What's The Difference Between Yams and Sweet Potatoes?

Is it a yam or is it a sweet potato? Hilah settles this age-old Thanksgiving table debate and shows you some cooking methods for sweet potatoes.

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[googleuser]

Your explanation of the difference was better than a lot of Youtubers out there.

[ksp]

Very interesting and well presented. The title is a little misleading though, as you spent more time comparing varieties of sweet potatoes than you did comparing sweet potatoes to yams.

[thegrumpyoldwoodworker]

Well I for one found this very informative which is the reason I subscribed in the first place. Keep up the good work

[mytwocents]

Hi, HIlah, Thanks so much for the education on sweet potatoes! Even the produce clerks call them yams even though I don't think my market actually has any yams. I've always been confused about them. Also, it is good to know which ones are less sweet and I can use those as a substitute for regular potato on my Paleo diet. I feel smarter!

[A_Box]

Finally a video that shows them together as opposed to just using words.

[KordTaylor]

Thanks! This helped my wife and I sort out why so many products are still labeled “sweet potatoes”. Confusing, eh?

[lyqfghj]

Your presentation was so informative thank you

[faustoriverajr]

Kool additional knowledge is great to know.

[Saichen]

So when my grandmother asks me to pass the yams, and i say "Grandma, BOTANICALLY, these are sweet potatoes." what happens next? you know, after the wooden spoon goes upside my head? D: kidding. love you guys :D

[MidwestManMountain]

This! I loved this video. Great education.

[jlfoodforest]

Can I plant them next to each other without them changing color later?

[dilloncain]

This video covers almost NOTHING about the difference between Yams and Sweet potatoes. It's basically about Sweet Potatoes and how to prepare them.

[robotnik]

Trying to figure out if she called the white flesh SP "Jewel". That's what my bad ears heard. I didn't find that one, but I found a similar variety called "Hannah" which has the same characteristics. In fact, I just finished one for breakfast. It's almost like a russet in texture and it's drier, more starchy, white-fleshed, and a bit less sweet compared to the Garnet. But where I bought the "Hannah" I noticed, in comparison with the garnets, their size and shape tend to be more uniform. They're large, very fully shaped, and you don't have to spend time finding "the perfect one". If you use the microwave, judging size is very important for cooking time. I came to this video to remind myself of the differences between Yams & SP precisely b/c an unfamiliar SP confused me. Thanks for the very informative video. +5

[ChadMarvelous]

Thank you! This was super helpful <3

[Cathy]

Are used a written note in vitamin difference is and the flavor difference. We don’t want the candied yams this year so we are going to splash of orange juice some cloves and nutmeg cinnamon and Hope for the best measurements would’ve been helpful even though they’re to the discretion of the cook a ballpark would’ve been helpful

[HomeCraftChronicles]

Great lesson Hilah! I always knew there was a difference, but did not know there were so many varieties of sweet potatoes. I'm definately going to look for those purple ones. Although maybe not for Thanksgiving. 😆

[podakayne]

thank you so much. here i was getting perturbed at my local supermarket becasue they kept labeling things sweet potatoes/yams....turns out i do like sweet potatoes and have probably never had a real yam. i guess my mom was using those white potatoes for pies(which were always stringy---yuck) i prefer the orange meaty ones for my candied yams, but will look for the purple ones to make fries with. thank you so very much!

[RainyCraze]

It always drove me nuts when the Japanese sweet potatoes we bought were labelled as yams.

[karin]

I didnt know they were different. I live in a small town in East Texas, we have our annual Yamboree. It would be funny calling it a Sweet Potatoree. 😂

[sequimini]

This is so weird to watch, as a New Zealander. We have a completely different vegetable which we call a yam. We don't call them sweet potatos but kumara. The main crop of kumara are called owairaka, they're purple skinned and white flesh. We get beauregarde orange ones, but they're nowhere near as nice :p