Um...are Sweet Potatoes/Yams Supposed to Leak "Milk" When Cut?

[Kitchen Diva]

My puppies love sweet potatoes/yams.

So once in a while, as a treat, I slice them thin, drizzle them lightly with olive oil and bake them until they are slightly crisp. They gobble them up.

I bought two yams at the market this weekend, and cut the first one up with no drama. When I sliced into the second one- "milk" was oozing out of the slices, in little droplets. So I cut another slice, same thing.

Needless to say it freaked me out, and I figured it was not fresh, so I tossed it.

Is it normal for a sweet potato to leak a milky white substance when cut into? I don't believe I've ever seen that- HELP!!!

 

[pamperedpnina]

I use sp/yam's alot and have never seen that!

 

[Kitchen Diva]

I use sp/yam's alot and have never seen that!

It was the strangest thing- and it really stood out against the orange of the potato! I'm like WTH!! (what the heck?!)

It's times like this that I wish Alton Brown was my Uncle!

 

[etteluap70PC]

yup.... I've had it happen...

 

[Kitchen Diva]

yup.... I've had it happen...

It's gross, sort of. When I went back to the kitchen after starting this thread the white milky stuff had turned brown and very sticky. Eeewww!~:yuck:

 

[etteluap70PC]

I think it means they are super sweet. It's like the sugar leeching out.

Did you google it?

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Paulette's right!

That happens to me every so often, and it's when they are especially sweet & fresh sweet potatoes. The older they get, the more they dry out. But this is sweet potato season, so they should be pretty fresh now, not coming from a couple months of cold storage.

We eat sweet potatoes at least twice a week in some form...so I deal with them alot. We had baked Sweet potato wedges for lunch today. Yummy! I wedge them with the apple wedger, and then shake a little cinnamon/sugar on them.

 

[raebates]

Not to start anything, but asking someone if they have googled their milky yams just seems a tad personal to me. Nerd moment alert: While canned sweet potatoes are often labeled "Yams," they aren't. Sweet potatoes and yams are very different. Yams are mostly available in Central America, the West Indies, Asia, and Africa. They are not grown and not widely available in the United States. What we have widely available in grocery stores in the US are sweet potatoes.

 

[etteluap70PC]

Not to start anything, but asking someone if they have googled their milky yams just seems a tad personal to me.

Ok... Now I'm blushing...

 

[raebates]

Sorry. i just couldn't help myself. I've been sitting here snickering since I began reading the thread. I think I spend too much time around too many teenage boys.

 

[Kitchen Diva]

Great, so I just trashed a super sweet- sweet potato. I feel so wasteful. Well, had I not just tossed chicken bones, and onion skins, etc in the trash on top of it, I'd go back and fish them out and finish cutting them and baking them for the puppies. I'm glad I asked- I'll never toss another leaky sweet potato away again!

BTW- Paulette, I rarely google anything food related- I pretty much figure someone here will have the answer, and if they don't, then and only then will I google it!

 

[raebates]

I have several food reference books that I've gotten through the years. I love Food Lover's Companion. It's basically a culinary dictionary.

 

[Kitchen Diva]

I have several food reference books that I've gotten through the years. I love Food Lover's Companion. It's basically a culinary dictionary.

Maybe Santa will drop one under my tree this Christmas! A culinary book for me and a job for DH!

Thanks for the help guys, I knew you'd have the answer!

 

[JAE]

Welcome back Kacey.

 

[Kitchen Diva]

Not to start anything, but asking someone if they have googled their milky yams just seems a tad personal to me.

Nerd moment alert: While canned sweet potatoes are often labeled "Yams," they aren't. Sweet potatoes and yams are very different. Yams are mostly available in Central America, the West Indies, Asia, and Africa. They are not grown and not widely available in the United States. What we have widely available in grocery stores in the US are sweet potatoes.

Rae, I know they aren't the same thing- they sell both types at our local grocery stores...but just to be safe in case others didn't know that, I wanted to use both names for the little tuber just to make things nice and easy!

 

[Teresa Lynn]

sweet potatoes & yams *(I don't think God really intended for us to eat those did he??)

 

[pcchefjane]

sweet potatoes & yams *(I don't think God really intended for us to eat those did he??)

They are so good...especially with margarine and our Sweet Caramel Sprinkle and/or Cinnamon Sprinkle on them!

 

[janetupnorth]

I hated Sweet Potatoes because people always served them with sugar and marshmellow junk.Then this summer I had them mashed with regular potatoes, garlic and cheese. Now I love them because I had them like regular potatoes!

 

[raebates]

I'm not a sweet potato fan, but I bake them all the time for The Furry Guy. He loves them.