Yams / Sweet Potatoes

[LaniB]

I planned to make dehydrated sweet potato chips tonight (for me and then thicker ones for the dogs), so I went grocery shopping today after work and one store only had Yams.

I know that Yams and Sweet Potatoes are technically different vegetables.

Are both good to dehydrate as chips?

[LaniB]

One other thing - the only sweet potatoes they had at Whole Foods were WHITE sweet potatoes. I don't think I've ever had those before, but I got them since they were sweet potatoes and not yams.

Will they taste as good as the orange ones? Should I have gotten yams instead?

(they're in the dehydrator, so I hope they are okay!)

[Lady Green Jeans]

LaniB,

Please let us know how the chips come out. I usually buy yams and know that they are sweeter than sweet potatoes. They are also denser. I think the sweet potato is slightly more potato-like if that makes sense. Can't go wrong with either one.

Have you made other recipes with either one? Would love some ideas.

[LaniB]

This is my first try. I might try yams this weekend.

I found a great post on here with sweet potato recipes - meant to follow them but got caught up in the moment! :lol:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=63707&highlight=sweet+potato

I just put some oil on them. I thought once they are done I might put them in a bag with a little cinnamon & shake ... see how they turn out.

I'm thinking now I probably should have gotten yams, but we'll see. :)

[levamssg]

A friend of mine made some chips with white sweet potatoes, and they were wonderful. The secret is in the thickness ... they need to be super super thin, otherwise they are chewy and not crispy. He used the recipe I listed below.

They all make great chips. I use a potato peeler and make long strips. Here is the recipe I use. (I love hot spicy stuff -- simply adjust the cayenne pepper for the amount of spice you want)

Ingredients
6 tiny organic yams .. or 2 regular sized ones
⅓ cup cold-pressed olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon powdered cumin
Preparation
1. slice the yams as thinly as possible. Peel with a carrot peeler!
2. Mix the olive oil and seasonings, then pour over the yams.
3. Massage oil into yams to make sure each is well coated.
4. Dehydrate until crispy (I usually dehydrate mine at 105°F for about 24-36 hours).
The secret to this recipe is to get your yams thin, thin, thin. Otherwise, the chips can become more chewy than crispy. They’re still good, but the crispy ones are the best!

[LaniB]

thanks!!

I just put oil on mine but followed that pretty closely and cut with the thinnest slice on the mandolin. I'm glad you told me the dehydrating time - I'll make sure to set the time for another 20 hours or so. :)

They are in the dehydrator now, but next time I'll know to add the seasoning to the oil before massaging the oil onto the chips. For this batch I'm hoping I can add the seasonings to the container I put the dehydrated chips in and shake to get the seasonings distributed.

[levamssg]

LaniB - I'm looking forward to hearing your report on the yam chips.

I added spices with the oil because that is the recipe I followed. It never occured to me to add them after ... I don't see why that won't work. And I never thought of cinnamon either ... I love cinnamon!

My friend has a mandolin that he can adjust to a really really thin setting ... and it works beautifully. I have a v-slicer, and just can't get the yams thin enough because I tend to use a pretty heavy hand, so that is why the potato peeler works better for me. I'm going to have to practice some more with the mandoline cause I like the thought of having round yam chips now and again.

That's the beauty of raw food -- so many ways to make so many great things!

[Steven]

levamssg, thank you for posting that recipe! Im so going to try it out in the next few days once I go shopping!

[LaniB]

I just checked them this morning - they seem to be getting there! They are still a bit starchy (I probably should have gotten the yams), but they are edible. I'm going to let them go for the day while I'm at work too and see ho they turn out.

I have an Oxo V-slicer mandoline - it cuts as thin as 1.5 mm. It seems pretty good so far.

If the adding spices in the bag trick doesn't work, I'm thinking maybe I'll spray a little oil on them with my misto, then shake them in the bag to add spices, and then dehydrate a little longer to make sure the spices stick.

It'll all work out.


That's the beauty of raw food -- so many ways to make so many great things!

So true! I'm having fun learning and trying new creations. :-)

[LaniB]

Hmm, I looked at some online recipes before making this and went from there. I am now looking through Alissa's book, Raw Food for Everyone, and she says even with sweet potatoes it's important to rinse the potatoes to remove the starch.

