How should we choose good eggplants? When choosing eggplants, it is best not to select old eggplants, especially those from after autumn, as they contain more solanine which is harmful to the human body and should not be eaten in large quantities.
1. When cooking eggplant dishes, you should choose freshly harvested young fruits. At the place where the calyx connects to the fruit, there is a light-colored ring. The wider and more obvious this ring is, the faster the eggplant fruit is growing and has not aged. If the ring is not obvious, it means the eggplant had stopped growing at harvest time, at which point the flesh has begun to become coarse and the seeds hard, affecting its edibility.
2. When cooking eggplant dishes, you should remove the eggplant rust. After cutting the eggplant with a knife, the surface of the flesh is prone to oxidize and turn black, affecting the color of the eggplant. You can put the cut eggplant pieces in light salt water, rinse them a few times, squeeze out the black water, and then rinse briefly with clean water.
3. Eggplant is cooling in nature, so people who are weak or have a cold stomach should not eat too much of it.
4. Old eggplants, especially those from after autumn, contain more solanine, which is harmful to the human body and should not be eaten in large quantities. After consumption, it may cause solanine poisoning, leading to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, confusion, and convulsions.
5. When cooking eggplant, try not to peel it, otherwise you will lose a lot of vitamins.
6. Frying eggplant will cause a large loss of vitamin P. Coating it with batter before frying can reduce this loss.
7. Eggplant absorbs oil very easily during braising or stir-frying, leading to excessive oil intake. There are two small tricks to prevent the eggplant from "absorbing" too much oil. One is to steam the eggplant in a steamer before braising it. The second is to stir-fry the eggplant without oil first over low heat until the water is cooked out and the flesh becomes soft, and then cook it with oil.
8. Eating eggplant before surgery may prevent anesthetics from being metabolized normally, which can delay the patient's awakening time and subsequently affect their recovery.