Many eggplant recipes end with the recommendation to «bake in the oven.» But what if you don't have an oven or don't want to turn it on for a couple of vegetables? There are great alternatives for those who want to cook eggplants without using a classic oven or multicooker. In our lab, we have repeatedly experimented with other devices, and the result was no less successful. In this article, we will tell you what devices can be used to cook eggplants — from purple to pink, lilac and even white, because this vegetable world is full of diversity.
Microwave oven
The main problem with frying or baking eggplants is their ability to absorb too much oil. However, in a microwave oven, using the microwave mode (or with convection and grill), eggplants can be cooked without any oil at all. It is enough to put them in whole, having previously removed the stalks, and turn on the device at maximum power for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size. When the eggplants become soft, you can take them out, and if you need to peel them, put them in a bag — this will make the process easier. If the peel is left on, the vegetables are allowed to cool and cut right with it. This method of cooking preserves all the juices and is essentially reminiscent of boiling «in their skins». This is an excellent option for using eggplants in dietary salads or appetizers, seasoned with aromatic sauces, vinegar, garlic, herbs or spices. Sweet peppers can be cooked in a similar way, which will perfectly complement the eggplants.
If you use the combined microwave + grill mode, available in many modern microwaves, an appetizing crust will form on the surface of the eggplants — provided that you at least sprinkle them with oil, otherwise they may dry out. This also applies to the convection mode: strong airflow and heating can dry out the vegetables. We tested this cooking method using the Redmond RM-2301D microwave with a ceramic grill, choosing a recipe for eggplants with tomatoes and cheese. The vegetables were cut into circles, laid out on the grill grate and turned on the combined C2 mode (microwave and grill ratio 36/64). The eggplants became soft in 10 minutes, then we added tomato slices, garlic, spices and herbs. Each circle was covered with cheese and baked for another three minutes until the cheese melted.
Modern microwave oven models often have special modes for cooking vegetables, but they are not always perfectly set up, so the time and algorithm have to be adjusted manually to make the dish tasty. We tested this mode on the History MIH 38SG MBK built-in microwave oven, cooking a large eggplant. We cut it in half, made deep cross-shaped cuts, greased it with oil and sprinkled it with salt. In the «Vegetables» mode with a weight selection of 400 g, the microwave set the cooking time to 5 minutes 30 seconds.
By this time, the eggplant flesh had cooked through, but the skin was still a little tough. We scooped out the flesh, mixed it with grated cheese, crushed garlic, diced tomato, sour cream, and spices, then spooned the filling back into the eggplant boats and sprinkled some more cheese on top. To finish the dish, we placed it on the grill and grilled it for another three minutes, until the cheese melted and the crust was golden.
Mini oven and air grill
The mini oven is essentially a compact oven in which you can bake eggplants on a baking sheet or a rack. For the best results, use the non-convection mode to avoid overdrying the vegetables. In an air fryer, which works on the principle of a convection oven, sliced eggplants can dry out if they are not greased with oil. We tested cooking eggplants in a modern Lex LXAF 5405 air fryer without a flask, lightly greasing the slices with oil using a silicone brush. The result was excellent: fast cooking with an ideal texture and without excess fat. Thick slices were fried until soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Lifehack: to prevent eggplants from absorbing too much oil, you can soak them in salted water before cooking, then squeeze them well. This also helps remove bitterness if the variety turns out to be bitter.
The only downside of modern compact air grills, such as the Redmond RAG-247 we tested, is the small area of the grill. If there are a lot of vegetables, they cannot be laid out in one row, and you have to bake them in portions.
You can cook whole eggplants in an air fryer without any problems. You can bake them in their skins, wrapped in foil to preserve the juices and to make the device less dirty. You can also use special stands or inserts for the air fryer, which will make the process easier and more convenient.
Eggplants baked in this way can be used for all kinds of preparations, warm salads and vegetable pates such as baba ganoush and mutabal.
Grill
Grilled eggplant is a classic Mediterranean dish that can be prepared on any type of electric grill or on an outdoor charcoal grill. For example, we cooked eggplant on a Weber Master-Touch GBS grill and then used it to make baba ganoush.
Eggplants are excellently cooked in a contact grill, where they are pressed between two plates. However, there is a nuance: if you cook eggplants and fatty meat at the same time, they will absorb a significant amount of fat that is rendered from the meat. As we were convinced when testing the Polaris PGP 1902 electric grill, it turns out very tasty, but this dish will be especially appreciated by adherents of the keto diet.
The contact grill is great for frying thin slices of eggplant, for example for rolls: the process is fast, and the slices do not have time to absorb too much oil. During the testing of the De’Longhi CGH1012D grill, we set the temperature to 220°C and fried for 6 minutes. The result was excellent.
Dehydrator or vegetable dryer
In this device we prepared vegetable chips, but in the southern regions eggplants are dried and stored in the same way as mushrooms are dried in the middle latitudes. It is easy to prepare thin dried eggplant slices: first rinse them, peel them if desired (we decided to leave them on), cut them and put them on trays.
The manufacturer of the Redmond FD1100 dryer recommends marinating vegetables for chips by pouring a marinade of oil, soy sauce and seasonings over them. We simply brushed the slices with this mixture, set the temperature to 55°C and the timer to 8 hours. Since we forgot to rearrange the trays, we had to increase the time by a couple of hours. The result was brittle and very tasty snacks, but there is one drawback — they disappear instantly.
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Cooking eggplants with small household appliances has its pros and cons, but there are significantly fewer disadvantages. The experience of our testers shows that even without a traditional oven, stove or multicooker, you can successfully use other devices, and this often leads to excellent results.