How to remove the bitterness from the eggplant?

Many of us encountered cases when preparing a salad, caviar or another dish, eggplant gave bitterness and was unpleasant to taste.In this connection, gardeners and gardeners began to wonder: what is the reason for bitterness if the vegetable was grown on its own plot. What circumstances may cause a distortion of the taste of this vegetable, and how to correct the situation, consider below.

The causes of bitterness in eggplants have been identified for a long time. In order for the vegetable to have a pleasant taste, it is recommended to get acquainted with the factors that provoke the appearance of bitterness.

• The most common cause of bitter taste is late harvest. The fact is that ripe eggplant must be removed from the garden immediately. Otherwise, the skin begins to acquire a yellowish tint and dense structure, which gives the pulp a bitter taste. The best time to pick an eggplant is two months after the formation of the first ovary. Light shade of seeds indicates that the vegetable is not overripe.
• Changeable weather conditions also adversely affect the taste of eggplant. Sudden changes in temperature can cause bitterness, especially in vegetables grown on open ground. To get delicious eggplants, it is recommended to plant them in a greenhouse or a small greenhouse.
• In hot sunny weather, eggplants require regular and abundant watering. A lack of moisture will inevitably cause bitterness in the pulp of the vegetable. It is advisable to water the sapling with cold water (not below plus twenty degrees) and only in the morning.
• Sometimes the bitterness in eggplant is simply a feature of the variety you choose. To avoid such an unpleasant situation, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of vegetable culture.

If you are not fond of gardening and do not grow vegetables yourself, we offer you a few recommendations on how to buy eggplants and not be disappointed in their taste. First of all, give preference to a slightly undisturbed, smooth and brilliant vegetable. The shrunken and overripe specimen most likely no longer possesses beneficial and nutrient substances.

The most delicious eggplant is the one that is covered with the finest skin. The taste of vegetable culture depends on the saturation of color. A very dark shade indicates a juicy and pleasant taste, while it is recommended to refuse to buy a light fruit. It is worth noting that this vegetable can be stored for a long time in the freezer or pre-dried form.

Do not forget that in overripe eggplant contains a huge amount of a dangerous substance for the human body, called solanine. To determine the freshness of this vegetable crop is very simple. It is enough to visually note several factors for yourself. First of all, fresh solanaceous culture that did not have time to overripe weigh no more than five hundred grams. The length of high-quality eggplant reaches fifteen centimeters. Pay special attention to inspection of the stem. That it is often the factor determining the age of the fetus. The stem is one of the elements of the vegetable that connects the fruit with the plant. A dishonest seller can cut the stalk in order to mislead customers. The quality and young eggplant stem has a smooth and rich green color. The shriveling of the fruit indicates that you have an overripe eggplant.

The main factors that indicate that eggplants were harvested for a long time can be determined visually: the brown color of the stem, the presence of dark brown spots on the peel, the soft and slippery fruit, the presence of wrinkles and dry skin. It is strongly not recommended to purchase vegetables with the above characteristics. Do not hesitate to gently push the fruit with your fingers. Fresh vegetable will instantly restore the original look. While on the overripe eggplant there will be something like a dent.

Do not purchase very large fruits, as this is direct evidence that eggplants were intensively fertilized with nitrates that were not useful for the human body. If dark-colored seeds are found inside the vegetable, it is strongly recommended not to eat this eggplant. Dark pulp of eggplant is also not suitable for food. And it gives a signal that a huge amount of poisonous substance has accumulated in it - solanine, due to the fact that the vegetable has long overripe. Fruits with crystal clear white pulp suggests that solanine did not have time to change the structure of eggplant pulp.

But it is also worth noting that a fresh vegetable, cut into pieces or slices, should not change color in air. If you notice that after slicing the eggplant slices, after a minute of being in the air, they begin to turn brown, giving the pulp a rich green tint, then it is likely that a small percentage of the toxic substance is present in the pulp of the eggplant. In a small amount solanine is practically harmless to the human body. However, you should not neglect the precautionary measures, it is advisable to subject all vegetables with greenish pulp to heat treatment. For example, when braising eggplants, the amount of solanine is significantly reduced. Chances are that such an eggplant will be bitter, and therefore be sure to use one of the methods for removing the bitter taste mentioned below.

