This lead to some folks in the US calling sweet potatoes by the name yam, especially in the context of candied yams (a sweet casserole of spiced sweet potato).
So if the word "yam" is being used to mean a variety of sweet potato, then they are culinary identical. Sweet potatoes of all variety are, well, potato sized (or a bit bigger than the average potato), and their color can range from whitish through yellow, orangish or reddish. Most grocery store varieties are fairly orange in color.
True yams originate from Africa, and are far more starchy and fibrous than sweet potatoes, no matter what they are called, and are used in entirely different ways. They can be very large, football to basketball sized or larger. There are also a tremendous variety of true yams.
Pictures about "Are sweet potatoes and yams treated different in terms of cooking?"
Do yams cook differently than sweet potatoes?
Often, the copper skinned sweet potato is referred to as yam, or sweet potato yam, and these are a firmer version of sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes with the lighter skin and yellow insides are softer. They cook very differently.Are yams and sweet potatoes the same or different?
The skin of a yam (left) looks kind of like tree bark, while a sweet potato (right) is more reddish-brown. Real yams are entirely different root vegetables that are more like yucca in texture and flavor. They have bumpy, tough brown skin (that looks almost tree trunk-like) with starchy, not sweet flesh.Are sweet potatoes and yams interchangeable in recipes?
Though you're not likely to find true yams at your grocery store, yams and sweet potatoes are interchangeable in most recipes.Do sweet potatoes cook the same as regular potatoes?
Sweet potatoes generally cook faster than russet potatoes. However, the size of the potato and cooking method will affect the cooking time. Is it better to microwave or bake a sweet potato? A microwave is the fastest way to cook a sweet potato, however baking will result in a better texture.Difference Between Yams And Sweet Potatoes
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