How to remove bitterness from eggplant before cooking

Eggplants in common people call blue. On the basis of the vegetable, stews, caviar, side dishes, salads, snacks are prepared. Eggplants are often fried in batter, and then consumed with bread and mayonnaise. Experienced housewives more than once faced with the problem, which is the bitter taste of the fruit. As a rule, this feature is characteristic of the seeds and peel of the vegetable. To prepare a delicious snack, the first thing you need to get rid of bitterness. Consider possible solutions to the problem.

How to choose eggplant correctly

1. This stage is rightfully considered the most responsible, because the taste of the finished dish depends on the correct choice of eggplant. The presence of bitterness characterizes the general appearance of the blue ones, density, size, age of the vegetable.
2. As mentioned earlier, bitterness is felt not from the pulp, but from the peel and seeds, which contain solanine. The named component causes poisoning if consumed in large quantities.
3. It is important to mention that the eggplants, relatively recently collected from the garden, do not have a bitter taste. A feature manifests itself only after a certain period.
4. If you buy eggplant, give preference to a young vegetable. Whenever possible, get fruits on the market from trusted suppliers.
5. Inspect the tail of the eggplant; it should be resilient. Click on the stalk, make sure that it is not rotten. Appreciate foliage for the absence of dried specimens. Do not buy eggplants whose leaves are not green and dry.
6. Swipe your fingers over the surface of the blue ones, the peel should be smooth (not slippery!) Without roughness and roughness. In good eggplant, the surface creaks slightly.
7. Refuse to buy large-sized vegetables, these are old fruits that do not carry any benefit to the body. Blue ones of this kind contain a lot of solanine.
8. If possible, evaluate the thickness of the peel. The finer the surface, the more beneficial the fruit. Soft-skinned vegetables contain a lot of antioxidants.

How to remove bitterness from eggplant

Not all blue ones have a bitter taste. However, if you have acquired old fruits, consider effective ways to solve the problem.

Method number 1. Saline soaking

1. This option is considered to be the most popular. It is suitable for people who want to remove bitterness from whole fruits. At the same time, there is no need to cut vegetables into slices.
2. To properly carry out the procedure, prepare a wide basin in advance and organize oppression. Such a move will not allow the blue ones to surface on the brine surface.
3. To soak, pour filtered water into the container; it is advisable to pre-cool the liquid. 1 liter add 35 gr. coarse salt, do not use sea salt.
4. Dip the eggplant whole. To reduce the duration of the procedure, chop the fruit into 4-6 equal parts (optional).
5. Blue ones do not have enough weight to drown in salty liquid. Therefore, you need to build oppression. Cover the fruits with a flat dish, place a two- or five-liter bottle on top.
6. The exposure time of chopped vegetables is 30-45 minutes, the period depends on the number of eggplant. If whole fruits are soaked, increase the time to 1.5-2 hours.
7. After the allotted time, rinse the eggplants under the tap, leave on the sieve to drain excess liquid. Squeeze the slices a little, start cooking.

Method number 2. Sprinkling with salt

1. You can remove the bitterness from the blue ones by the “dry” method, pouring the fruits with salt. As a bulk composition, iodized, sea, table or crushed (extra) salt is suitable.
2. To properly carry out the procedure, wash and dry the eggplant. Remove the stalks and leaves, chop the vegetables in a convenient way (slices, cubes, straws, etc.).
3. Blue ones are optional, but desirable. Thus, you will reduce the exposure time. Prepare the salt, make sure that there are no spices in it.
4. Take a deep dish, send the blue ones inside, sprinkle them with salt and mix with your hands so that the composition is absorbed faster. Transfer salt with eggplant in layers.
5. The duration of dry "soaking" is 20-25 minutes. Drops of liquid on the surface of the fruit will tell you about the end of the procedure.
6. When the deadline expires, throw the vegetables in a colander, rinse with running water. Blot with napkins or towels, start cooking.

other methods

1. Boiling. If the shape of the vegetable does not matter to you, you can pre-boil the eggplant. Wash them, chop the rings or cubes of medium size. Send to boiling salted water, simmer over high heat for about 2-3 minutes. After the time has passed, throw the vegetables on a sieve, leave the liquid to drain. Start cooking the main course.
2. Freezing. An excellent option for removing a bitter taste is the freezing of fruits. In order to carry out the manipulations, rinse the vegetables and dry them thoroughly. Chop the little blue cubes, put them in a plastic container, do not cover with a lid. Leave in the freezer for 4-5 hours, then remove and wring out excess fluid.
3. Peeling and seeds. If for a certain dish you need vegetables without peels and seeds, use this method. Peel the eggplants, chop them into slices, leave for 10 minutes in ice water. After that, squeeze the liquid, dry with a towel.

To save yourself from unnecessary manipulations, choose the eggplant correctly. Give preference to young fruits with a smooth skin. In other cases, remove the bitterness by soaking or treating with salt. Freeze or boil the little blue ones, remove the skin, remove the seeds.

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