Should i peel eggplant before cooking

While the skin of a small young eggplant is edible, the skin becomes bitter on larger or older eggplants and should be peeled.

The flesh discolors soon after peeling, so peel eggplant right before using. A 1-pound eggplant equals 5 cups cubed. Some chefs recommend salting eggplants before using in different ways to cook eggplant. While this isn't essential, it does help tame the bitter flavor, especially of older eggplants, by bringing out the juices and letting them drain. Lay the slices or cubes on layered paper towels and sprinkle all sides with salt. Top with more paper towels and a plate or something to weigh them down.

Let stand about 20 minutes, then rinse, pat dry, and use as desired. We use this method in our fan-favorite Baked Eggplant Parmesan. Stuffed eggplant recipes might look a little fussy or intimidating, but they're actually a cinch to make. In fact, we think it's one of the best solutions for how to cook eggplant in ovens. Plus, you can stuff eggplant with a wide variety of fillings.

To stuff an eggplant, start by halving the eggplant lengthwise. Chop the flesh to add to the filling. Add the desired filling, then cook as desired using one of these different ways to cook eggplant:.

Eggplant is a natural for the grill because of its dense and sturdy interior, which acts like a sponge and soaks up marinade, oil or butter, and smoky flavor. Follow these steps for how to grill eggplant on your own gas or charcoal grill :.

For some simple recipes or grilling recipes where the skin is left on, make sure to go with a smaller option. This will allow the skin to remain edible without the bitter taste that can accompany a larger eggplant. Looking for another alternative to peeling the skin? Try to soak the eggplant in some water 15 minutes or so before you prepare it. Giving it that opportunity to soak can bring out some of the bitter flavor, making it more palatable to eat.

Always remember that no matter how unpalatable and chewy the skin may seem it is totally safe to eat. There are other areas of the eggplant, though, that are not edible. The leaves, for instance, are actually toxic. Do not eat these under any circumstances. Another thing to keep in mind is that eggplant needs to be cooked. There are chemicals in the eggplant that will upset your digestive system if you eat the eggplant raw.

Eggplant can make for a great alternative to meat. This is because it has a substantial texture to it and a savory taste as well. You can simply dice the eggplant down into smaller cubes or sliced rounds and grill or stir-fry them up. If you really want to get fancy with it, there are some recipes where eggplant can even be used to make imitation bacon. You can mitigate the oxidation process by squeezing some lemon juice over your eggplant pieces; that will keep it fresh in room temperature for up to 48 hours.

Eggplant is a delicious, nutritious food that has found use in many different recipes. Eggplant is one vegetable for which slight undercooking will not work. Salt and thoroughly dry the eggplant. Brush the slices with oil and grill over a medium-hot fire until soft and cooked through.

Watch a video to learn how to grill eggplant so that it cooks all the way through without charring. To achieve this, pierce the eggplant with a skewer and cook it whole and unpeeled directly over a grill flame until the skin is blackened all over and the flesh is thoroughly soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Peel off the blackened skin, drain the flesh in a colander, and squeeze out all the moisture. Peel and drain it as you would for grill-roasting.

These cooking methods seem to throw people the most because of how much grease eggplant can soak up. Turn often and adjust the heat to avoid burning until the slices are a rich brown color, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Drain on paper towels. Quick-cooking Japanese and Chinese eggplant are the best candidates for stir-frying. When the oil is very hot, toss the cubes into the pan with a little salt and stir-fry until the eggplant is a rich brown color. Already a subscriber? Log in. Get the print magazine, 25 years of back issues online, over 7, recipes, and more. Start your FREE trial. Fine Cooking. Then place the slices between sheets of paper towel and press gently to remove juices and firm the flesh. This is particularly important when frying your eggplant slices or cubes.

Eggplant slices act like oil-slurping sponges. Even salted, gently hand-pressed slices will soak up plenty of oil. To reduce the amount of oil you'll need, try brushing olive oil onto one side of eggplant slices; then lay them oil-side down in a hot skillet without crowding a crowded pan will cause the slices to steam rather than fry. Brush the up-side only just before turning. If you brush both sides at the start, the oil will simply soak into the flesh. Fry until the slices are nice and brown.

You can also deep-fry eggplant slices and cubes. The super-hot oil immediately surrounds the flesh and seals in the moisture as it quickly browns the surface, leaving slices that are not noticeably greasier than the pan-fried kind. How do you cook eggplant in the oven?

Well, there are a couple ways. To roast whole eggplants in the oven, leave the skin on and roast at degrees F degrees C until the skin gets wrinkly and begins to collapse in on the softened fruit. This method will also produce velvety smooth eggplant dips or spreads. To bake eggplant, you'll cut the eggplant into rounds or strips and prepare them as the recipe indicates -- for example, you can dredge them in egg and breadcrumbs or simply brush them with olive oil and bake them in a degree F oven.