Favorite Ways to make Eggplant?

United States
September 5, 2009 10:47am CST
I have 2 eggplants I need to use up. I've never cooked with them before. And most say to peel the skin... I was under the impression you couldn't eat the skin? Is that true or am I remembering something wrong. So give me the low down on how you like to make it. Best way to prepare it & is it freezeable (& in what form)? thanks all!
5 people like this
25 responses
@maryihla (103)
• United States
5 Sep 09
Eggplant parmigiana (parmesan) is my favorite Italian dish, and easy to make with jarred spaghetti sauce. Eggplant rolletini (roll-ups) runs a close second. If you have fresh zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes, you can make ratatouille or roasted vegetables. I also make delicious sandwiches with grilled slices of large eggplant and homemade sourdough bread, topped with goat cheese, tomato slices, and fresh basil. The skin of eggplant is bitter, so peel it. Also, for best results, pat the cut slices dry with a paper towel before proceeding with cooking. I've successfully frozen prepared eggplant dishes, but the raw eggplant gets too mushy when frozen.
1 person likes this
• United States
5 Sep 09
You can eat the skin. There is nothing wrong with it, as long as you wash it, which you should do even if you peel it. My favorite way to cook with eggplant is to make eggplant parmesan.
@mjhicks (317)
• United States
10 Sep 09
I leave the skin on unless it has too many blemishes. I slice it into 1/4 inch thick slices, dredge in flour, egg wash, then fresh seasoned bread crumbs. Then I fry it in olive oil. If I am making eggplant parmesan I only lightly brown it then line a glass baking pan with the browned slices and pour on a jar or canned spaghetti sauce. Top with whatever grated cheese I have on hand along with parmesan cheese then add bread crumbs and crumbled bacon bits. Also makes great lasagna filling too. For lasagna I will peel and slice really thin or med chop/ cubed and do a quick stir fry before assembling the lasagna. The texture and flavor turns out best when you precook or brown it before adding it to other dishes.
@tdemex (3540)
• United States
5 Sep 09
I don't know about "Don't eat the skin" I've just never heard of anyone eating it. I always peel the skin off. I either use it in Lasagna or fry it and top it with sour cream! To fry it i peel it and slice it in about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick pieces, I salt it on each side and stack it back together and let that sit for about 20 minutes, this draws out the moisture. I fry it in bacon grease but most people fry it in oil. I beat 2 eggs and a table spoon of milk together, and sprinkle 4 table spoons of flour on a plate, dip the slice in the eggs and then dredge it in the flour, drop them in a med. heat frying pan and about 3 to 4 minutes on each side depending on thickness! I top them with sour cream add some pepper, and usually I'll eat them with some bratwurst sausages and horseradish! tdemex
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
6 Sep 09
Hey td, as the aubergine is practically the national vegetable of Greece I take great exception to the remark that no one eats the skin, of course the skin is for eating, you need the difference in the two textures. We batter and fry ours but only in Greek olive oil and they are served amongst the appetisers with their skins on, you really should try it that way.
1 person likes this
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
6 Sep 09
Also of course TD I'd naturally award you the longer for best response but it's not my discussion. However it has inspired a new interest to be created later and if you're thinking along the same lines as me keep your hands off
1 person likes this
@babyjesus (277)
14 Sep 09
eggplants are good with ground meat. there are so many preparations for eggplant - it can be a viand itself, a sauce, a salad, a vegtable stew with other vegtables. You can grill the eggplant over low fire. Once its grilled you can peel the skin. Beat 1 egg put a little saltand pepper. Pressed the eggplant into the egg and fry. Eat it with toasted bread or hot rice. Put tomato ketchup if you like. We don't freeze the eggplant or have not done that yet. Persian food includes eggplant in their humus white beans with garlic and its tasty too. Its also grilled and its mashed and stir with white beans and garlic. There's so many preparations you do with eggplant.
@khayshenz (1384)
• United States
5 Sep 09
Ever grill them? Eggplants are great when grilled. Though it depends on what kind of eggplants you have. There are those big fat eggplants, then there's the skinny chinese eggplants, then there's japanese eggplants which are actually more brown than purple. Anyway - grill them. And if there are left overs - you can add them to your omelet in the morning! So no- this isn't freezer friendly. BUT it is recycle friendly. Let me know if you need more info regarding recipes of what I've talked about. Good luck!
@khayshenz (1384)
• United States
5 Sep 09
P.S. I eat the skin - I don't see why you shouldn't. There's tons of good stuff in that skin. I guess that's a preference thing though.
