How to remove bitterness from eggplants before frying: 7 ways

Dark-fruited nightshade, also known as eggplant, is loved by many as a snack or side dish. But before cooking, it is often necessary to remove the bitterness from eggplants before frying - after all, the freshest young fruits do not always end up in our grocery basket. There are several methods that housewives and professional chefs use. We have selected 7 of the most effective ones for you.

Method 1 - using boiling water

Fresh eggplants grown on your own plot with sufficient watering and good care do not need to be processed before frying. You just need to wash and cut them. But if the vegetables were bought at the market or supermarket, there is a chance that they already have a bitter taste. It is concentrated in the peel and pulp while the eggplant is being transported and lying on the shelf.

To rid a product of bitterness using boiling water, you need to:

• cut the pulp into cubes;
• place in a colander;
• Dip into boiling salted water for 2 minutes;
• remove from the water and let it drain;
• then cook according to the recipe.

Boiling water helps remove the taste very quickly, but this technique is not suitable for all recipes. It is recommended to use it only for those dishes in which the shape of the cut is not particularly important. There is no need to prepare vegetables in advance in this way - such processing is suitable immediately before cooking.

How to choose the right eggplants

The correct choice of eggplants is an important stage in the preparation of any dish, because depending on how blue they look and how they feel, the degree of their bitterness differs. It is not the pulp that is bitter, but the skin of nightshades, because it contains a special substance - solanine. In large quantities, this element can be harmful to humans and can cause poisoning or disease. Immediately after eggplants are picked from the garden, they have virtually no bitterness. After lying on the counter for a considerable time, a large amount of solanine is produced. How to choose eggplants without bitterness:

• Give preference to young fruits. If you can buy fresh eggplants at the market, take them. You can cook vegetables immediately after harvesting without using special methods to remove the bitterness - it won’t be there.
• Examine the stalk of the blue ones. It should be elastic, and the leaves adjacent to the vegetable should be green and alive. Avoid eggplants with dry leaves.
• Choose blue ones with a smooth surface; it should squeak slightly when you run your finger over it. Avoid eggplants with slippery skin.
• Do not take huge soft vegetables - they contain a lot of solanine. These are the old blue ones.
• The darker the skin, the better. These foods contain the highest amount of antioxidants.

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Method 2 - in salt water

You can soak eggplants in salt whole or in pieces. To prepare a saline solution, use 1 liter of cold drinking water and 1 tablespoon of salt.

It takes at least two hours for the bitterness to leave the whole fruit. It goes away from the pieces in about 30 minutes.

How to do this correctly?

• Wash eggplants well before cooking.
• Each is cut into round or longitudinal slices, cubes or in another way specified in the recipe.
• Place in a bowl of salted water.
• Press down from above with pressure so that they do not float up.
• Then rinse with fresh water and place on a towel to remove excess moisture.

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Useful properties of the vegetable

Experts highlight eggplant as one of the healthy foods that should be included in a balanced diet. The nightshade family contains a large amount of vitamins and microelements. They contain vitamins C, B, PP. And they are also rich:

• magnesium;
• pectin;
• potassium;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• sodium;
• fiber.

The beneficial properties of the culture include the fact that it helps to cope with smoking addiction. Thanks to vitamin PP or nicotinic acid, it will be easier to endure the absence of cigarettes. Vegetables lower blood cholesterol levels and stimulate digestion, thanks to the pectin in the plant.

Thanks to potassium, which regulates blood pressure, vegetables are recommended for use in cases of liver disease and atherosclerosis. And chlorogenic acid is one of the most powerful antioxidants. Therefore, when adding eggplant to your diet, a person strengthens his immunity.

Nutritionists also recommend using it due to its low calorie content. Its high fiber content and minimal carbohydrates make it effective for weight loss. Thanks to the phytonutrient nasunin, the likelihood of cancer or heart disease is reduced.

Method 3 – in milk

You can soak bitter vegetables, cut into pieces, not only in salt water, but also in milk. The technique is very similar to the previous one:

• the vegetable is washed and cut as needed;
• place in a container with milk (no need to add salt);
• press down from above with pressure so that they do not float up;
• after 30-40 minutes, rinse with running water and dry on a towel.

Method 4 - by removing seeds

There is a version that it is the eggplant seeds that are bitter, because their shape resembles pepper seeds.

When there is no time for soaking, cooks remove the seeds:

1. the vegetable is washed well;
2. cut lengthwise with a sharp knife;
3. scrape out the seeds with a spoon (as far as possible);
4. rinse and dry with paper towels.

Method 6 – dry

If you don’t have the desire or time to soak vegetables, the bitterness can be removed with salt. It is not distributed in water, but directly on eggplant slices. For this:

• Ripe vegetables are washed and cut into pieces;
• Add salt to a flat container or glass board and place slices on top;
• their surface is also sprinkled with salt;
• When the juice appears on the cut, the vegetables are ready for cooking - they are rinsed or wiped with a paper towel.

For this case, it is better to use coarse sea or rock salt. Small ones can be completely absorbed into the pulp and make the dish over-salted.

