Sweet potatoes in the grocery come in many colors, from deep purple to dusty tan on their skins. Their insides is just as varied: they may be a pale cream or richly orangey. With such variety in produce aisle, it’s tempting to just pick up what catches your eye and suddenly you are done. That decision will determine the meal before you’ve turned on the oven.
You’ll find that genetics for the color of skin and for the color of flesh don’t always align. Orange flesh can be hiding under a copper skin, white flesh can be hidden by a purple one. Knowing the disconnect helps us cook with intention rather than just assuming.
How to Choose the Right Sweet Potato
For vitamin A: Orange flesh is what you’re looking for here. And, deep orange flesh varieties such as Beauregard and Covington realy own this category. Moist and sugary, these roots is staples of candied yams and pies. Their internal moisture also keeps them from drying out as they cook and helps them brown beautifuly. Because they are so reliable, they are a grocery store staple.
If you’re looking for a potato that won’t fall apart when turned into a hash or fries, though, stay away from them. With that much sugar, they’ll burn in oven long before becoming tender inside.
And then there’s the nutritional tale of purple kinds. According to the graphic, purple-fleshed varieties has more anthocyanins (pigments also found in blueberries) but less beta-carotene. This means you are trading vitamin A for those strong antioxidants and their anti-inflammatory properties.
Because these varieties are firmer and dryer, such as Okinawan and Stokes Purple, they cooks up differently in the kitchen. They don’t get all gushy-mushy. They are perfect for baking in wedges, cutting up and frying, or even pureing into something like ice cream for its natural dye. And it doesn’t overcook and lose its vivid color, different than the orange spuds, which can go to dark in a flash.
A good example is sweet potatoes, which realy are better tasting when cured after harvest and cooked, though there is more on that later. The root has a lot of pigment, which slowly develops while the root grows, so if picked too soon, it’s not very colorful or flavorful. Picking them earlier is cheaper, but they may miss complex sweetness of mature flavors.
When shopping, appearance isn’t everything. Check carefully for proper storage conditions that preserves both color and nutrients.
So use skin color as a clue (though don’t base your selection solely on it), but rather pay attention to moisture class when you’re at the market. Some varieties with copper-colored skins may have an orange-fleshed interior like a copper-skinned one, such as the Garnet variety (which has a red skin). Conversely, some with red skins may be high in moisture, like a Garnet, but others with red skins may be low in moisture, like a Jewel.
Know what I mean? Roast or fry that baby, don’t try to mash or bake it, because it’ll either be too dry or too soggy. Small thing, but it makes a difference. You should of choose your variety based off your recipe, not vice versa.
Sweet potatoes come in all colors: Orange means vitamin A; purple means antioxidants. What they share is versatility as a veggie. What they share is versatility as a veggie. Knowing which type you’re getting also make sense for nutrition and for how it will be cooked.
Next time you buy a bag, look at its color. It’s your guide to cooking up a better dish.
That is why you are picking out a kitchen tool. Do it right.