I thought the object was to slice, then salt and leave to sweat for half an
hour. Rinse and dry thoroughly and brush with olive oil, then put under the
griller until browned. It's worth a try.

--

Mi e' parso che Eric James abbia scritto:

> I thought the object was to slice, then salt and leave to
> sweat for half an hour. Rinse and dry thoroughly and
> brush with olive oil, then put under the griller until
> browned. It's worth a try.

There's much more to it: tomato, mozzarella and grated
parmigiano.
That's a Parmigiana.
BTW - Parmigiana does not derive it's name from the town of
Parma, it is a southern italian recipe.
--
Vilco
Think Pink , Drink Rose'

In article >, "Eric James" > wrote:
>I thought the object was to slice, then salt and leave to sweat for half an
>hour. Rinse and dry thoroughly and brush with olive oil, then put under the
>griller until browned. It's worth a try.

Is it still really necessary to salt eggplant before cooking; or is
this practice now just a way of adding salt to the cooked end product?

From ???@?????????? Tue Dec 13 22:00:53 2005
Path: Telstra
Newsgrou
ps: rec.food.cooking,aus.food
From: (P
hred)
Subject: Salting eggplant? [Was: Eggplant Parmigiana]
Organization: Just me
References: >
X-Newsreader: News Xpress 2.01
Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:00:53 GMT
Status: N

In article >, "Eric James" > wrote:
>I thought the object was to slice, then salt and leave to sweat for half an
>hour. Rinse and dry thoroughly and brush with olive oil, then put under the
>griller until browned. It's worth a try.

Is it still really necessary to salt eggplant before cooking; or is
this practice now just a way of adding salt to the cooked end product?

From ???@?????????? Tue Dec 13 22:00:53 2005
Path: Telstra
Newsgrou
ps: rec.food.cooking,aus.food
From: (P


What's the state of play around the rest of the planet?

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

Phred wrote:
> In article >, "Eric
> James" > wrote:
>> I thought the object was to slice, then salt and leave to sweat for
>> half an
>> hour. Rinse and dry thoroughly and brush with olive oil, then put
>> under the
>> griller until browned. It's worth a try.
>
> Is it still really necessary to salt eggplant before cooking; or is
> this practice now just a way of adding salt to the cooked end product?
>
Salting draws out the excess moisture. The eggplant slices are then rinsed
off and patted dry.

Jill

>Salting draws out the excess moisture. The eggplant slices are then rinsed off and patted dry.

This method for drawing out moisture also works really well with
zucchini. I like to shred zucchini, put it in a colander add enough
salt to draw out the moisture (not too much as you don't rinse it).
after a half hour or so, I press it to extract additional liquid, saute
some chopped onion in olive oil, then add the zucchini and saute until
the tips of the shredded zucchini just begin to turn brown and most of
the moisture is gone.
This makes a great quick side green veggie that has a great texture
and intense zucchini flavor.

Kev

Mi e' parso che jmcquown abbia scritto:

> Salting draws out the excess moisture. The eggplant
> slices are then rinsed off and patted dry.

Moreover, that moisture carries away a bitter taste, with itself.
--
Vilco
Think Pink , Drink Rose'

"Vilco" > wrote

> Mi e' parso che jmcquown abbia scritto:
>
>> Salting draws out the excess moisture. The eggplant
>> slices are then rinsed off and patted dry.
>
> Moreover, that moisture carries away a bitter taste, with itself.

Yes, some eggplants do have that, same as cucumbers, in my
experience.

nancy

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:00:53 GMT, (Phred)
wrote:

>In article >, "Eric James" > wrote:
>>I thought the object was to slice, then salt and leave to sweat for half an
>>hour. Rinse and dry thoroughly and brush with olive oil, then put under the
>>griller until browned. It's worth a try.
>
>Is it still really necessary to salt eggplant before cooking; or is
>this practice now just a way of adding salt to the cooked end product?
Steaming works better than salting IMO.