I didn't do that because I didn't know to. I won't make that mistake in the future, but does anyone know if they are still okay to eat? (I hope so because I just had a small bowl of about 10 chips witha little cinnamon on them ...).

BTW, I'm letting the rest dehydrate a little longer, but they tasted pretty good. They tasted a lot like, well, potato chips. :LOL:

[LaniB]

Here's the finished product ... I think they turned out pretty nice. I had a small bowl earlier and sprinkled cinnamon on top. They were pretty good! I felt like I was eating chips from a bag - really!!!

I can see though that they'd be even better if I had rinsed them before massaging in the olive oil and dehydrating:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l318/lanibass/1301091464-1.jpg

[January Noir]

Good job! I've been following your thread, but didn't have time to respond until now. I subscribed because I want to try the recipe posted.

Anyhow, you found out what I wanted to tell you and that is to make sure you rinse/wash/soak your chips before coating, seasoning and dehydrating. It will lessen the pasty, starchy, thick taste.

I made chips with a Japanese Sweet Potato I got in my produce co-op order a few weeks ago. I tried lemon juice, oil and salt for my first batch and just oil salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper the second time. Both batches were palatable, but I believe that the Yams will make a better chip. I am going to make some this weekend.

Her is a pic of my Japanese Sweet Potato Chips;

http://images58.fotki.com/v85/photos/4/1041954/9062069/IMG_0927-vi.jpg

http://images57.fotki.com/v496/photos/4/1041954/9062069/IMG_0929-vi.jpg

[changeisgood]

Did you leave the skin on?
I seem to forget to wash, rinse/soak. I'll have to try it to taste the difference.
I also like mine thicker and chewier for the substance. I'm amazed at how many chips I get to eat from one sweet potato (I like the orangy ones the best) takes a long time to finish which I like since I like to snack.
I find if I forget the seasoning in the mix, I sprinkle it on top of the chips when I first put them in the dehydrator. Otherwise the salt seems to fall right off. I also thought of spraying them, but didn't know if spray is considered raw.

[January Noir]

Did you leave the skin on?
I seem to forget to wash, rinse/soak. I'll have to try it to taste the difference.
I also like mine thicker and chewier for the substance. I'm amazed at how many chips I get to eat from one sweet potato (I like the orangy ones the best) takes a long time to finish which I like since I like to snack.
I find if I forget the seasoning in the mix, I sprinkle it on top of the chips when I first put them in the dehydrator. Otherwise the salt seems to fall right off. I also thought of spraying them, but didn't know if spray is considered raw.


I left the skin on mine both times. I liked the appearance. I will peel the yams though. Their skin is thicker I think, but the flesh, not as starchy.

[LaniB]

I left the skin on mine too. I will see about the yams - I bought two different kinds today to experiment. I'm not sure if I will leave the skin on the yams, but I always thought most of the nutrients were on the skin, so I usually leave the skin on and just wash it really good.

[Lady Green Jeans]

LaniB,

They look really delicious. Must try one of the recipes. How long did yours take to get really crispy?

[changeisgood]

I sliced the white ones very thin - and came out amazingly like regular chips. I dehydrated mine for probably atleast 12 + hrs, munching inbetween.

[LaniB]

I did mine about 22 hours.

Alissa's book says 18-24. I don't think you can really over do them. They came out very crispy.

[levamssg]

The pics are great - the chips look delicious! I'm heading to the store in a few minutes ... going to see if they have any white sweet potatoes. (We are having some really cold weather so having the dehydrator going in the kitchen add some nice warmth!)

I've never thought to rinse/soak them before using and haven't noticed any problem, but I used the recipe with all the spices so maybe that makes any starchiness not noticeable ..? I'll try soaking/rinsing the next batch and see if I notice a difference.

Yep - I'm definitely getting a chip craving after reading this thread and looking at the pictures!

Cheers
terry

[LaniB]

I found this recipe online -

http://www.rawfoodrecipes.com/recipes/sweet-potato-fries-with-chipotle.html

I was thinking I might try to make them next weekend. They look delish!

[January Noir]

Those fries look delicious. Please share your results after you make them!