Fully submerge the eggplants in the boiling water and boil for four minutes. Drain the pot and place the eggplant slices into the ice bath for five minutes. Drain the ice bath, pat the eggplant slices dry, and store in a tightly sealed freezer bag. (A vacuum sealer can help guarantee the bag is airtight.)
How do you preserve eggplant for later use?
How to Freeze Eggplant
- Slice the eggplant into 1-inch rounds. Place rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350° for about 15 minutes. Allow the rounds to cool completely (do NOT skip this step).
- Place slices in a freezer-safe bag.
- Label with the date and freeze up to eight months.
What do you do with an abundance of eggplant?
I love how the outside of the eggplant gets nicely charred, while the inside becomes silky smooth.
- Grilled Eggplant.
- Grilled Ratatouille Tartines.
- Zucchini Lemon Orzo.
- Eggplant Parmesan.
- Baba Ganoush.
- Vegetarian Tacos with Avocado Sauce.
- Ratatouille.
- Eggplant Salad with Roasted Tomatoes.
Can you freeze eggplant without cooking it?
Cook First, Then Freeze. To get the best results, you’ll want to fire up the oven before heading to the freezer. Because of its high water content, eggplant doesn’t freeze well raw. It benefits from being cooked (even just partially) first.
Is it OK to freeze eggplant?
Yes! You can absolutely freeze eggplant. Eggplant that has been frozen and thawed will never be exactly like fresh eggplant, but there are some things you can do to preserve the texture and taste.
How do you prolong the shelf life of eggplant?
To refrigerate, wrap in a paper towel and place in a reusable container or perforated plastic bag in the crisper section of your refrigerator for use within 5 – 7 days. Eggplant may also be blanched or steamed then frozen for up to six months.
What does soaking eggplant in salt do?
Salting eliminates bitter flavors that come from storing your eggplants too long or using older eggplants. Today’s eggplants may be sweeter, but they still have some bitter liquid inside, especially if they are not fresh. Fried eggplant is crispier and more savory when it’s been pre-salted.
Why do you soak eggplant in salt water before cooking?
Many recipes call for salting and rinsing eggplant before cooking it to draw out its bitterness. Brining can be used instead and has the added advantage of helping the eggplant keep its shape when it’s cooked, whether your recipe calls for baking, frying, or grilling.
Why do you soak eggplant in salt?
Salting: Salting removes excess liquid and some of the bitterness. Today’s eggplants are bred for mildness, though, so it’s not as important as it used to be (if you are frying eggplant, salting will ensure a creamy texture and rich flavor). This method works for eggplant slices, cubes, or planks.
Can you fry eggplant and freeze it?
Put Them Into the Freezer
Place the fried eggplant on a baking sheet, and put it in the freezer for two hours so that each individual slice freezes. Once the fried eggplant is frozen, you can transfer it to a freezer-safe container. It will keep for about three to four months.
How do you defrost frozen eggplant?
Once you have your stash of frozen eggplant, before you use it in a recipe, thaw overnight in the fridge. Drain off any excess water and pat dry if needed. Then use in any eggplant recipe you love!
Can you fry frozen eggplant?
Slip the frozen eggplant into ziptop bags, removing as much air as possible, and label them. The slices can be baked or fried straight from the freezer, no need to thaw.
Can eggplant be frozen or canned?
Freezing eggplant is really the only option for preserving this colorful favorite. The flesh is too dense to can safely — even for pressure canning — without pulverizing it beyond recognition. So forget your canner, and learn how to freeze eggplant using several different methods.
How long does eggplant last in pantry?
What is this? Eggplants last about a week in a cool place that maintains the temperature between 50°F and 54°F (or 10-12°C) or when you refrigerate them.
Can I dehydrate eggplant?
Arrange blanched eggplant in single layers on drying trays. Dry at 140 degrees F (60°C) in an oven or dehydrator. If necessary, turn large pieces over every 3 to 4 hours during the drying period.
Should eggplant be refrigerated?
When stored in the fridge, your eggplant will not spoil as quickly as it would on the countertop, but the cold temperature is more likely to damage this nightshade’s quality. To keep eggplant fresh in the fridge, wrap it in a paper towel and place it in a hard-sided storage container or unsealed plastic bag.
Can you vacuum seal and freeze eggplant?
Place the blanched eggplant slices in freezer bags or vacuum bags and seal. The eggplant should be good for up to five months in a freezer bag, or 14 months in a vacuum sealed bag.
How do you know if eggplants have gone bad?
When buying an eggplant, the flesh should be firm but give slightly when pressed, then bounce back. If your eggplant is soft to the touch, that’s an indication that it’s beginning to spoil. In addition, if the flesh of the eggplant is slimy, you’ll want to throw it away.
Do you peel eggplant before salting?
To salt eggplant, peel and cut it in whatever size and shape pieces the recipe calls for. Place it in a colander, sprinkle generously with salt (don’t worry, you’ll be rinsing most of it off before you cook it) and let it sit for about an hour.
Is it better to soak eggplant in milk or salt?
Soak it in milk.
The milk not only tempers the bitterness, but it actually makes for eggplant that is extra creamy, since the vegetable acts like a sponge and soaks up a good amount of milk in its flesh.
What happens if you don’t salt eggplant before cooking?
Despite some claims to the contrary, there was no difference in the amount of oil absorbed between salted and not-salted. Eggplant absorbs a LOT of oil either way. That difference in texture became more pronounced the longer the eggplant had been salted. Salting for 30 minutes seemed to make only a minor difference.