How to remove bitterness from frozen eggplants. Tips on what to do to keep the eggplant from being bitter

How to remove bitterness from eggplant?

I know of two ways to remove bitterness from eggplants: salt and leave for a while, or soak them in hot, slightly salted water. I personally use the second method because it is more convenient and economical for me. and you are always afraid to oversalt ...

I cut the eggplants lengthwise (you can also use rings) and soak the cut ones for about half an hour in cold salted water. You drain the water and there is no bitterness. Somewhere on the forums I read that chopped eggplants can be lowered into boiling salted water for a couple of minutes - the effect is the same.

Before starting to cook any dish with eggplant, my mother always first boils them for a few minutes in boiling salted water. After that, the bitterness in the eggplant disappears completely.

I soak it in salt water, for about an hour, then rinse it, it's not even a matter of bitterness, but of hydrocyanic acid, why is it there, if you can not do it. If the eggplants are not young, then you can still cut off the skin from them, if you do not need it according to the recipe.

Eggplant contains the bitter glycoside solanine, which imparts bitterness. Before cooking, the eggplant should be chopped, salted, and kept under the press. You can also boil the sliced eggplant in salted water for a few minutes.

In order to remove the bitterness from eggplant, I use the simplest and most affordable approx. Before cooking, the eggplants need to be cut as provided in the recipe, salt and leave for twenty minutes. They, the eggplants, will let the juice go. Bitterness will come out with him. You just need to squeeze this juice from the eggplant and cook further, as indicated in the recipe.

The bitterness of eggplant never bothers me, it seems to me that excess bitterness goes away during the cooking process, without bitterness at all eggplant - not eggplant. Usually, it is still customary to salt the eggplant cut a few minutes before cooking.

First, the eggplants need to be washed, cut into the desired pieces, but you can also cut them into halves. Sprinkle well with salt and leave for 15 - 20 minutes. After that, transparent droplets will appear on them. You can rinse the eggplant under running water or simply wipe it off with paper towels. And you can cook.

They say that there is no bitterness in young eggplants.

Once upon a time, a TV program told how to remove bitterness from eggplants. I also use this method. You need to cut the eggplants and soak them for 30 minutes in well salted water. You need to put the load on top. And then just take the eggplant out of the water and squeeze it slightly if necessary. Next, cook. But not all eggplants are bitter, usually purchased slightly overripe fruits of a dark purple color are bitter.

It happens that you decide to cook an eggplant kebab, caviar, salad or other dish, but it turned out to be bitter and unpleasant in taste.

Then the gardeners have a question: why is the eggplant bitter, the reasons for the bitterness, because the fruits are grown on their own plot? We will learn what factors and disturbances in agricultural technology can spoil the taste of this crop, how to protect the fruit from bitterness.

There are several reasons why eggplants grow bitter and spoil the taste of food:

Late cleaning. If you don't pick the ripe vegetables in time, their skin will turn yellow and hard, and the flesh will be bitter. It is recommended to harvest the eggplants when the seeds are still light - about a month and a half after the ovary appears.
Changeable weather. Outside greenhouse eggplants can grow bitter in unstable and rapidly changing temperatures. If the weather in your area is changeable, it is best to grow your favorite crop in a greenhouse.
Insufficient watering. If the soil is not saturated with moisture, the fruit will also turn bitter. When the weather is sunny, don't let the soil dry out. Every other day, the seedlings are watered with warm water (about 25 degrees), but not in the evening, but in the morning.
Bitter varieties. There are, of course, bitter varieties. To avoid them, you need to carefully study the description of the culture.

Having learned the reasons for the bitter taste of eggplants, we will learn what to do so that the eggplants do not burn during the process of growing and cooking.

