Many cooks argue that salting eggplant and letting it rest, or “sweat,” for an hour or so before cooking draws out the vegetable's bitter juices. ... But we know from experience that a salted eggplant still soaks up quite a bit of oil. So, in the end, we're with Clee on this one: don't sweat it.

Is salting eggplant necessary?

No need to salt first. Most recipes for eggplant insist you salt it before cooking. ... If you're cooking it in some other way — roasting, grilling, steaming — salting has no effect. And when you are salting eggplant for frying, it takes a lot more than just a quick sprinkle and rinse.

Do you have to sweat Japanese eggplant?

The sweating process helps remove the bitterness and reduces the amount of oil needed for cooking. The Japanese eggplant and the smaller varieties are not as bitter, so their skin doesn't need to be peeled and the extra salt preparation is not necessary.