"TammyM" wrote in message
...
I was just talking to my mom about an eggplant/tomato/spinach/feta dish
I make. She said "sounds good. Eggplant is too much work". I asked
her what she meant and it seems that she thinks that one MUST
salt/drain eggplant to remove "bitterness". Not my experience. I
don't even peel eggplant if it isn't waxed (like peppers and cucs are
waxed).

Do you salt/drain eggplant? Always? Sometimes (and if so, what are
the criteria for salting?)? Never?

TammyM


I usually salt large eggplant. It cuts down on the bitterness by
removing some juices. Removing moisture may also prevent it from
becoming mushy, which is arguably more important depending on how you
cook it. I've also heard that salting will cause it to suck up less oil
(eggplant is like a sponge to oil). I've always understood that the
bigger the eggplant, the more necessary it is to salt it.

From the standpoint of bitter taste, if you have a lot going on in the
dish (Feta is pretty strong), you may not want to reduce bitterness.

-T