Oven-Fried Eggplant Sticks

Gather the ingredients.

In a large bowl dissolve 2 tablespoons of the salt in 1 cup warm water. Add 2 quarts (8 cups) cold water. Set aside.

Trim the eggplants and cut them into 1/2-inch-thick, 3- to 4-inch-long sticks. Some people find eggplant skin difficult to digest; you can remove and discard the peel if you like. Put the sticks in the salt water, use a pot lid or an upside-down plate to submerge them and keep them under the water (they will want to float), and let them sit 30 minutes. (Why are you doing this? It's called brining, and it magically helps eggplant hold its shape when you cook it.)

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, plus the pepper and cayenne, if you like. Add the oil and use your fingers to work the oil into the breadcrumb mixture. Transfer the mixture to a large plate or shallow bowl. Set aside.

Whisk the eggs to break them up completely; seriously whisk them, you don't want any blobs of egg white in there. (When you lift the whisk up it should be as lifting it out of the water.)

Preheat an oven to 425 F. Liberally oil a large baking sheet (or use a nonstick one).

Drain and thoroughly dry the eggplant sticks by patting them with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.

Keeping one hand dry and one hand wet, dip an eggplant stick in the eggs, lift in out and shake off any excess egg, put the stick in the breadcrumb mixture and coat the eggplant stick completely, lift it out and shake off any excess bread crumbs, transfer the stick to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining sticks.

Bake the eggplant, turning once, until browned, crispy, and tender to the bite, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Enjoy!