3 Things You Can Do to Temper Bitter Eggplants (2024)

FAQs

3 Things You Can Do to Temper Bitter Eggplants? ›

Unless the skin is reinforcing eggplant halves or slices, make sure your eggplant is peeled before cooking it and digging in. "If it's a larger vegetable, the skin tends to be thicker and harder to chew.

Unless the skin is reinforcing eggplant halves or slices, make sure your eggplant is peeled before cooking it and digging in. "If it's a larger vegetable, the skin tends to be thicker and harder to chew.

The Fix: Balance bitter flavors by introducing something salty, sweet, or sour. For naturally bitter foods such as kale, you can soften the flavor by add a lemony vinaigrette, Parmesan cheese, and pomegranate seeds. You can also elevate kale by tossing it olive oil and salt, then roasting it in the oven until crispy.

Eggplants can be ripened after harvesting but it can be a difficult process with varying results. Because eggplants are warm weather crops, you can attempt to ripen eggplants on your counter in your kitchen at room temperature. To speed up the process, wrap the eggplant in a paper bag with a banana or two.

Cooking it at a high temperature (425 F / 218 C) for enough time (25-30 minutes) to give it a browned exterior and tender interior. Just look at those cubed purple beauties!

Many recipes have you salt the eggplant or soak it in salt water for up to 2 hours, then pat dry before cooking. This helps remove some of the bitterness and prevents the eggplant from tasting chewy.

Heat 1/4 inch of grapeseed oil in a nonstick skillet over medium until hot enough for frying. The ideal temperature for frying eggplant is about 365-375 degrees F. The best way to monitor the temperature is to use a deep fry or candy thermometer; or, you can drop a small piece of bread into the oil.

If you are worried that the eggplant might be bitter, slice or cube it, then salt it liberally and allow it to drain for an hour or so before cooking. Putting salt on the eggplant triggers osmosis, which draws out excess moisture and the bitterness along with it.

Eggplant-type names

First recorded in 1763, the word "eggplant" was originally applied to white cultivars, which look very much like hen's eggs (see image). Similar names are widespread in other languages, such as the Icelandic term eggaldin or the Welsh planhigyn ŵy.

As the plants grow, they need an even moisture supply. They do well with a drip irrigation system, but many watering methods work. When the first blossoms appear, spray the plants with a seaweed extract with one teaspoon of Epsom salts dissolved per gallon. The solution improves fruit set.

What are the side effects of bitter eggplant? ›

The common side effects of brinjal are itching of the throat, skin rashes, discomfort and hoarseness. If allergic reactions develop, consult your physician immediately.

I read on a cooking blog that it's important to be able to distinguish between male and female eggplants, because males are less seedy and therefore less bitter. Supposedly, the difference can be detected by looking at the indentation at the bottom of the vegetable.

But, despite the drama surrounding eggplant and its gross, bland, bitterness, it is possible to make this vegetable taste good. (Fact check: eggplant is technically a berry -*eye roll*.) All you need is some umami-loaded oyster sauce, a little sesame oil, and a generous drizzle of sambal oelek.

However, eggplants also contain a substance, solanine, which is used to defend themselves against fungi and insects. It is precisely on this substance that the bitter taste of the eggplants depends. To eliminate it, the most common methods are soaking in water and vinegar and the salt technique.