Does salting and draining veggies before roasting take out important nutrients?

Question

I've always heard that salting and draining vegetables like zucchini and eggplant gives them a nice texture after roasting. I had always assumed that this would result in the loss of nutrients and hadn't tried it until the other day. I was making pizza and didn't want the crust to get soggy, so I salted the Zucchini, let it sit, then drained out the liquid. It did come out nicely but looked a little sad and limp before I put it into the oven. Which brings me back to my original concern, does salting and draining vegetables prior to roasting result in lost nutrients?

Update:

To make it clear, I am NOT asking about rinsing vegetables, but about draining their moisture during preparation. Ex: cutting a vegetable, salting it to make it "sweat" out its excess moisture, letting it sit about a half hour, then draining out the liquid that it sweat out.

heart o&#39; gold · Answer

You start to lose nutrients as soon as you pick something, and that speeds up considerably when you've cut it. So yes, you will lose some nutrients, but how much you lose will depend on how long the verge is left cut. You also lose nutrients when you cook things...so I wouldn't worry too much about it, cook things to the way you like them and take a good quality multivitamin if you think you need it.

As for zuchini on pizza, I prefer to slice mine super thin and toss it with a tiny bit of olive oil to coat it before I put it on the pizza. I don't think I'd use eggplant on a pizza, to me it has a weird texture.

As for zuchini on pizza, I prefer to slice mine super thin and toss it with a tiny bit of olive oil to coat it before I put it on the pizza.  I don't think I'd use eggplant on a pizza, to me it has a weird texture.

Jane · Answer

As I understand it, salting veggies just encourages water to drain out, especially when preserving- it's commonly used when pickling for example.
I'm not sure about lost nutrients.

I wouldn't salt veg in a cooked dish, these days veg like courgette and aubergine are grown to taste sweet.

CrustyCurmudgeon · Answer

Don't know, but you should continue to salt the eggplant before roasting.  Eggplant tends to be bitter, and salting it will take out that taste.

PoohBearPenguin · Answer

No.  Salting only pulls out water, not nutrients.

riversconfluence · Answer

Some nutrients are lost when things are boiled. Best to steam them.
If they are already in a can, boil them.

ckngbbbls · Answer

there isn't a whole lot of nutrients in either zucchini or egg plant.
check the stats on zucchini..hardly anything, including calories.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2639/2
eggplant has even less of some nutrients.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2443/2
I wouldn't give it another thought.

Anonymous · Answer

Yes, dirt

floral · Answer

No it won't

Does salting and draining veggies before roasting take out important nutrients?

8 Answers