Sweet Potatoes vs Yams

Sweet Potatoes are technically not “potatoes” like their Russet cousins. They are actually part of the root from the morning glory flower family.

Most “sweet potatoes” you see in the store, are probably not Yams. A true Yam has a more dry, starchy consistency, similar to Yucca. A traditional Yam features a rough outer skin with a dry, crisp and starchy flesh. When boiled or baked the consistency is dense and crumbly, while the Sweet potato is soft and pulpy. 

Orange flesh sweet potatoes as we know them, were first called Yams as part southern slang and a marketing technique. Growers marketed the sweet moist orange “potato” as a far superior alternative to the dry yellow potato brought here by Irish settlers.

So what’s the difference between Number(#) 1 and Number 2 Sweet Potatoes we stock here at Saval Produce? Let’s break it down by item number.

22363 Yam #1 Baker

Count: 80-90 Pieces per case

Average Size: 4-5 Inches Long

This yam is perfect for baking, cutting for fries, and roasting in wedges

It has a sweeter taste and the meat has a less pulpy consistency when baked

Its consistent size and #1 grade makes it the easiest Yam to work with especially when making baked sweet potatoes in bulk

22362 Yam Sweet Potato Jumbo

Count: 20-24 per case

Average Size: 7-9 Inches Long

Great for dicing for roasted sweet potatoes, and shredding for a breakfast hash or slicing thin for casseroles.

Featuring a more hearty fibrous texture when cooked jumbo yams hold up better to heat without breaking down

With only an avg of 20+ to a box prep cooks can yield more product faster with far less potatoes to peel.

22360 Sweet Potato #2

Count: 100-120

Average Size: Variable

#2 Sweet potatoes or are your utility usage potato.

They range in size and shape dramatically.

Out of one box a Chef or Owner/ Operator can do many things.

You can select yams of similar size to bake and reserve the odd shapes for slicing dicing and roasting.

Less waste with a thinner outer skin

Great for a cost conscious Chef/ Owner who may not need 2 cases of different size yams

22363 | Yam #1 Baker

22362 | Yam Sweet Potato Jumbo

Bryan Bernstein, Marketing Manager for Saval Foodservice holding a massive Sweet Potato.