Our 20 Favorite Eggplant Recipes (2024)

FAQs

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.

It showed that they could reduce levels of specific enzymes that influence sugar absorption, helping reduce blood sugar. Eggplants fit well into current dietary recommendations for controlling diabetes, which include a high-fiber diet rich in whole grains and vegetables.

One of the most popular was the long, thin, purple eggplant from Taiwan known as Ping Tung. This is an exceptional eggplant with sweet, pleasant tasting flesh. The plants are incredibly prolific and produce throughout the entire season. They are more disease resistant than other eggplants.

While the skin of a small young eggplant is edible, the skin becomes bitter on larger or older eggplants and should be peeled. When in doubt, the answer to, "Do you peel eggplant before cooking?" is yes, peel it. Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the skin.

eggplant has exerted an antihypertensive effect via ACE inhibitory activity. Therefore, eggplant has been suggested as useful food for the management of hypertension and its complications in daily life (Figure 2). ...

Chlorogenic acid, also found in eggplant, is an antioxidant that not only helps prevent cancer but is also antibacterial and antiviral. Chlorogenic acid may also help to lower LDL cholesterol levels ('bad cholesterol). High levels of LDL cholesterol are a risk factor for heart disease.

The veggie can cause allergies in rare scenarios and the symptoms include difficulty in breathing, swelling and hives. In some cases, eggplant can also cause anaphylaxis.

During peak growing seasons, when there's an abundance of eggplants, prices tend to be lower. Conversely, during off-seasons or when supply is limited, prices may rise due to increased demand. The cost of eggplants can also vary based on where they are grown and distributed.

Age and Size: Whether an eggplant is mildly or extremely bitter can depend on the age and size of the fruit. (Yes, eggplant is a fruit.) Larger, more mature eggplants can be more bitter, typically because their seeds are larger and seeds tend to hold on to the most bitter flavors.

Do bigger eggplants taste better? ›

That isn't necessarily the truth, if it is picked correctly. Large eggplants can be more bitter and have more seeds, as the vegetable was given more time to mature. So instead of going for the biggest; choose small to medium-sized and well-formed eggplants.

Salting: One common method is salting the eggplant slices or cubes before cooking. This process helps draw out the bitter compounds and excess moisture. Here's how to do it:Slice or cube the eggplant as desired. Sprinkle salt over the eggplant pieces and let them sit for about 30 minutes.

It helps draw out moisture from the eggplant. You don't have to salt eggplant though, it depends on the texture your looking for. Salting gives it a more creamy texture when cooked and not salting helps the eggplant hold up and be a little firmer after cooked.

I tend to soak the slices in a bowl of water with a couple of tablespoon of salt for about 30-45 minutes.

“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.