How to grow eggplant without bitterness

To prevent bitterness in vegetables, you need to use cultivation wisely. To begin with, it is important to grow good seedlings:

Choose proven varieties that produce decent yields in your climate.
In late February - early March, seeds treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate are sown in containers with high-quality soil: if they are taken from the garden, they are first steamed. Deepen a couple of centimeters at a distance of 3 cm from each other.
The container with crops is covered with polyethylene and kept at a temperature of about 28 ° C.
The polyethylene is removed after hardening the shoots and the plants are regularly watered with warm water, placing the container on a windowsill, where no more than 22 degrees of heat is maintained.
A couple of weeks after the sprouts appear, when they already have three true leaves, the seedlings are immersed in containers with fertile soil.

When the seedlings grow up to 15 cm, and their stems become thick, they are planted in pairs:

We take a couple of seedlings and make two centimeter cuts on each stem with a razor blade so that they are at the same level.
Loosely wrap the stems together, pressing the incision against the incision, with soft polyethylene and wait 7 days.
Cut the weaker seedling above the inoculation zone and leave it for a week.
We remove the polyethylene wrapping and get one eggplant with two root systems.

Thanks to vaccinations, you will not have the question "why the eggplant is bitter", because they will begin to harvest a couple of weeks earlier and without bitterness.

Is it always beneficial to vaccinate seedlings?

YesNot

Competent seedling preparation and good maintenance will allow you to get a large yield (30 percent more than with conventional cultivation) without a bitter aftertaste.

How to remove bitterness from eggplant

What if you bought or collected eggplants and they are bitter? What to do? so that the eggplant does not taste bitter? There are several ways to eliminate bitterness from these fruits.

How to soak

How to soak eggplant from bitterness? To remove the bitterness from eggplants, you can simply keep them in water. To do this, the vegetables should be washed, cut as you need, put in a bowl and add 1 tbsp of water to 1 liter of water. l. table salt. The eggplant bowl is closed with a lid pressed down on top with a weight, for example, a three-liter jar of water.

Eggplant should be soaked for about 30 minutes. They are then rinsed with cold water and added to the dish. Vegetables cooked in this way during frying will hardly absorb oil, which means they will become more delicate and appetizing.

How to use salt

How to remove bitterness from eggplant with salt? The selected eggplant should be well washed and the tails removed. You choose the slicing method yourself. Already chopped blue is carefully rubbed with coarse salt and placed in a deep bowl. Further within 20 minutes, and if the vegetables are needed whole, then within 60 minutes the eggplants should be left alone.

The salt crystals will dissolve and liquid will appear on the surface of the vegetable pieces. After the set time has elapsed, the blue should be rinsed under running cold water, after which you can prepare the intended dish from them.

"Bald" way

Another method that helps remove bitterness from eggplant is also called bald.

If, in your opinion, store-bought eggplants are not sweet enough, you can peel the vegetables so that the eggplants do not taste bitter, if the cooking technology allows this. After such actions, completely make sure that the bitterness of the eggplant will disappear altogether, and the dish will have a pleasant taste.

Old vegetables tend to be bitter. Since young eggplants are not bitter, they usually do not need to be prepared first. What is the difference between young blue and old vegetables? It is easy to determine this in young eggplants:

the skin is smooth, shiny;

there are no dark spots on it;

there are no rotten places.

These blues are medium in size, quite heavy. The cut of a young vegetable is light, without dark seeds. If at least one of these parameters is violated, it is obvious, before you are already middle-aged specimens, which it is better to discard.

Eggplant varieties without bitterness

How to remove bitterness from eggplants? Grow the varieties you want. The best varieties and hybrids of eggplant without bitterness are presented by manufacturers of a wide range. Choose eggplants without bitterness based on the climatic conditions in your area and the vegetation conditions that are convenient for you. Remember to take into account the fact that the crop needs regular feeding as it grows.

Alekseevsky

A variety without bitterness for planting and cultivation in greenhouses and open fields. The ripening period begins in 90-95 days. Eggplant has a regular elongated shape, smooth skin, dark purple color. Has a "friendly" yield. In greenhouses and hotbeds, up to 10 kg of vegetables from 1 m² are harvested. Average weight 250-300 gr. The plant carries fungal and viral diseases, including tobacco mosaic.