If your chosen or grown eggplant is still bitter, do not be discouraged. There are several ways to fix this trouble.

• The first method is quite simple.. Most likely you could already hear about it. Bitter eggplants are cut into slices or slices, depending on the recipe of the dish you are cooking. Then chopped vegetable is placed in a deep container. After that, a large table salt abundantly sprinkled on vegetables. Stir the contents of the container gently. A more effective way to combat bitterness is to dip each bite into salt. However, this process will take more time than the first. Next, you need to leave salted eggplant pieces for about twenty minutes. After a time, you may notice how the surface of the vegetable is covered with water droplets. This is evidence that all the bitterness has come out. After that, rinse the eggplants under a strong stream of cold running water and boldly proceed to cooking.

• The second way to remove bitterness also involves the use of a small amount of salt. So, clean cold water is poured into a large deep tank. For one liter of liquid is taken one tablespoon of salt. Salt the water and stir well. Further, it is permissible to place the eggplants completely, but it can also be cut into large pieces. A kind of oppression is established over the vegetables. This is necessary to fully immerse the vegetable in the liquid, otherwise the eggplant will begin to float. A wooden round board with the size of the dishes in which eggplant is soaked can make a nest. For better effect, place a heavy object on the board. Chopped vegetables are enough to keep in water for two or three hours. It is recommended to soak a whole vegetable overnight.After the bitterness has evaporated, it is recommended to thoroughly rinse the eggplants under a strong stream of cold water. Further, they can be applied as intended.

There are several alternative ways to get rid of the bitter taste of eggplants.

• Place an eggplant sliced ​​into slices on a flat plate in an even layer, then place the plate in the freezer. Leave on for four to five hours. After a specified time, remove the vegetable and squeeze out the formed liquid. The bitterness will come out with the water.

• Using milk is an effective way to remove bitterness. It is necessary to cut the vegetable into slices and cover them with a large paper towel, on top of which you pour milk. Next, the towel is pressed against any heavy flat object for fifteen to twenty minutes. A bitter taste under pressure is absorbed into a paper towel. After which the eggplant is ready to eat. In no case do not add salt in order to make the method more effective.

• If time is running out, then use the express method. Pre-sliced ​​vegetable is poured with boiling water for five to ten minutes. Do not add salt. After that, boiling water is drained, and the vegetable is dried.

• If the shape of the vegetable for you is not critical, then you can remove the bitterness by boiling eggplants. To do this, pour cool water into a deep container and place it on the stove. On medium heat bring the water to a boil. Place the shredded vegetable in boiling water and let it sit for five to seven minutes. Then the eggplant is removed and reclines in a colander. Wait until all the liquid has drained and can proceed to the preparation of the dish. With a large number of eggplants, divide them into batches and continue to boil for no more than seven minutes.

Before you cook the eggplant, you must remove the bitterness. It is best to remove the peel and soak them in salted water. As mentioned earlier, the cause of the bitter taste may be the wrong type of vegetable. It is he who determines the taste of the vegetable. It is worth noting that if you come across a representative of the bitter variety of the nightshade family, no tricks to remove the bitterness from the pulp will work.

When deciding to grow eggplants in the garden, it is strongly recommended to plant the seedlings on their own, and not to purchase ready seedlings. Unfortunately, a huge number of gardeners and gardeners have become victims of dishonest sellers. When harvesting, it may turn out that all your cultivation efforts have been reduced to zero for reasons beyond your control.

Structurally eggplant is very similar to bell pepper. However, he is not as acute as the last. Faced with the fact that you came across a bitter representative of solanaceous culture, you can use the method, little-known, and therefore rarely used to remove bitterness from eggplant. This method involves the complete removal of seeds, as many do when cooking stuffed peppers.

Eggplant is necessary to pre-cut along the edge, so that the vegetable is divided into two parts. Using a tablespoon, remove all seeds. Peel and seeds, as a rule, are the main sources of bitterness in solanaceous crops, representative of which is eggplant. This method is extremely good, especially if you are thinking of cooking stuffed eggplant - boat.

How to remove the bitterness from the eggplant, see the following video.