How To Buy And Prep Zucchini For The Perfect Zucchini Bread

The classic zucchini bread is one of those genius inventions for using up fresh courgettes whenever they're in season, giving us a healthy veggie-filled loaf that tastes like warming spices and vanilla. But we have to admit that nailing the texture can be a challenge. We spoke with Danielle Sepsy, chef and founder of The Hungry Gnome and author of "The Scone Queen Bakes," to squash any mistakes we might be making with our zucchini bread.

As it turns out, the key decisions begin well before the baking stage. First, you have to find a veggie that's the right size. "You can really use any type of green zucchini or yellow summer squash but my preference is a green zucchini that isn't too large," said Sepsy. "Medium size zucchini with firm, shiny, undamaged skins are best as the larger ones can be very seedy, too watery or even [have] a spongy texture with a bitter flavor," she told us. You're looking for a veggie that's going to be easy to work with and will shine in the final baked good. Per Sepsy, smaller and medium zucchinis provide "the best results texturally but also a more concentrated squash flavor."

For those who grow their own zucchini, the size might be harder to control — but Sepsy has advice for that, too. "If you did grow your own and ended up with a few big boys," she said, "just slice them in half vertically and scoop out the seeds before grating them." She uses a larger grater and leaves the skin on, though you could also purée the zukes in a food processor, as a super easy trick for ultra moist zucchini bread.

"Once grated, typically it is best to drain your zucchini in kitchen towels as it does retain a lot of water," Sepsy advised. If you're adding salt, make sure to do it before the draining, as it will pull out a lot of liquid. You'll also want to consider the moisture provided by any of the extra ingredients you're adding to upgrade the zucchini bread.

While Sepsy acknowledges that "most zucchini bread recipes will require you to drain the zucchini before adding it," she also says it's not a must. "The zucchini bread recipe from my upcoming cookbook 'The Scone Queen Bakes' doesn't require draining to make it easier," she said, "but I accounted for some of that liquid when creating the wet ingredient ratios in the recipe." So, as long as you're mindful of the moisture, the draining route is totally up to you.