Maxik F1

An early hybrid without bitterness with a ripening period of 95 days. It has an elongated cylindrical shape. The skin is shiny, smooth, dark purple, the flesh is greenish-white, without bitterness. The average weight is 200-250 g. In the period of full ripening, the fruits can reach 25-27 cm in size. The hybrid has a high yield. 10-12 kg of eggplants are harvested from 1 m².

Hippo F1

An unusual early hybrid with pear-shaped fruits. The growing season begins 95-100 days after germination. The skin is dark purple in color, the flesh is greenish-white, medium-dense, without bitterness. During the ripening period, the fruits reach 20-22 cm, weighing 300-330 grams. "Behemoth" is considered one of the most productive hybrids. In greenhouse conditions, up to 16-18 kg of eggplants can be harvested from 1 m².

Nancy F1

One of the hybrids with an unusually fast ripening period. The bushes begin to bear fruit 2 months after the first seedlings have appeared. The fruits are small, pear-shaped. The skin is dark purple. When fully ripe, "Nancy" can grow up to 15 cm with a weight of 100-120 grams. When grown in a greenhouse from 1 m², up to 5 kg of fruit without bitterness are obtained. In the central zone of Russia "Nancy" is considered the best early variety for canning.

Quartet

An early ripening variety with an amazing striped color. Ripening begins in 100-110 days from the appearance of seedlings. Fruits do not exceed 15 cm, the average weight of one eggplant is 100-120 g. Despite its small size, the Quartet is a fairly productive variety. Up to 12-15 kg of eggplants can be harvested from 1 m² of planting area. The flesh of the fruit is without bitterness, white, friable, with a large number of seeds.

Purple Haze

An insect pollinated vegetable variety. The preference is given to the cultivation of eggplant in open areas. Adapted for low temperatures of air and soil, therefore, it received well-deserved recognition among the farmers of the northern climatic zone. The ripening period is up to 105 days. Full-fledged fruits have a light, very beautiful color. The length of one eggplant can reach 20 cm, the average weight is 180 g. Up to 12 kg of eggplant without bitterness are harvested from one bush.

Valentine F1

Early ripening of a hybrid with surprisingly tasty vegetables. The variety is completely devoid of bitterness, the flesh is dense and white, with few seeds. It takes about 90 days before the first fruits appear. The plant has the correct shape, the skin is dark purple, closer to black. The hybrid is classified as long-fruited, since a ripe eggplant can grow up to 30 cm, with an average weight of 270 g. The variety is adapted to growing in any climatic zone, it is resistant to cold weather, widespread infections.

Video

The bitterness of eggplant interferes with the preparation of various dishes, by watching this video, you will learn how you can get rid of the bitterness.

Growing eggplant without bitterness is no different from usual. The only thing that is recommended for farmers when choosing a variety is its adaptation to climatic conditions. When buying hybrids, be sure to check the conditions of care and prepare the seeds for growing seedlings.

Eggplants are readily used in cooking in many countries. This tasty and healthy vegetable, a valuable source of protein, is used to make a wide variety of dishes, snacks, and preservation for the winter. In the process of preparing many dishes, blue ones undergo a special treatment that helps them get rid of bitterness. So, what should you do to keep the eggplant from being bitter?

This useful information will be useful to many chefs, especially beginners who want to properly cook this wonderful vegetable.

Causes of the bitter taste

Why are eggplants bitter? The blue ones contain a large amount of solanine. It is a poisonous substance that gives the fruit a bitter taste. The longer the blue ones ripen, the more bitter and poisonous they will taste.

To date, many hybrid varieties have been bred, the fruits of which do not contain bitterness, for example, "White Night", "Taste of Mushrooms" or "Green".

Options for how to remove the bitterness

There are several ways you can get rid of the bitterness in eggplant.

