How to remove bitterness from eggplant

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Eggplant belongs to the nightshade family. This vegetable is often used in the preparation of various dishes, however, before cooking, you need to eliminate the bitterness of eggplant. To prevent the eggplant from being bitter, several methods are used.

Getting rid of eggplant bitterness

Useful properties of a vegetable

Experts identify eggplant as one of the healthy foods that should be added to a balanced diet. The nightshade family contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals. They include vitamins C, B, PP. And they are also rich:

• magnesium;
• pectin;
• potassium;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• sodium;
• fiber.

The useful properties of culture include the fact that it helps to cope with addiction to smoking. Thanks to vitamin PP or nicotinic acid, it will be easier to endure the absence of cigarettes. Vegetables lower blood cholesterol levels and stimulate digestion, thanks to the pectin in the plant.

Thanks to potassium, which regulates blood pressure, vegetables are recommended for use in liver diseases and atherosclerosis. Chlorogenic acid is one of the most powerful antioxidants. Therefore, when adding eggplants to your diet, a person strengthens his immunity.

Nutritionists also recommend using it because of its low calorie count. Its high fiber content and minimal carbohydrates make it effective for weight loss. Thanks to the phytonutrient nasunin, the likelihood of cancer or heart disease decreases.

Harmful properties

Eggplant is harmful only in 2 cases:

• if you use old, stale fruits;
• with urolithiasis or cholelithiasis diseases.

The plant contains esters and salts of oxalic acid, which are contraindicated for people with impaired metabolism.

Solanine is an alkoloid that in large quantities is harmful to any person, because it becomes poisonous. It only accumulates in old eggplants. The substance causes poisoning, which manifests itself in the form of nausea, vomiting, fatigue and fever. Milk or egg white is used to neutralize solanine.

Causes of the appearance of bitterness in eggplant

Bitterness can appear due to temperature changes

Many gardeners wonder why eggplants are bitter. Reasons for the appearance of bitterness:

1. Long ripening. The longer the period, the more bitter the vegetable will be. This is due to the poisonous substance solanine, which is contained in the plant. Therefore, it is worth monitoring the ripening time. The fruits are harvested 35-40 days after setting, when they are still in technical ripeness.
2. Incorrectly selected variety. When buying seeds for growing, consider the characteristics of the species.
3. Sharp temperature changes during cultivation. It will fluctuate between 18 and 25 ° C.
4. Lack of moisture in the soil. An appropriate watering regime will provide piquancy and pleasant taste. In hot weather, water the plant every 2 days, until lunchtime.Use warm water at about 24 ° C.

If, when the rules of cultivation are met, the vegetable removed from the garden still tastes bitter, do not be discouraged - there are many ways how to get rid of the bitterness of eggplants.

Ways to get rid of bitterness

This vegetable is added to a variety of dishes. It is also often harvested for the winter. Therefore, it is important that during the preparation of dishes, the chefs or housewives know how to get rid of the bitterness of eggplants.

Many ulinars know how to remove bitterness from eggplant. This is done by salt, freezing, cleaning, or soaking in solutions. The method is selected individually, focusing on what kind of dish will be prepared. If you use cleaning, then it requires complete skinning, and some recipes require it. If a bitter vegetable is caught, then often the chefs use salt to neutralize it. It is used in 2 types: as a solution or dry method.

Soaking in saline

One of the most popular methods. It is suitable if you need to quickly soak whole fruits. This will require a bowl or large container and bending. This will prevent the vegetables from floating to the surface and soak them completely in the solution.

To carry out soaking, follow the sequence of actions:

1. Cold water is poured into the container. For 1 liter. add 40 g of edible salt.
2. The fruits are dipped in a bowl. To reduce the time of the procedure, the vegetable is cut into pieces.
3. To make the eggplants completely immersed in the solution, oppression is constructed. For this, the fruits are covered with a flat container, and a heavy object is placed on it - a 5 liter bottle or a jar.
4. Soak the culture in salted water for 30-45 minutes. The term varies depending on the number of fruits. Large, whole fruits take about 2 hours to soak.
5. The processed eggplants are washed under running water. Put it on a dish so that the excess liquid just goes away.

Sprinkle salt

Chop the eggplants into chunks before soaking.

A simple method using coarse salt. To do this, choose any type of salt:

• iodized;
• marine;
• cookery;
• crushed.

With this treatment, coarse salt is preferable to fine salt, because the structure of the pulp is porous. To carry out the procedure correctly, the fruits are washed and chopped into pieces: slices, circles, cubes. Before removing bitterness from eggplants using this method, the fruits should be dried.

Take a deep dish, place vegetables and sprinkle with salt. Then they are mixed and laid out in layers. Keep them for 20-30 minutes. When liquid appears on the surface of the fruit, the procedure is over - the vegetables are washed and blotted with napkins or a towel.

other methods

Alternative methods to help remove the bitterness of eggplant:

1. To freeze. Cut or whole fruits are placed in the freezer for 4-5 hours. Take out the frozen vegetable and squeeze out the excess liquid.
2. Use milk. Salted cut eggplants are covered with a napkin, sprinkled with milk. Slightly press down on the towel and remove it after 10 minutes. After the pieces are wiped dry.
3. The culture is poured with hot, unsalted water at about 80-90 ° C. The liquid is drained, the blue ones are dried.
4. Chopped vegetables are dipped in boiling water and kept on fire for about 2 minutes. Remove from water and remove excess liquid.
5. Remove the skin of the vegetable with a knife or vegetable cutter. This will rid him of the solanine. In the question of what to do so that the eggplants do not taste bitter, this is the simplest solution.

How to choose the right vegetable

The taste of the whole dish depends on the correct choice of the variety of culture. The bitterness in eggplant is influenced by the skin and seeds. When buying, pay attention that the tail is elastic, and the stalk is not rotten. Good products have a slightly squeaky surface and a dark purple tint.

Classic varieties or hybrids that do not contain bitterness include:

• White Night;
• Diamond;
• Mushroom flavor;
• Chashsky early;
• Lolita;
• Greenery;
• Pelican;
• Ping pong;
• Rosita.

Conclusion

To make eggplant dishes tasty, check to see if the vegetable is bitter. The method of getting rid of bitterness is used, focusing on the final shape and size of the ingredient, as well as on the finished dish.