Nathalie in Switzerland

Nancy Young wrote:
> "Vilco" > wrote
>
> > Mi e' parso che jmcquown abbia scritto:
> >
> >> Salting draws out the excess moisture. The eggplant
> >> slices are then rinsed off and patted dry.
> >
> > Moreover, that moisture carries away a bitter taste, with itself.
>
> Yes, some eggplants do have that, same as cucumbers, in my
> experience.
>
The big roundish European eggplants often have that bitterness, which
the salting/rinsing reduces. The thin Japanese and Chinese eggplants
don't have it, and so don't need the treatment. (They're also the
wrong shape/size for eggplant parmigiana but that's a different story)
-aem

"aem" > wrote

> The big roundish European eggplants often have that bitterness, which
> the salting/rinsing reduces.

Now I have a real jones for eggplant parm, I will be making
this sometime this week. Love that stuff. Yes, I do salt and rinse.

nancy

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:55:16 -0500, Nancy Young wrote:

>
> "aem" > wrote
>
>> The big roundish European eggplants often have that bitterness, which
>> the salting/rinsing reduces.
>
> Now I have a real jones for eggplant parm, I will be making
> this sometime this week. Love that stuff. Yes, I do salt and rinse.
>
> nancy

My 2 cents

There was a thread a month or 3 ago about how eggplant will suck up all
the oil it is frying in and become soggy. The salting and draining of the
eggplant is to collpase the eggplants cells (well some of them)which
reduces the eggplants tendancy to drink up oil and thus getting soggy.

You can rinse off the salt before use if you desire...just be sure to pat
dry, well, after you rinse.

Mr Libido Incognito wrote:
> On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:55:16 -0500, Nancy Young wrote:
>
> >
> > "aem" > wrote
> >
> >> The big roundish European eggplants often have that bitterness, which
> >> the salting/rinsing reduces.
> >
> > Now I have a real jones for eggplant parm, I will be making
> > this sometime this week. Love that stuff. Yes, I do salt and rinse.
> >
> > nancy
>
> My 2 cents
>
> There was a thread a month or 3 ago about how eggplant will suck up all
> the oil it is frying in and become soggy. The salting and draining of the
> eggplant is to collpase the eggplants cells (well some of them)which
> reduces the eggplants tendancy to drink up oil and thus getting soggy.
>
> You can rinse off the salt before use if you desire...just be sure to pat
> dry, well, after you rinse.

There's no reason to salt eggplant anymore. Over the past twenty years
or so eggplant has been hydridized to where any bitterness is
essentially nonexistant (now the seeds are fewer ahe smaller). The
bitterness is attributed to the eggplant seeds maturing... one should
still not choose the largest specimens, choose medium sized fruits that
are firm and smooth skined, choose the freshest ones as the seeds
continue to mature after the fruits are picked... once purchased cook
right away, do not leave them setting around for days. With proper
cooking technique it's quite simple to reduce the amount of oil
absorbed by eggplant. Simply use high heat and little oil... brush
eggplant lightly with oil and season, then grill, bake, or cook quickly
on hot griddle... there is no good reason to deep fry eggplant or cook
in so much fat it may as well be. And if you're one of those who wants
no bitterness and peels off the skin then perhaps you shouldn't be
eating eggplant, obviously you don't appreciate it.

Nathalie Chiva wrote:
>
> Steaming works better than salting IMO.

Steamed eggplant, is that like boiled ribs?

"Mr Libido Incognito" > wrote

> On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:55:16 -0500, Nancy Young wrote:

>> Now I have a real jones for eggplant parm, I will be making
>> this sometime this week. Love that stuff. Yes, I do salt and rinse.

> There was a thread a month or 3 ago about how eggplant will suck up all
> the oil it is frying in and become soggy. The salting and draining of the
> eggplant is to collpase the eggplants cells (well some of them)which
> reduces the eggplants tendancy to drink up oil and thus getting soggy.

I thought that explanation was great, I did wonder. Reason is that
if eggplant isn't done correctly and absorbs too much oil, it makes
me queasy.

> You can rinse off the salt before use if you desire...just be sure to pat
> dry, well, after you rinse.

Will do. Thanks! nancy

In article >, "Vilco" > wrote:
>Mi e' parso che jmcquown abbia scritto:
>
>> Salting draws out the excess moisture. The eggplant
>> slices are then rinsed off and patted dry.
>
>Moreover, that moisture carries away a bitter taste, with itself.

