How to Peel an Eggplant

There are few vegetables quite as versatile as the eggplant. Eggplants can be served hot or cold, they can be stuffed, breaded, fried, pureed, baked, broiled, barbecued, stewed, curried or mashed. However, if you've never picked up one of these large, dark purple beauties before, its unusual shape and flesh may seem a bit daunting. It's not hard to master, though, and there's more than one way to peel an eggplant.

Instructions

Peeling Raw Eggplant

1. Purchase eggplants that have smooth skin, avoiding dents and scars. This will make peeling easier.

2. Purchase a sturdy potato peeler. Peeling an eggplant is a bit like shaving a face. Get a peeler with a comfortable grip, a micro-serrated stainless steel blade and, if you can find one, a swivel blade to help ease over the contours.

3. Slice the stem off the top of the eggplant. Hold the eggplant firmly in one hand, and the peeler in the other. From top to bottom, run the peeler down the eggplant. Start at the top again, moving over to the next section of skin, and run the peeler down. Turn the eggplant slightly and repeat until it is peeled all the way around.

4. Leave some eggplant skin on if you like; it is edible, though tough, but is traditional in some countries like Turkey. Rather than getting rid of all the skin, leave stripes on the eggplant, with strips of skin between peeled strips. This will give the eggplant a pretty appearance when sliced.

Peeling Cooked Eggplant

1. Leave the eggplant skin on if you are planning on roasting, charring, barbecuing or broiling your eggplant. The skin can act as a natural protector for the flesh inside, preventing the flesh from burning. The flesh will soften and stew inside the skin, and have a nice smokey flavor when removed.

2. Pierce the skin of a whole eggplant several times before introducing it to the heat source. This will allow excess juices to escape so that pressure doesn't build up and cause your eggplant to burst.

3. Peel skin right off once cooked with your fingers, or a paring knife, and discard it. Simply grab hold of it and pull it back, like pulling off a band-aid. It will pull right away from the flesh with hardly an effort at all.

Tips & Warnings

• Salt eggplants after slicing and let them sit. The salt will draw out bitter juices. "Male" eggplants are less bitter than "female" eggplants. Just look at the bottom of the eggplant, at the "navel." If it's round, it's a male.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• More on Eggplants