What are these tiny dots in eggplants (might need to zoom in)? My wife keeps finding these in most of the eggplants she cuts, and is concerned if this is something bad, or just something normal.
They’re water carrying vessels which oxidized when cut, like an apple turning brown.
That's just how eggplant looks. Source: ex-vegan chef
Tell me the secret to buffalo flavoring for fried tofu! I've got the crisp coating down pretty well using either potato or corn starch but I'm missing some sort of almost smoky-peppery flavoring that is so textbook of, say, Tyson chicken strips or something. I feel I've stumbled across it once or twice but never actually isolated the spice.
Obviously I've dumped tons of garlic, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne powder, and no amount of frank's does the trick lol.
Second to that I'm trying to remake an Americanized Korean Hot sauce I had before that is definitely one part frank's and I think gochugang but again, missing something else.
Try some smoked paprika or liquid smoke.
Liquid smoke kicks ass and I use it all the time when prepping vegan dishes. I'm not sure the exact flavor you're trying to recreate, but liquid smoke is a staple in my kitchen for helping boost vegan dishes that imitate meat. You can also try frying curry leaves in the oil you use before frying the tofu. That flavor isn't quite right when you use it in the proportions one would normally use curry leaves, but a few infused into the fry oil will get ya something subtle and interesting.
Liquid smoke? Start with ml amounts.
... those the seeds innit?
A Google Image search for eggplant seeds shows something much larger than what OP's talking about.
Here are some places where people had the same question, and the answer was seeds every time:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskCulinary/comments/w2ccxb/what_are_these_tiny_black_seeds_in_my_eggplant/
https://www.reddit.com/r/vegetablegardening/comments/16m4til/eggplant_dots/
https://www.reddit.com/r/foodsafety/comments/1iv7qb4/eggplant_had_dark_spotsseeds_safe_to_eat/
Note that random reddits are not a source of reliable information. However, OP is certainly not the first to notice such spots, and it is not marked anywhere as dangerous. It is also notably absent on any sites about checking whether your eggplant has gone bad.
Nope, just had a look on Google and they don't look like eggplant seeds
This looks like black mold to me
Definitely death.
Well, yours is the only answer she agrees with, so I guess it's right.
eating eggplant for years, it is fine - a general rule of thumb - if if looks good, smells good, doesnt seem wierd to touch, and does not taste bad, it is probably good (does not apply to wild berries/leaves/mushrooms).
That’s toxic and you shouldn’t eat it! Specifically because it’s eggplant.
Pretty sure eggplants are from the nightshade family for anyone who doesn't know
Nightshade family flowers are poisonous
That’s correct, you’re taunting death when you eat it. It tries to warn you with its disgusting taste and texture.
So are tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers.
This doesn't look like seeds to me, but it's also super hard to see what the eggplant tissue is like. If you didn't mention eggplant, I would never guess what you're holding is an eggplant. A classic cross section of the whole thing would be more useful to identify what's going on.
Next time if you can just cut the eggplant in half, either along its length or across, and take a photo
Those are tarantula eggs 😜
I've grown a few eggplant varieties and I've never seen this. The seeds are much larger from my experience. Perhaps these are under developed seeds, I'm not sure. I'd say provide more images. Like has been mentioned get a single slice cross cut. I'd wager that it's possibly a reaction to the knife. So try and rip a few pieces and see if it's still there. I doubt it's mold or any sort of fungal infection. Unless the outside looks weird.
Thanks for the insight. I'll ask her to slice it that way next time, but from your experience, do all seeds of an eggplant come in the same size, or do some develop before the others? There were bigger seeds in the eggplant, so she thinks those are the seeds and these are something else.
All the seeds I've seen are bigger. In the varieties I've grown they are white if I recall correctly. The two varieties I've grown are Black Beauty and Ichiban, if that helps.
I really don’t know but after no results on other platforms a couple google results agreed that it’s the seeds.
Those are definitely, 100% the seeds.
This is a flavor blasted eggplant
If in doubt chuck it
I've never seen this on any eggplant I've cut in my life
Also that eggplant looks old and not fresh
That looks like the kind of mold that gives you headaches if ingested into your digestive system
I've also just had a look on google
No eggplant looks like your image and looks more like I expect to see based on all the eggplants I've cut
I doubt the other answers not saying its mold
I see these on eggplants a lot. IDK what they are.
I have a ton of theories. Do you happen to have a laser pointer you don't care about?
If so, take off the lense, put it in a hair pin, tape that to your phone's camera's lens, and take a macro image.
Post that image, and you'll get way better feedback.
If I remember correctly, you can also use a water drop in the lens and it will amplify the image.
Power to you if you're willing to do that. I'd be a little worried about my lens/ electronics.
Nice. I actually have a pocket microscope. I should have thought of that. It would have to wait until the next time she freaks out like this.
Those are 170% maybe the seeds or not. Probably either or