Actually, that was the point I attempted to make, but my post got
completely screwed for some reason and my carefully constructed text
ended up as some random garble beyond the first couple of lines.

I haven't worried about "bitterness" in eggplant for yonks, and I was
wondering if it had been bred out in modern cultivars. [I see that
Sheldon has affirmed that such is the case. Thanks mate.]

As I don't see any reason to "salt" the things to remove (or
"neutralise") the bitter principle, I was left wondering if there was
some reason that other people still seem to do this. (Apart from
habit, that is.)

I can't say I'm entirely convinced by some of the other "reasons"
offered in this thread to date. Perhaps there's some point in that
"draining out the water" bizzo; but maybe just sitting the slices
between layers of absorbent paper for half an hour or so would be just
as effective? And less likely to lead to higher blood pressure. :-)

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

"Phred" > wrote

> I can't say I'm entirely convinced by some of the other "reasons"
> offered in this thread to date. Perhaps there's some point in that
> "draining out the water" bizzo; but maybe just sitting the slices
> between layers of absorbent paper for half an hour or so would be just
> as effective? And less likely to lead to higher blood pressure. :-)

Perhaps you don't fry the slices of eggplant. I prefer them
fried for the texture of the final dish. The water doesn't just
drain out of them and the salt draws it out. If you fry them
undrained, they will sop up oil like a sponge.

nancy

On 13 Dec 2005 15:15:25 -0800, "Sheldon" > wrote:

>
>Nathalie Chiva wrote:
>>
>> Steaming works better than salting IMO.
>
>Steamed eggplant, is that like boiled ribs?

Ahem... nope. Just steam eggplant slices for about 8 to 10 minutes,
they should be a bit soft but not too much - the point isn't to cook
them through. Then let them drain for about 15 minutes, and after that
use them per the recipe (for instance breaded and fried, or grilled,
or...). Two advantages: They will be very mellow, and they won't drink
up too much oil.

Nathalie in Switzerland

I find I need to salt mine to take away the bitterness from it.
> Is it still really necessary to salt eggplant before cooking; or is
> this practice now just a way of adding salt to the cooked end product?
>

I find I need to salt mine to take away the bitterness from it.

Sheldon wrote:
> Mr Libido Incognito wrote:
> > On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:55:16 -0500, Nancy Young wrote:
> > > "aem" > wrote

> > >> The big roundish European eggplants often have that bitterness, which
> > >> the salting/rinsing reduces.

> There's no reason to salt eggplant anymore. Over the past twenty years
> or so eggplant has been hydridized to where any bitterness is
> essentially nonexistant (now the seeds are fewer ahe smaller). The
> bitterness is attributed to the eggplant seeds maturing... one should
> still not choose the largest specimens, choose medium sized fruits that
> are firm and smooth skined, choose the freshest ones as the seeds
> continue to mature after the fruits are picked... once purchased cook
> right away, do not leave them setting around for days. With proper
> cooking technique it's quite simple to reduce the amount of oil
> absorbed by eggplant. Simply use high heat and little oil... brush
> eggplant lightly with oil and season, then grill, bake, or cook quickly
> on hot griddle... there is no good reason to deep fry eggplant or cook
> in so much fat it may as well be. And if you're one of those who wants
> no bitterness and peels off the skin then perhaps you shouldn't be
> eating eggplant, obviously you don't appreciate it.

I agree with Sheldon on this. Bitterness is only a problem with
overgrown eggplants, not with the ones I see in the supermarket here. I
never salt them, not needed, unless I somehow get an extra large one,
and I havent seen one of those in a long time.


NT

> ha scritto nel messaggio
ups.com...
> Sheldon wrote:
>> Mr Libido Incognito wrote:
>> > On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:55:16 -0500, Nancy Young wrote:
>> > > "aem" > wrote
>
>> > >> The big roundish European eggplants often have that bitterness,
>> > >> which
>> > >> the salting/rinsing reduces.

