How To Cook Yams
Need To Know How To Cook Yams?
You don't have to go to a chef's school to learn how to cook yams. It's pretty simple really. The basics are similar to cooking sweet potatoes, or regular potatoes for that matter. It can get a little more difficult though if you want something beyond the basic cooked yam.
First things first, yams and sweet potatoes are sometimes thought of as being one and the same. The two vegetables aren't even closely related. While sweet potatoes have been a part of the American diet, particularly in the southern states, for a long time, the yam is a relative newcomer. Confusion often results from the fact that yams and sweet potatoes look similar and are prepared in a similar fashion. The yams we purchase in the supermarket however, are actually a variety of sweet potato, and are the sweeter of the two common varieties, contain more moisture, and are often slightly smaller. What we're discussing in this article is the variety of sweet potato mistakenly called a yam. Got that? Yams are good sources of protein and fiber, and excellent sources of potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6.
You can cook a yam in the same way, or variety of ways that you can cook a potato. Yams can be boiled, steamed, and even fried. They can be eaten in bite sized pieces or mashed. You can make bread from yams that are either cooked or have been canned. The bread recipe is similar to that for zucchini bread. A little pumpkin pie spice will add a great deal to the flavor. Yams also make a wonderful casserole when combined with eggs, margarine, sugar, brown sugar, and condensed milk. Glazed yams go well with either ham or turkey, and a can make a nice addition to a traditional holiday meal.
Among the many ideas as to how to cook yams, you can glaze them with pineapple chunks and juice while baking, or get one of the ready made packets of glaze (usually orange flavored) at the supermarket. All the instructions you'll need for either glazed yams or sweet potatoes are on the package. Yams can be diced (and peeled of course) and mixed in with chopped bell peppers, onion and sausage to make a medley you can either bake or prepare on a skillet. Italian sausage or turkey sausage are good choices to include in this dish. Candied yams are basically yams coated with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and then baked. This makes a delicious Cajun dish, and you can substitute maple syrup for the brown sugar, for a slightly different, yet still delicious taste. Although stir fried yams are referenced in many places, a good recipe for stir fry can be difficult to come across. Sounds good, but you may have to look some.
Given a variety of ways in how to cook yams, and given the fact that you can substitute yams for potatoes, to add starch and fiber to your meal, the two actually go together quite well, and are often both served along with a green vegetable and ham or turkey for the holidays. Though not terribly exciting to look at (neither are potatoes or sweet potatoes for that matter), yams can be prepared in quite a different number of ways.