@Eisenherz (2908)
• Portugal
6 Sep 09
Yes, you can't eat the skin at least as far as I know, so obviously peel it in the first place. I think you should look into recipe websites to learn new ways of how to cook the thing, you know, there's a handful of them after all.
@earthsong (589)
• United States
6 Sep 09
Yep, you can eat the skin. I make eggplant parmigiana and its awesome. I didn't read all the posts here, but if you want the recipe reply and I'll post it.
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
8 Sep 09
My favorite way to cook eggplant is to slice them , put the in a mixture of egg & milk & THEN ROLL THEM IN CORN MEAL & FRY THEM. wHEN I TAKE THEM UP I SPRINKLE PARMESAN CHEESE ON THEM. I think they are very good.They are alot like fried green tomatoes if u have ever had them,
@Shar19 (8231)
• United States
7 Sep 09
I'm sure you could keep the skins on. Some restaurants serve them that way. I like to peel mine though. I bread them a little and then line them up on a tray in the oven so that I can make eggplant parmesan. Very yummy!
@lazeebee (5461)
• Malaysia
6 Sep 09
Hi, I usually cook this in curry with chicken, beef or fish. Or fry it with dried shrimps, garlic, sliced chillies and bean sauce. We usually eat it with the skin.
@laurahen (596)
• Canada
10 Sep 09
Eggplant is one of my favorite things to cook with! One of my favorite eggplant recipes that i love to make is eggplant parmesan. It's basically like a lasagna except eggplant acts like the lasagna. You layer tomato sauce the broiled and breaded eggplant, then more sauce, grated cheese, more eggplant, sauce, cheese and then layer lots of parmesan cheese on the top of the whole dish. You cook in the in the oven for about 40 minutes. It's absolutely delicious! Another great eggplant dish is cherry tomato, roasted eggplant pasta. You basically make a tomato sauce, slice an eggplant (cover in garlic, salt, and olive oil) and cook it in the oven until it is really soft. Cook some pasta, cover in the sauce, put fresh cherry tomatoes, and roasted garlic on top. Put on some grated cheese and parmesan cheese on top and enjoy. And you can eat the skin of an egg plant. It is tougher and harder to eat but it's very healthy to eat.
• United States
6 Sep 09
I have never heard of anyone eating the skin. The only way i know is fried. slice them like thin round slices then mix them with eggs and flour then fry.
• China
6 Sep 09
Material: eggplant(the bigger the better), pepper, curry poweder ways: first of all, you cut off the eggplantin in the middle with the direction of straight, then put it in gridion with little fire, some later, put pepper and curry poweder on it depending on your taste. It's delicious.
@ivygrey (550)
• Philippines
6 Sep 09
Here's a very very simple, fast and yummy way to eat your eggplant without worrying about the skin,, grill it, you can stove top grill it, then if it is cooked already, try to peel off the skin, and then set aside, beat two eggs and add some salt and pepper, a bit of chili powder if you want it to be spicy. Then put the peeled eggplant to the egg, remove then fry it, like omelet. Goes well with ketchup!! Goodluck! Happy eating!
@neildc (17239)
• Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines
6 Sep 09
Eggplant skin can be eaten, depending on how it is prepared. Here in our place, there are plenty of ways to make and prepare eggplant. One is like omelet, you cook the eggplant from charcoal, like grilling it. Then remove the skin. Beat some eggs and put seasoning. Then you put the eggplant to the egg and fry it.
@Preciousgem (1182)
• Philippines
6 Sep 09
my favorite ways doing in my eggplant, was to boil and after it cook i place fish sauce, fried eggplant, tortang eggplant, and sometimes i put it in vegetables and sautee' it.
@doryvien (2284)
• United States
6 Sep 09
My most favorite eggplant dish: first I grill it, when done, I peel off the skin, flatten it and set it aside. Then I work on the filling - a mixture of garlic, onion, tomato, salt, pepper, a speck of seasoning, some ground pork, sauteed. Then I pour the mixture on a beaten egg, beat them again together, then pour them over to the grilled flattened eggplant. Final works - I fry them in a skillet, see it turn brown, and presto! I have a yummy dish enough for a family of four. Opps, sorry, I don't know how it's called. Oh, about the skin, it can be eaten too, but I don't.
@misisbau (317)
• Philippines
6 Sep 09
I like to eat them two ways: 1. Fried with a dipping sauce of soy sauce and calamansi (local lemons). 2. Torta. Grill them with skin on then peel the skin, dip in beaten eggs, salt and pepper and then fry.
@xiaoqing (44)
• China
6 Sep 09
well, i don't think we couldn't eat the skin of eggplant, and as i know, there are two ways to make eggplant. one is to fry it with green pepper, the other is just to cook it in boiled water then stir it with oil, salt and other condiments.