Is peeling sweet potatoes a must?

[Manuela]

Me and my sister are trying a new pork chop recipe that calls for sliced sweet potatoes. It doesn't mention peeling them. Can I get by without it, or should I go ahead and peel them. My sister thinks that as long as they are scrubbed well then you do not need to peel them. There is also the fact that there are lot of nutrients in the peel. What would your piece of advise be? :o

[classact]

Actually I know a lot of people who eat the peel. They're supposed to be healthy. However, when cooking it with something I would consider peeling, depending on the menu though. But not because of edibility issues.

[karenlyn]

I generally peel them, too. But you can eat the peel. If you generally like to keep the peel on when cooking regular potatoes, you might want to try that with sweet potatoes. It's a similar idea, though a sweet potato skin is just a bit tougher, generally.

[beginnercook]

We generally peel our potatoes too, even if I did have some meals with the peel on and they were just delicious. I would think that if they look very clean and nice you can leave it on, it depends on how you feel about this in the end ..

[mcnerd]

If I bake in the oven I "don't" peel and if it is organic from the farmers market I will eat the skin. Store-bought potatoes generally have a coating on them which may not be desirable to eat.

If the potato goes in a casserole or something it is peeled and usually cut down in size before it is cooked.

Peeling exposes the meat to the air and will cause it to start changing color so one has to work quickly.

[Mancook]

This is the first time that a sweet potato can be eaten without being peeled. In our country we usually peel the potato before putting it into our dishes. I find it strange that someone isn’t peeling a potato.

[she_cookie]

I always peel them. I heard too that it is not necessary but i prefer to be sure. I never ate potatoes without peeling them first.
Even when i boil them, i sometimes peel them. If i don't i peel them afterwards.

[karenlyn]

Some potatoes are wonderful with the peel on! I make mashed potatoes with red potatoes, and mash the peel right in with the potato. It's really wonderful, actually. Though like you, I usually peel sweet potatoes, too.

[mcnerd]

The skin of a sweet potato (or Yam) can be a breeding ground for some nasty fungi and bacteria, so "eating" the skin is not recommended unless you are confident of where it came from, freshness, etc.

Whether you cook a sweet potato in its skin and scoop out the meat later, or peel it first, is really a matter of choice for the meal you are preparing.

[NOCHEF&JUSTLOVESFOOD.YUM]

Waste of time and loss of nutreints, scrub and clean well however. and the blessed sweet potato is much better for diabetics. In some recipes u can actually get the skin to crisp, lovely.

[gwydion]

There are two types of sweet potato, white and red. The red one you can eat the peel, but the white one can be bitter (at least it is in West Africa). Of course, like normal potatoes you can boil or peel after cooking. But it depends on the recipe. If you're grating for a cake then I would not include the peel. If roasting or deep frying then the peel is good.