What is the best time to buy eggplant?
SEASON: Although available year-round, eggplant is at its peak from July to October. CHOOSING: When selecting, look for eggplants with firm, glossy skin. Size and color vary widely among types, but the eggplant should feel heavy. Avoid those with wrinkled skin, soft spots, or brown patches.
How can you tell if an eggplant is good?
Look for eggplants that have vibrant, shiny, smooth, taut skin that’s uniform in color as well as green, healthy-looking stems that aren’t dried out, decaying or moldy. When you spot a candidate, pick it up; it should feel heavy for its size and firm, but not so rock-hard that it doesn’t give with a bit of pressure.
How do I buy eggplant without seeds?
Choose a firm, smooth-skinned eggplant that is heavy for its size; avoid those with soft or brown spots. Gently push with your thumb or forefinger. If the flesh gives slightly but then bounces back, it is ripe. If the indentation remains, it is overripe and the insides will be mushy.
What is the best eggplant to buy?
Look for: eggplants with smooth, shiny skin that are uniform in color and heavy for their size. To test for ripeness, lightly press a finger against the skin. If it leaves an imprint, the eggplant is ripe. Choose smaller eggplants as they tend to be sweeter, less bitter, have thinner skin and less seeds.
Do you have to remove seeds from eggplant?
The seeds of a fresh eggplant should be soft and barely visible and if they are, there’s no need to remove them. If seeds are brown, scoop them out with a spoon.
Is eggplant with seeds OK?
Eggplant flesh will have tan to brown colored spots around the seeds. If this is the color you are referring to, it is edible. Unlike many foods, where the seeds are unpalatable and often removed before eating, eggplant seeds are healthy and are beneficial to health.
Do you eat seeds in eggplant?
Eggplant seeds are best when spices are added. Eat the seeds. They are best when cooked with the rest of the vegetable, since the seeds are bitterer than the vegetable flesh and the spices added will give it a unique flavor. They can be eaten separately or with the flesh of the vegetable.
What happens if you eat rotten eggplant?
The vegetables are easily damaged, with small bruises on their skins quickly turning into brown spots that can penetrate the flesh. The good news is that these imperfections don’t make the entire eggplant inedible or unsafe.
Is eggplant healthy to eat?
Eggplant is a high-fiber, low-calorie food that is rich in nutrients and comes with many potential health benefits. From reducing the risk of heart disease to helping with blood sugar control and weight loss, eggplants are a simple and delicious addition to any healthy diet.
Are eggplant seeds poisonous?
False, raw eggplants are not poisonous. Plants in the nightshade family — which includes eggplants, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and tomatillos — contain an alkaloid called solanine, which in very large doses can be poisonous.
Can you eat a raw eggplant?
Eating Eggplant There’s certainly no shortage of ways to enjoy eggplant! While it can be eaten raw, eggplant is even most wonderful when it’s grilled, baked, braised or cooked and pureed into a dip.
Can you get sick from eggplant?
Although you’d have to eat a significant amount of raw eggplant for the effects to be lethal, Glatter said eating raw eggplant can still lead to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.