No! it isn't true! The round violet eggplants are sweeter then the long one
and they don't need to be salted before.
Cheers
Pandora

In article >, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
>"Phred" > wrote
>
>> I can't say I'm entirely convinced by some of the other "reasons"
>> offered in this thread to date. Perhaps there's some point in that
>> "draining out the water" bizzo; but maybe just sitting the slices
>> between layers of absorbent paper for half an hour or so would be just
>> as effective? And less likely to lead to higher blood pressure. :-)
>
>Perhaps you don't fry the slices of eggplant. I prefer them
>fried for the texture of the final dish. The water doesn't just
>drain out of them and the salt draws it out. If you fry them
>undrained, they will sop up oil like a sponge.

Thanks, Nancy. I must admit I don't normally fry eggplant. (Tried it
in breadcrumbs for the first time just recently in fact and found it
perfectly acceptable. :-)

Being a minimalist by preference when cooking, I like eggplant
for a quick "work" lunch simply zapped whole in the microwave for 3 to
4 minutes (depending on size); then sliced longitudinally, generously
peppered, and eaten with a spoon.

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

The seeds contain most of the bitterness that salting removes, so if you
have a young, or small eggplant it's not necessary.

"Phred" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, "Eric
> James" > wrote:
>>I thought the object was to slice, then salt and leave to sweat for half
>>an
>>hour. Rinse and dry thoroughly and brush with olive oil, then put under
>>the
>>griller until browned. It's worth a try.
>
> Is it still really necessary to salt eggplant before cooking; or is
> this practice now just a way of adding salt to the cooked end product?

----- Original Message -----
From: "Phred" >

> Is it still really necessary to salt eggplant before cooking; or is
> this practice now just a way of adding salt to the cooked end product?

Assuming the salted pieces are left for a considerable amount of time (1
hour +), and the salt used isn't of a very fine grain, then I believe the
idea is to draw some (much?) of the water out of the eggplant cells. Salt
provides a simple means to draw liquid out of the cells in an eggplant slice
via the miracle of osmosis. Purging in this manner before cooking may make
for less mushy eggplant slices, and may also coax out some of the bitter
stuff from the slices, which perhaps would account for the noticeable
reduction in bitterness that some other posters have noted?

I know all this in theory only, I haven't the patience for preparing
eggplant in any way other than slicing into wedges then tossing into a deep
fry!

"int19h" > wrote in
:
>
> I know all this in theory only, I haven't the patience for
> preparing eggplant in any way other than slicing into wedges then
> tossing into a deep fry!
>

Stephanie Alexander has a great method for quickly drawing the
bitterness out, no patience needed.

Slice your eggplant, place slices on the stainless steel flat part next
to the sink, sprinkle with salt. Get a large baking tray or similar
and place on top of slices. Weight it down with tin cans (or a
saucepan full of water) from the pantry. Leave for 10-15 minutes.
Done!

All the liquid drains into the sink. To rinse the salt from the
slices, just push them into the sink and turn on the tap.

Easy-peasy.

--
Nick

In article >, NickC > wrote:
>"int19h" > wrote in
:
>>
>> I know all this in theory only, I haven't the patience for
>> preparing eggplant in any way other than slicing into wedges then
>> tossing into a deep fry!
>
>Stephanie Alexander has a great method for quickly drawing the
>bitterness out, no patience needed.

But the point where this started is that modern cultivars don't seem
to possess that "bitterness", so there's no need to salt them to draw
it out. According to other comments seen around here recently,
salting simply to draw out excess water seems to be the basis for
continuing the practice these days.

>Slice your eggplant, place slices on the stainless steel flat part next
>to the sink, sprinkle with salt. Get a large baking tray or similar
>and place on top of slices. Weight it down with tin cans (or a
>saucepan full of water) from the pantry. Leave for 10-15 minutes.
>Done!
>
>All the liquid drains into the sink. To rinse the salt from the
>slices, just push them into the sink and turn on the tap.
>
>Easy-peasy.


Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

"Phred" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
> In article >, NickC
> > wrote:
>>"int19h" > wrote in
:
>>>
>>> I know all this in theory only, I haven't the patience for
>>> preparing eggplant in any way other than slicing into wedges then
>>> tossing into a deep fry!
>>
>>Stephanie Alexander has a great method for quickly drawing the
>>bitterness out, no patience needed.
>
> But the point where this started is that modern cultivars don't seem
> to possess that "bitterness", so there's no need to salt them to draw
> it out. According to other comments seen around here recently,
> salting simply to draw out excess water seems to be the basis for
> continuing the practice these days.