Method 7 - in the freezer

For preparing “overseas eggplant” caviar, the method of removing bitterness using cold is well suited. It is used when there is time to spare, and vegetables do not necessarily need to retain their shape during heat treatment. If necessary, wash the eggplants, peel them, then cut them into pieces, put them in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer for at least 3-4 hours. After removing from the freezer, the vegetables are defrosted naturally, and then pressed to remove excess liquid. The bitterness goes away along with it.

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Delicious seasonal vegetables such as eggplants are fried in slices, baked, or prepared as stews or caviar. To prevent them from becoming bitter, it is better to process them before cooking. Now you can do this using one of seven simple and effective ways.

Is it necessary to peel eggplants before cooking?

To ensure that the dish turns out delicious, you need to manage to choose the ingredients. First you need to decide how exactly your sister will cook the eggplants. They can not only be simply boiled or fried, but also canned.

If according to the recipe the blue ones are prepared with the peel, then it must be young. Such eggplants, when prepared, will be unimportant (= unimportant) bitter, and they will not contain a substance called solanine, which is classified as a poison in large quantities. These vegetables cannot be disposed of raw.

When choosing vegetables, you need to look at their shell, coloring and determine the degree of softness. It is best to purchase eggplants with the following characteristics.

• strong;
• The (foreskin) flesh should be soft and elastic;
• there are probably no stains or defects on it;
• high-quality eggplants have a dark-light purple color.

If they are soft and have wrinkled skin, then they contain a lot of solanine. It is better to buy such eggplants at a disadvantage. It is also not recommended to choose large fruits, on average as this is a sign that they are overripe. Such vegetables will also taste bitter.

How to choose the right eggplants

A delicious vegetable dish will only turn out if you use high-quality and fresh ingredients for its preparation. When choosing eggplants, you need to follow the advice of gardeners, which will help you avoid buying spoiled or unripe vegetables.

Rules for choosing blue ones:

1. You should avoid purchasing vegetables that have brown spots on the skin. They indicate that the fruit is not fresh.
2. On average, 1 large eggplant should weigh from 350 to 500 g. If the vegetable you are looking at has less weight, then it was picked early or has already begun to deteriorate.
3. There should be no defects on the skin of the blue ones (dents, scratches, etc.). The presence of any flaws indicates the beginning of the rotting process.
4. A low-quality eggplant will have a dry, brown stem.
5. The shine and smoothness of the surface layer of a vegetable is the main sign of quality.
6. If you press your finger on an overripe or early-picked fruit, a dent will remain on it. The pressure mark on a timely harvested vegetable will disappear in a few seconds.
7. You should choose medium-sized fruits. Large eggplants have a high concentration of solanine (a toxic substance), so you should avoid buying them. Small vegetables indicate insufficient maturity or improper cultivation of the garden crop.
8. The seeds inside the blue ones should be small and light. At the same time, they will not emit an unpleasant odor. Vegetables grown with chemicals will have large seeds and a light brown color.
9. The presence of green areas on the fruit pulp indicates a high concentration of solanine.
10. After cutting the vegetable, the flesh should not change color. Otherwise, it contains many chemicals that are harmful to health.

Do I need to clean it?

The top rust of eggplant contains very beneficial fiber. They help the digestive system to sit at work correctly.

Note! Nutritionists say that eggplant peel is healthy and contains nutrients. In addition, it promotes better metabolism and is low in calories.

Vegetables are often peeled before cooking. In the case of eggplant, peeling helps eliminate the bitterness. If it is necessary for vegetables to retain their shape after cooking, there is no need to peel them. It will protect the pomona gifts from deformation.

To ensure that the eggplant pieces remain intact after frying or other heat treatment, the unprofitable peel is removed. You need to select young fruits, cut them into pieces, and cook. If the vegetables are overripe, they must be immersed in a salt solution for 15 minutes.

The peel of these vegetables tastes tart and spicy. High-end chefs advise peeling the vegetable or leaving it for half an hour, sprinkled with salt. If you cut a vegetable and see that the seeds are dark, it is inevitable to cut them out, capturing some of the pulp.

If you grew these eggplants yourself, and you are sure that no harmful substances were used, then you don’t have to chop the eggplants. It’s a good idea to peel the vegetables you purchased at the store. After all, pesticides were most likely used during cultivation.

How to remove bitterness from eggplants

Pre-treatment of blueberries consists not only of removing the peel, but also of eliminating the bitter taste. There are 3 proven methods for this. All of them are simple and do not require much time.

How to get rid of bitterness by boiling

It is best to soak eggplants in boiling water before cooking. This will remove not only excess bitterness from the fruit, but also most of the solanine. This operation is carried out in the following way:

1. The stalk is cut off from the pre-washed blue ones.
2. Then the fruits are cut into slices at least 1 cm thick or left whole.
3. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan.
4. Prepared vegetables are dipped into it and kept there for 3 minutes.
5. After this, they are removed with a slotted spoon and cooled.
6. If the eggplants are large, then they are placed in an enamel pan.
7. Place a plate turned upside down on top.
8. A jar of water is placed on it.
9. After 2 hours, drain the released liquid.
10. After this, the fruits can be used to prepare various dishes.