Soaking

To remove the bitterness, the fruits are soaked in salt water. First, the vegetables are cut into slices, sticks or cubes, depending on the recipe, then dipped in a salty solution. Give 1 tablespoon of salt per liter of water. Then the blue ones are thrown into a sieve or colander to drain the remaining juice.

How much to soak eggplant in salt water? It all depends on the state of the pods. The older the vegetable, the more time it takes to soak. Half an hour is enough for young eggplants, but for old fruits - at least an hour. During this time, the vegetables will start up the juice and completely get rid of the bitterness.

Sprinkle with salt

You can not soak eggplants. Many hostesses use a different method of "processing" blue ones, sprinkling eggplant slices with salt. After 30 minutes, the blue ones are washed under cold water, thrown in a colander and allowed to drain off the rest of the water.

Freezing

There is another way how you can remove bitterness from eggplant - by. First, the blue ones are peeled, then cut into slices or cubes, put in a plastic bag and sent to the freezer for four hours. Then the eggplant slices are defrosted and the resulting juice is squeezed out. True, after such treatment, the blue ones quickly lose their shape and turn into a puree-like mass during the heat treatment process.
The blue ones "give off" the bitterness well if they are dipped in milk for half an hour and put under pressure. After this time, the fruits must be slightly squeezed.

You can do it differently, bypassing the manipulation of saline or freezing, by removing the seeds in the fruit. The fruits are cut into two longitudinal parts and peeled from seeds with a teaspoon.

Summer is not only a period of vacations, but also a generous vegetable, fruit and berry season. For example, in the summer, you can constantly treat yourself to snacks, as well as eggplant salads. However, this vegetable can taste bitter, and if nothing is done, the dish will turn out to be tasteless.

How to get rid of the bitterness in eggplant?

Each housewife most likely has her own time-tested secret of removing bitterness from eggplants. Here you can see the most popular of them. Perhaps, among these tips there will be yours, or maybe you will find new, interesting information for yourself, something that you yourself could not have thought of on your own.

We remove the bitterness from eggplant using salt

Selected eggplants should be washed well, the tails should be removed. You choose the cutting method yourself. Already cut blue ones are carefully rubbed with coarse salt and placed in a deep bowl. Further for 20 minutes, and if the vegetables are needed whole, then plus for another 60 minutes, the eggplants should be left alone.

Salt crystals will dissolve - and liquid will appear on the surface of the vegetable pieces. After the specified time has elapsed, the blue ones need to be rinsed under the tap with cold water, and after that you can cook the intended dish from them.

Getting rid of bitterness by soaking

In order to remove the bitterness from eggplants, you can simply hold them in water. To this end, the vegetables should be washed, cut in the way you want, put in a bowl and add water and salt to them at the rate of 1 liter of water 1 tbsp. l. salt. A bowl of eggplants is closed with a lid, and it is pressed down on top with a load, for example, a three-liter jar filled with water.

Eggplant should be soaked for about 30 minutes. Then they are washed with cold water and added to the dish. Vegetables prepared in this way hardly absorb oil during frying, which means they will turn out to be more tender and appetizing.

Peeling

Another way to help remove bitterness from eggplant.

To be honest, usually blue ones do not taste so bitter. However, if, in your opinion, the eggplants purchased in the store are not sweet enough, you can peel the vegetables from the vegetables, if the cooking technology of this dish allows. After such actions, be completely sure that the bitterness from the eggplant will go away completely, and the dish will taste good.

In the end, I would like to note that, as a rule, old vegetables are bitter. Since young eggplants do not taste bitter, they usually do not need preliminary preparation. What is the difference between young blue ones and old vegetables? It is easy to determine: the skin of young eggplants is smooth, shiny, there are no dark spots on it, there are no rotten places. Such little blue, medium size, quite heavy. The cut of a young vegetable is light, without dark seeds. If at least one of these parameters is violated, obviously, before you are already elderly specimens, from which it is better to refuse.

