Stop Making This Mistake With Your Eggplant

Eggplants are one of those uniquely satisfying and versatile foods. From eggplant parm to ratatouille, there are a variety of ways to prepare this dish. However, due to eggplant's delicate texture and flavor, many people make mistakes along the way. Are you one of them? And which mistakes are we referring to? To find these answers, Daily Meal consulted Quentin Garcia, Executive Chef at Thompson Palm Springs.

Garcia singled out one mistake you should avoid at all costs. "To any cooks out there boiling eggplant to 'eliminate the bitterness,' please stop. Immediately." This error seems particularly offensive to the chef as he adds, "Please also tell no one you are doing this. You will be judged."

If you've been committing this culinary crime, your secret is safe with us. Luckily, there are many more ways to cook eggplant going forward. Whether you want to grill, smoke, roast, or barbecue is up to you. If you've chosen a new way to cook it but worry bitterness will be an issue, fear not. There are several ways to eat eggplant while avoiding that harsh aftertaste. It all comes down to avoiding common mistakes, so keep reading to understand how to pick and cook a perfectly flavored eggplant.

Not a fan of bitter flavors? Eggplant might not be an issue. There's a whole wide world of eggplant varieties, and many have the bitterness bred out of them. If you happen upon one that still tastes bitter, Quentin Garcia recommends "Drawing out the moisture that carried out the bitterness from inside the eggplant and cooking appropriately."

However you choose to cook eggplants, he urges you to "not undercook or you'll still remain with the high acidic bitterness that eggplants can have."

There are also ways to avoid picking a bitter eggplant from the bunch. The key is knowing when an eggplant is ripe. If you choose an overly ripe eggplant, you're more likely to taste those bitter compounds. When talking about American eggplants, the skin should be shiny, smooth, and a deep purple, while the stem should be a vibrant green. The texture should feel firm, and the fruit should have some weight to it.

Lastly, storing your eggplant correctly can prevent it from becoming bitter. Cold temperatures are known to bring out the bitterness of the flesh, but room temperature may dry the eggplant out. Ultimately, the temperature needs to be just right. Your best option may be a cool, dark place in your home, away from other fruits and veggies that could accelerate ripening.