How to remove bitterness from eggplants with salt

Using salt you can quickly and easily get rid of bitterness. To do this, use one of the 3 available methods. Each of them gives the desired result in just 40-50 minutes.

The most popular method consists of the following steps:

1. The blue ones, washed and cut into pieces, are placed in a deep container.
2. They are covered with a large amount of salt.
3. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
4. Leave the eggplants in this form for 45 minutes.
5. After the specified time, drain the released juice.
6. Pieces of the vegetable are placed on a paper towel to get rid of any remaining bitter liquid.
7. After that, they are prepared in any way you like.

The second effective method for removing bitterness is to soak the eggplants in salt water. Thanks to this operation, the vegetables are not only prepared for further use, but also evenly salted.

Sequencing:

1. Eggplants, which have been washed and dried in advance from moisture, are cut into circles.
2. They are transferred to a suitable sized container.
3. Salt is added to the fruits.
4. Vegetables are poured with cold water. It is important that the liquid completely covers all the pieces.
5. After 45 minutes, the blue ones are removed from the saline solution.
6. Then they are squeezed out by hand.

Many cooks use the dry method to remove bitterness. It allows you to speed up the entire process and achieve the desired result.

Stages of work:

1. Eggplants are washed from dirt and dust.
2. The fruits are wiped with paper towels so that not a single drop of moisture remains on them.
3. The stalk is cut off from vegetables.
4. After this, they are cut into circles or slices.
5. The pieces are sprinkled with salt. Experts recommend using coarse sea salt, which will not be absorbed into the pulp of the vegetable. If you use a finely ground bulk ingredient, the blue ones will be over-salted.
6. Leave the eggplants for 30 minutes.
7. During this time, juice will be released on their surface, with which all the bitterness will go away.
8. Vegetables are wiped with paper napkins or washed with water.

How to remove bitterness from eggplants without salt

If soaking in salt does not give the desired result, then you should try to do without this bulk ingredient. In this case, the cook will have 3 simple methods available. Among them are the following:

1. Freezing. Prepared eggplants are cut into cubes and placed in a plastic bag. Vegetables are placed in the freezer for 4-5 hours. After this, the little blue ones are defrosted, squeezed out of the moisture and dried with paper towels.
2. Exposure in water. The fruits are cut in half and all the seeds are removed. Then the vegetables are poured with cold water and left for 6-7 minutes. After this time, the blue ones are dried and prepared in the chosen way.
3. Soaking in milk. Vegetables are cut into slices 1 cm thick. They are placed in a pan with milk and left there for 45 minutes. Then the blue ones are taken out with a slotted spoon and dried with a towel.

Anyone can peel eggplants and get rid of unpleasant bitterness. To do this job well, you will need a minimum of effort, but quite a lot of free time. The absence of any errors will allow you to get a tasty vegetable, which will become one of the main components of various dishes.

What to clean?

Vegetables should be rinsed under water right at the doorstep in order to peel them. After all, there are a large number of microbes on the surface, which will then end up in the dish. When cleaning eggplants, it is useful to follow these rules.

1. First you need to cut off the base using a sharp knife.
2. Then, placing the eggplant on a cutting board, and holding it tightly, carefully remove the peel with a vegetable peeler and knife.
3. The vegetable is peeled until the peel is completely removed.

When using a vegetable peeler, you must be careful. Otherwise you might get hurt. The child is tilted away from himself and cleaned from top to bottom. Further, the blue ones can be used in preparing a wide variety of dishes.

Salt to the rescue

Fresh eggplants grown on your own plot with sufficient watering and good care do not need to be processed before frying. You just need to wash and cut them.

But if the vegetables were bought at the market or supermarket, there is a chance that they already have a bitter taste. It is concentrated in the peel and pulp while the eggplant is being transported and lying on the shelf.

To rid a product of bitterness using boiling water, you need to:

• cut the pulp into cubes;
• place in a colander;
• Dip into boiling salted water for 2 minutes;
• remove from the water and let it drain;
• then cook according to the recipe.

The first way to remove bitterness from eggplant is to use salt. This method has several options - “dry” and “wet”.

The “dry” method is very simple. The eggplants are cut and sprinkled with coarse salt at the cut points. After 20 minutes, droplets of liquid will appear on the surface. Now the eggplants can be rinsed with water or simply wiped with a dry towel. With this method, coarse salt is preferable to fine salt, because the structure of the eggplant pulp is very porous.

The “wet” method is also not particularly complicated. Eggplants are cut and placed in a pan of cold salted water. Since eggplants do not sink in water, you will have to drown them using pressure. Half an hour of this “bath” and all the bitterness from the eggplant goes away. All that remains is to rinse them, squeeze out excess water and proceed directly to cooking.

Incomplete cleaning

The little blue ones can't be cleaned completely. Sometimes chefs use strip cleaning technology. Thanks to this method, you can remove bitterness and ensure the shape of the fruit during cooking. Any dish will look beautiful and unusual.

The vegetable must first be washed well, then the base must be cut off. Next, the eggplant is not completely peeled, but in small strips 3 cm wide. You should get identical stripes. After this cleaning procedure, the fruits are cut as needed.