The Reason You Should Consider Rinsing Canned Sweet Potatoes (2024)

Canned sweet potatoes will help you expedite the long and tedious process involved in preparing and cooking sweet potatoes. They come cut into chunks or rounds that are already soft, tender, and ready to eat on the spot. Whether you eat them out of the can or incorporate them into a more elaborate recipe, rinsing off the sweet potatoes beforehand is more of a necessity than a suggestion.

Like most canned products, sweet potatoes come floating in canning liquid,which is key to their preservation. In the case of sweet potatoes, the canning liquid is a sugary syrup that helps to prevent their natural sugars from leaching out while they sit on your pantry shelf. Syrupy canning liquid helps maintain the equilibrium of sweetness in sweet potatoes as well as their bright color. However, the syrup is no longer necessary once you take the sweet potatoes out of the can because their natural sugars have been preserved. Leaving the syrup on the yams can hamper their taste.

Rinsing sweet potatoes of any leftover sugary film will uphold their integrity, giving you the most authentic sweet potato taste and texture.Most sweet potato recipes value the natural taste and texture of the yam first and foremost, adding sugar or seasonings separately instead of incorporating the canning liquid.

Read more: 23 Types Of Potatoes And When To Use Them

Canned Sweet Potato Ideas

The Reason You Should Consider Rinsing Canned Sweet Potatoes (1)

Canned sweet potatoes have countless uses, from being blended into brownie or muffin batter to getting baked into a classic marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving. Even in a classic candied yam recipe, canned sweet potatoes will save you at least twenty minutes of peeling and slicing. All you have to do is cover them with brown sugar, butter, and any other desired baking spices, then throw them in the oven.

One thing to keep in mind with canned sweet potatoes is that they are softer than their raw counterparts and are best suited for mashed or other soft applications. Therefore, the majority of canned sweet potato recipes are for casseroles, batters, or pureed soups. They will add richness and thickness to cookies and bread, and they're also the perfect substitute for savory potatoes in a gnocchi batter. Whether you use them in a sweet or savory recipe, a squeeze of lemon juice or a pinch of salt will enhance and complement their natural flavors.

Since the canning liquid is essentially simple syrup, you can reserve it after you drain your sweet potatoes for use as a sweetener. If you don't have molasses or brown sugar, you can use the reserved syrup along with butter, citrus juice, and spices to create the basting liquid and syrup for candied yams.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.

The Reason You Should Consider Rinsing Canned Sweet Potatoes (2024)

FAQs

The Reason You Should Consider Rinsing Canned Sweet Potatoes? ›

Leaving the syrup on the yams can hamper their taste. Rinsing sweet potatoes of any leftover sugary film will uphold their integrity, giving you the most authentic sweet potato taste and texture.

Should canned potatoes be rinsed? ›

Other Canned Potato Tips

If you're concerned about the sodium content or preservatives in canned potatoes, consider rinsing them under cold water before use, which helps remove some of the salt content and any excess additives.

Should sweet potatoes be rinsed? ›

Sweet potatoes grow in the ground, and skipping the cleaning step means dirt or grit can end up in your sweet potato casserole. Before cooking or cutting sweet potatoes, wash the skins and give them a scrub with a clean vegetable brush.

Are canned sweet potatoes as good for you as fresh? ›

Unlike most other canned vegetables, which suffer significant nutrient loss during processing, canned sweet potatoes (yams) are just as nutritious as fresh. This simple recipe for mashed sweet potatoes, apples and honey calls for canned sweet potatoes and jarred chunky applesauce.

Should you rinse starch off sweet potatoes? ›

Give them a cold water bath: Once your fries are chopped, toss them into a large bowl. Then cover the fries completely with cold water and let them soak for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight). This will help to rinse off the excess starch and help the potatoes crisp up beautifully in the oven.

Can you rinse canned sweet potatoes? ›

Leaving the syrup on the yams can hamper their taste. Rinsing sweet potatoes of any leftover sugary film will uphold their integrity, giving you the most authentic sweet potato taste and texture.

Can you eat canned potatoes straight from the can? ›

The short answer is that yes, canned potatoes should be cooked before you eat them. Canned potatoes are only partially cooked before the canning process, and it's important to fully cook potatoes, canned or otherwise, before consumption to prevent digestive irritation.

Are Bruce's canned yams really sweet potatoes? ›

Bruce's Yams Cut Sweet Potatoes in Syrup are carefully made from only the most tender part of the sweet potato called the sweetheart. For easy preparation that delivers goodness on the fly, simply heat and eat these canned vegetables.

Are canned sweet potatoes ready to eat? ›

These sweet potatoes are ready to eat right out of the can, just heat and serve.

Are canned yams and canned sweet potatoes the same thing? ›

If you thought yams and sweet potatoes were the same thing, think again. For years, grocery stores have been mislabeling sweet potatoes and yams, and using the names interchangeably. But, it turns out, these two tubers aren't actually related at all. (You won't find yams on our list of types of potatoes!)

What happens if you don't wash starch off potatoes? ›

Starch rich potatoes usually turn soft and crumbly, while frying or baking. So, if you are making delicacies wherein you want the potatoes to be crispy and crunchy, then removing starch is the best way to keep your wafers, fries, crispy potatoes, hash browns crisp and delicious.

Should you always rinse potatoes? ›

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at a minimum, potatoes should be rinsed under running water before cutting. This is crucial, even if you plan on peeling them, because germs on the outer skin can infiltrate the inside of your spuds when you cut them.

Why soak sweet potatoes in water? ›

TIPS & TRICKS to Make this Recipe: The main secrets to achieving that incredible crispy texture, is to soak the cut sweet potatoes in cold water for at least 30 minutes. This helps remove the starch from the sweet potatoes so they´re not limp & soggy.

Should you rinse canned foods? ›

Introducing those ingredients—particularly in unknown amounts—to your recipe will throw off all your other seasonings and could very easily water your recipe down." Chef Smith agrees: "Rinsing the vegetables helps to reduce the sodium and makes it easier to balance the salt in a dish."

What happens if you don't rinse potatoes? ›

If you plan on peeling your potatoes, washing them before peeling is essential for preventing cross-contamination. Otherwise, contaminants from the skin can get on your hands, vegetable peeler, and cutting surface, potentially ending up on your peeled potato and other food you're prepping.

Do you need to rinse potatoes? ›

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at a minimum, potatoes should be rinsed under running water before cutting. This is crucial, even if you plan on peeling them, because germs on the outer skin can infiltrate the inside of your spuds when you cut them.

Why is the water in my canned potatoes cloudy? ›

Cloudy liquids Bacterial spoilage. Minerals in water. Anti-caking agents from table salt. Starch naturally occurring in vegetables.

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