Musaka, "Mother-in-law's language", dolma - dishes with eggplants can be enumerated endlessly. In addition, the blue ones, as we used to call them, contain a huge amount of nutrients and useful substances for our body. One problem - these vegetables can be bitter and spoil the taste of the dish irrevocably. Let's figure out how to remove bitterness from eggplant.

Learning to choose the right vegetables

In order not to think about how to remove bitterness from eggplants before cooking, when choosing vegetables, you need to take into account several rules:

We buy only young vegetables. Such eggplants do not need to be pre-processed, since they will not give bitterness.
Look closely at the stalk. In fresh and young eggplant, it is elastic, and the leaves that adjoin it have a rich green color. Attention: do not buy blue ones with dry leaves!
The eggplant skin should be smooth and firm. Swipe your finger gently over the vegetable, and if the skin squeaks, feel free to buy it. But it is better to refuse from eggplants, which have a slippery skin.
Large size and soft texture are sure signs that eggplants are "old" (and therefore bitter). These vegetables contain excessive amounts of harmful solanine.
The darker the skin, the more antioxidants are in the eggplant, which are useful for our body.

How to remove bitterness from eggplant: affordable and easy ways

There are several methods of getting rid of blue ones from bitterness. They are all simple and effective enough. Let's consider them in more detail.

Method 1: salt rushes to the rescue

So, the most common way to process eggplants before cooking is to soak them in table salt. We perform the following actions:

We wash the vegetables thoroughly and cut off the tails.
Cut the blue ones into circles or slices. It depends on what kind of dish you are preparing.
We spread the eggplants in a deep container and rub each piece with coarse table salt.
We leave the little blue ones for half an hour (it is possible for an hour). The salt will dissolve and beads of liquid will appear on the vegetables.
After the specified time, thoroughly wash the eggplants with running water. You can squeeze them out well.
That's all: let's start preparing the dish.

Method 2 - the power of "living" water:

Pour purified cold water into a saucepan. We add some salt to it based on the following proportions: for 1 liter of liquid, you will need 1 tbsp. l. salt.
We wash the blue ones and get rid of the tails. Cut them into portions.
Put the eggplants in a saucepan. Vegetables should not be completely covered in liquid.
We will install the oppression from above. You can take a round wooden chopping board that is the same size as the saucepan and place a stone on top of it.
We soak the blue ones in salty liquid for at least half an hour. Attention: if you used whole vegetables, then the soaking time should be increased to two to three hours.
Then take out the eggplants and squeeze them slightly. Rinse vegetables with running water.

Method 3: peel the rind

Perhaps the easiest way is to clean the blue ones, although, of course, it is not suitable for all dishes. So, let's do the following:

We wash the eggplants and wipe them with a dry kitchen towel.
Remove a thin layer of peel with a vegetable cutter or knife.

Alternative ways

There are also several alternative methods for removing the bitter taste of eggplant.

First option:

We wash the eggplants, dry them and cut them.
Cover the blue ones with a napkin or kitchen paper towel and sprinkle them with milk.
Press down the vegetables with a load and leave for ten minutes.
Then remove the napkin. The trick is that the bitter juice will go along with it.
We wipe the eggplants dry and we can cook.

Second option:

Cut the eggplants and place them in boiling water for five to seven minutes. You do not need to salt the liquid.
Then we will salt the water, and put the vegetables in a colander and wait until the liquid drains and they are completely dry.
Now you can cook them.

Third option:

If you are going to cook caviar or eggplant puree, take note of the following way to get rid of the bitterness of vegetables:

We wash the blue ones and dry them.
Cut them into portions.
We put the eggplants in a container and place them in the freezer for 2-3 hours.
After the specified time has elapsed, take out the blue ones and squeeze the juice from them. All bitterness will go away with him.

Caution: Eggplants prepared in this way are not suitable for frying as they quickly lose their shape.

Many housewives are interested in how to remove bitterness from eggplant after cooking. We'll have to disappoint them, since this is impossible to do. The fact is that the ready-made vegetables have already started up bitter juice, and we cannot fix this, so it is better to complete all the preparatory steps in advance.