You are right. Eggplants that you buy don't need to be salted: they aren't
bitter as the eggplants that you plant in your vegetables garden.

cheers
Pandora

In article >, "Pandora"
> wrote:
>"Phred" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
>> In article >, NickC
>> > wrote:
>>>"int19h" > wrote in
:
>>>>
>>>> I know all this in theory only, I haven't the patience for
>>>> preparing eggplant in any way other than slicing into wedges then
>>>> tossing into a deep fry!
>>>
>>>Stephanie Alexander has a great method for quickly drawing the
>>>bitterness out, no patience needed.
>>
>> But the point where this started is that modern cultivars don't seem
>> to possess that "bitterness", so there's no need to salt them to draw
>> it out. According to other comments seen around here recently,
>> salting simply to draw out excess water seems to be the basis for
>> continuing the practice these days.
>
>You are right. Eggplants that you buy don't need to be salted: they aren't
>bitter as the eggplants that you plant in your vegetables garden.

G'day Pandora,

Mate of mine has a grafted eggplant in his yard. It's a purple type
and not bitter at all. I'm not sure what it's grafted onto (I think
it's probably the same Solanaceous weed often used for grafting
tomatoes around here to resist root diseases*) but the expectation is
that the plant will be quite long lived. It has an excellent crop
ripening on it now (mid summer here) and had a previous good crop back
in September (our spring). I can't say if it had a crop before that
too, but it's certainly looking very healthy at the moment! :-)

*Addendum:
Especially bacterial wilt. Some formal research has been done on
grafting eggplant <http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/horticulture/5273.html>
but there seems to be some confusion over the name of the stock!
The author of that article refers to it as "devil's fig (_Solanum
torvum_)" but most of the world says [giant] devil's fig is _Solanum
hispidum_ and they refer to _S. torvum_ as Turkey berry. [But here
in Oz, "turkey berry" is not used as a common name at all. Sigh...
<http://www.anbg.gov.au/common.names/> ]

Anyway, here's a good photo of the plant I *assume* is the rootstock
for this graft: <http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/05/6/6558.jpg>
This is clearly what as kids we called "Derrin's curse" here in the
deep north of the deep south; but that name is not recognised by
mankind at large. :-) We were aware of the alternative "devil's
fig", but not that official "giant devil's fig" -- which leaves open
the question of what happened to simple "devil's fig" in the minds of
the taxonomic pundits?

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

"Phred" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
> In article >, "Pandora"
> > wrote:
>>"Phred" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
>>> In article >, NickC
>>> > wrote:
>>>>"int19h" > wrote in
:
>>>>>
>>>>> I know all this in theory only, I haven't the patience for
>>>>> preparing eggplant in any way other than slicing into wedges then
>>>>> tossing into a deep fry!
>>>>
>>>>Stephanie Alexander has a great method for quickly drawing the
>>>>bitterness out, no patience needed.
>>>
>>> But the point where this started is that modern cultivars don't seem
>>> to possess that "bitterness", so there's no need to salt them to draw
>>> it out. According to other comments seen around here recently,
>>> salting simply to draw out excess water seems to be the basis for
>>> continuing the practice these days.
>>
>>You are right. Eggplants that you buy don't need to be salted: they aren't
>>bitter as the eggplants that you plant in your vegetables garden.
>
> G'day Pandora,

G'day to you, Phred
>
> Mate of mine has a grafted eggplant in his yard. It's a purple type
> and not bitter at all. I'm not sure what it's grafted onto (I think
> it's probably the same Solanaceous weed often used for grafting
> tomatoes around here to resist root diseases*) but the expectation is
> that the plant will be quite long lived. It has an excellent crop
> ripening on it now (mid summer here) and had a previous good crop back
> in September (our spring). I can't say if it had a crop before that
> too, but it's certainly looking very healthy at the moment! :-)

Wonderful!!!!! I didn't know all these tips. We haven't ever grafted
eggplant. But if you say that it is a good thing I believe in you!

Thank you very much! I will print the notes!

--
Merry Christmas and
a Happy New year
Pandora