Do you really need to salt eggplant before cooking? Not necessarily! This step is somewhat outdated. Find out what it’s all about and when you might still want to salt your eggplant in this post.
Do you need to salt eggplant?
These days, it’s not strictly necessary to salt eggplants before cooking. This tip is outdated and was once used to remove the bitter compound solanine from the fruit. Thanks to modern breeding, you can now find mild eggplant varieties that have minimal bitterness. So you can skip the salting step, which actually benefits the flavour. Salting the eggplant not only removes bitter compounds and water but also strips away some of the flavour
When is it useful to salt your eggplant?
There are times when salting your eggplant can be beneficial, especially when cooking with fat, such as frying, deep-frying, or grilling. Here’s why it makes sense for these methods:
- It makes the flesh softer.
- The eggplant absorbs less fat.
- It reduces splattering in the pan or on the grill, as salting removes some of the moisture from the flesh.
Here’s how to salt your eggplant:
- Slice or cube the eggplant.
- Place the pieces in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let them sit for 30 minutes, then drain the released water.
- Pat the eggplant dry with a kitchen towel and proceed with recipes like Low Carb Eggplant Pizza and more.
If you want to learn more about eggplants, check out our article for all the details!
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