A question about Ginger?

Question

Okay- so I am not a great cook at all and I seriously need advice. I had a recepie that required using Ginger so, I went to the store and searched everywhere and could not find it. Where would I find it in a regular grocery store...what does it look like? And... is it something I chop or cook before using? I don't have any idea. Any advice would be apprecieated. ty

Answer 1

Ginger - a rather unattractive looking root in its raw state can look rather like a piece of log with nobbles on. It has a woody consistency and comes in all shapes and sizes. Has a silvery grey skin. It has no regular shape and depending on how cut it can come in "Y" shape or alsorts.
I used to always peel it, but the Asian members of my cookery club would always use it skin and all. So I do too. Why waste energy?

You can grate it and add it to marinades.
You can chop it finely and add it to sauces or stir fry or stews.
You can slice it or dice it or julienne it.
You can use it in sweet dishes as well.

It also comes in powder form - found as dry ginger in the spice section of your supermarket.

It is also sold in a syrup. Deliceous eaten with cream but deadly for the diabetics and the dieters!

Sometimes you will find it crystalised - again covered in sugar crystals.

In all its states and forms it is very good for digestion problems and clears the nose.

I hope this clears your problem too.

Answer 2

Ginger is a spice, and sold in the aisle with baking items along with the other spices in the grocery store. It comes in a ground dry form, as well as a fresh form. With the ground, you measure out how much you need in a measuring spoon. The fresh form is like a small gnarly piece of root and it must be peeled, and then grated with a very fine grater such as a microplan. The fresh ginger has a much more intense flavor, so you don't need nearly as much.

Answer 3

Did the recipe call for fresh ginger? What was the recipe?

You can normally get fresh ginger near the hot chile peppers in most grocery produce sections. If the recipe calls for a tablespoon, don't be afraid to break off just the amount you need. Don't buy a huge hand of ginger if you won't use it.

It is a root, tan in color, and has many sections that grow off of it. You can break one of the "fingers" off. Then you peel it and grate it as fine as you can (don't chop it....it has to be really fine).

It smells kind of lemony, and is the ingredient in ginger ale, if you have ever tried that. I love it.

There is also candied ginger, and dried ginger in powder form. They are used mostly in cakes and cookies, and the fresh ginger is used in meat dishes in Asia and India.

Answer 4

It's a root, and you'll find it in the fresh herb section of your supermarket.
You usually need only about 1/2 cubic inch at the time, or less, so don't buy too much at the time. One root will be enough for several dishes.
Keep it in the vegetable drawer of your fridge.
To use it, cut off a small piece, peel it ( best to scrape the skin off with a spoon), then slice it extremely thin and cut in very thin small sticks - or chop fine.
This should give you about 1 teaspoon of ginger - you should sautee it very very gently - often with garlic - but don't cook it too long, as it is delicious even raw in Asian dishes.

Answer 5

Fresh ginger should be in the produce department and it's a root, so that's what it looks like. Sometimes you can get it prepackaged sometimes it's just there and you buy a piece of it. I prefer to get a piece as I haven't figured out how to store it well.

The option is to go to the spice aisle and get it powdered. Not the great flavor that you get from fresh

I have even used powdered ginger from the capsules you get in the vitamin/supplement section.

Good luck,

Answer 6

You can find ginger in most grocery stores. For powdered ginger, look in the spice dept. For whole ginger root, look in your produce dept., usually near the Asian or natural foods section. The ginger root looks pretty knarley and a lot like the roots of a tree and a little goes a long way. Follow your recipe to see if you need to add minced ginger or powdered ginger to it.

Answer 7

Fresh ginger is a root, it looks like a tree branch . It can be found in the fresh produce dept. Or you could use ginger in a jar found in the spice section of grocery store.

Answer 8

You would find fresh ginger in the produce section.
It looks like a beige-ish twisted root. Approximately 5 inches long and 1-2 inches thick. It's pretty wierd looking but a produce store employee can help you, or someone stocking in that vicinity.
If the recipe calls for dry ginger, you can find that in the baking isle in the spices. it will be in alphabetical order in the spice shelf.
There is also candied ginger, but I doubt that is what your recipe is calling for, but that should also be somewhere in the baking isle.

Answer 9

Ginger is a root. It is in the fresh vegetables section of your supermarket, usually near the herbs. It is a tan-colored, gnarly root and you will know it's ginger when you pierce it slightly with your fingernail and recognize the aroma. Usually you would purchase a 3" section or so. They'll weigh it for you to determine the price. You need to peel it and then grate it or mince it for your recipe.

Answer 10

itll be in the produce section, it looks like a brown root. it needs to be peeled before you use it its best to grate it, if you bite into a big piece of it in your meal it probably wont be to good. They do have powdered ginger in the spices section but that doesnt work as well.
you can keep the fresh root wrapped air tight in the fridge for a couple of weeks...you can also cut one of the nobs off and plant it, its really cool to grow! hope this helps ya!