Questions about ginger root- How do i use it? How do i store it?

Question

I have a recipe that calls for grated ginger root....to my suprise I found i had to buy this freaky looking twisty thing in the produce section- and how am i supposed to grate this? Do i have to do anything to it first? How finely should i grate it? Once I've used what i need of it, how can i store it? How long will it last? Please understand I am a novice of all things in the kitchen, so any advice would help me more than you could know. Thanks!

Answer 1

You can grate it or chop it or slice it - depends on your tastes and the recipe. It's really easy to just smash it with the flat side of a knife - that will pretty much mince it if you hit it hard enough. I love using it in soups, marinades, dressings, stir fry's - all kinds of stuff! To always have some on hand, I peel mine, cut into one inch chunks and then freeze in freezer wrap. That way, I can just take a chunk out as I need it. (it does lose it's consistancy a bit, so this is better to use in cooked dishes). Otherwise, storing in a cool dry spot usually will keep it a couple weeks. Have fun with it!

Answer 2

Peel the ginger with a potato peeler and grate with the small holes on a cheese grater. I have found this stuff doesn't keep for very long (maybe a day or 2). Buy small amounts and only grate what you need. Ginger stores better in the fridge if it is still whole and unpeeled. Once it is cut into, it will get moldy within a week. Just cut off the moldy part and it will be fine.

Answer 3

Fresh ginger is a great flavor to add to many dishes! Peel it using a regular teaspoon and scraping the skin from the root using the edge of the spoon. I have a microplane I use for grating my ginger. But it's stringy stuff. To get a rid of the stringy fibers freeze the ginger before grating it then just run it over a fine grater blade. to store it place it in a zip lock type bag , squeeze out the air and put back in the freezer until next time. I've stored a single piece of ginger this way for 6 months with out a problem just to see how long it would last. But, I do a lot of stirfry and use a lot of ginger so a big piece of root seldom lasts me more than one month.

Answer 4

Im just learning myself so I dont know much about storage .

What I can say is peel the skin of the root and grate ( yes finely grated unless otherwise specified )

Good Luck , Ginger is amazing ! Hope That helped a bit !

Answer 5

I buy ginger probably twice a week. I cook a lot of Japanese dishes at home. The juice will be a fantastic flavoring for the cake. I love the sweet/spicy bite it gives dishes. And yes, freezing is the BEST way to save/store unused ginger. It will not turn to mush. I freeze mine when I buy in bulk.

Answer 6

Store it in a cool dry place like you would store potatoes and onions..basement...scrap off the skin and grate it..it's easy..it can be kept for quite some time..

Answer 7

I slice it and crush a slice in a large garlic press. You get the juice and pulp, leaves behind the peel and strings.