How to prepare eggplant (2024)

FAQs

How do you prepare eggplant for cooking? ›

Here's how to prepare eggplant for cooking: Cut off the top and blossom ends, then cut the eggplant into ½-inch slices or ¾-inch cubes, unless your recipe states otherwise. A 1-pound eggplant equals 5 cups cubed. Some chefs recommend salting eggplants before using.

You don't have to peel an eggplant before cooking. It really is a choice of the cook. The skin is edible, it's just that sometimes it isn't as palatable as you might like. While visiting in Sicily, a native advised me, “Never peel an eggplant but always salt the slices & let them drain a bit” - reduces the bitterness.

Fried or baked eggplant is delicious, but they are not the only ways to cook eggplant. Try it sautéed, stir-fried, grilled, or broiled.

Older recipes call for salting eggplant to draw out the bitter juices, but today's eggplants are less bitter (unless very large), so salting is largely unnecessary. It will, however, help the spongy flesh absorb less oil and crisp up like a dream.

However, eggplants also contain a substance, solanine, which is used to defend themselves against fungi and insects. It is precisely on this substance that the bitter taste of the eggplants depends. To eliminate it, the most common methods are soaking in water and vinegar and the salt technique.

Eggplants can be grilled, steamed, braised, stir-fried, deep-fried and roasted. For a smoky flavour, turn whole eggplants over an open flame on the barbecue or stovetop until the skin is charred, then scoop out the flesh. Choose eggplants with smooth and shiny skin that is even across the surface.

Soaking eggplant in water and vinegar helps remove some of the vegetable's natural bitterness. This step also helps preserve some of the skin's color so it stays a vibrant purple even after cooking.

“The absorptiveness of eggplant can be reduced by collapsing its spongy structure before frying,” he writes. Which you can do by microwaving it before frying (!) or salting slices that'll draw out the water and close up those air pockets, giving you a firmer flesh to work with.

Salting: Salting removes excess liquid and some of the bitterness. Today's eggplants are bred for mildness, though, so it's not as important as it used to be (if you are frying eggplant, salting will ensure a creamy texture and rich flavor). This method works for eggplant slices, cubes, or planks.

When looking at the exterior of the eggplant, check the stem and cap. Both should be green and fresh-looking. If they are starting to fade in color, that's an indicator that the vegetable may be spoiling. You'll also want to toss the eggplant if there is any mold on the stem or cap.

What is the secret to cooking eggplant? ›

Eggplants are known to absorb a lot of fat while cooking. A useful tip to prevent sogginess and greasiness is to salt sliced or diced eggplant and let it sit for an hour. This helps to draw out moisture. Next, rinse and drain any liquid from the sliced eggplant, then pat dry before cooking.

Eggplants do not store well for long periods of time. Without refrigeration, eggplants can be stored in a cool, dry place for 1 or 2 days. If you don't intend to eat the eggplant within 2 days, it should be refrigerated.

The seeds are what hold most of the bitter flavor in an eggplant. You don't have to remove them, but if you prefer your eggplant to be less bitter, go ahead and get rid of them. Older eggplants have more seeds, and are thus more bitter. Seeds that are turning brown also tend to be more bitter.

Before cooking, you should pat the eggplant dry between paper towels. It can help to press down slightly on it to release a bit of the water. Use the eggplant immediately. This method works especially well before frying eggplant since it will crisp up more evenly.