How to Eat Fresh Ginger

Ginger, also known by its botanical name of Zingiber officinale, is a spice predominantly used in Asian, Caribbean and Indian kitchens. As more Americans embrace this oddly shaped rhizome root for its refreshing taste, versatility and health benefits, adding fresh ginger to your daily diet is simple, economical and worthwhile. The opportunities to use fresh ginger are limited only by your imagination and preferences. Adding fresh ginger to drinks, baked goods and vegetable dishes provides a depth of flavor and aroma you are sure to enjoy. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Instructions

How to Eat Fresh Ginger Root

1

Using warm water and a vegetable scrubber, wash the ginger root to remove any dirt and debris. Ginger can be oddly shaped and therefore difficult to wash. Accordingly, use a toothbrush or q-tip to get into the "fingers" of the root. Rinse the ginger root thoroughly.

2

Remove the excess water with a towel so your hands do not slip when handling the ginger. Dry all unused ginger thoroughly before storing -- dry spices retain their freshness longer.

3

Begin to peel the ginger by using a sharp paring knife to remove the skin. Holding the root in one hand and the paring knife between the thumb and index finger of your dominant hand, remove the brown, fibrous skin by bringing your index finger down to your thumb in short swaths. Peel small sections at a time until the piece of ginger is completely clear of its skin.

4

Cut the fresh ginger according to how you plan on using it. For example, if you'd like to add the fresh ginger to your hot tea, cut the ginger into thin slices. Add the slices to your teacup, and pour hot water over the ginger slices.

If you plan to use the ginger in a vegetable dish or baked goods, consider grating the ginger. Hold the ginger in your dominant hand and the grater in your other hand. Run the ginger piece over the grating wholes until you can no longer hold the ginger safely in your fingers. Collect the ginger from under the grater. Place your freshly grated ginger directly into your dish.

If you'd like to spice up cold beverages such as lemonade, try cutting the ginger into matchsticks or "julienne style". To cut julienne style, lay the freshly peeled ginger on the cutting board. Cut the ginger chunk in half, and lay the cut side down onto your cutting board so the ginger piece does not roll around. Proceed to cut the ginger chunk into length-wise quarters, then cut those quarters into quarters again to obtain the matchstick pieces. Place the ginger matchsticks directly into your liquid.

5

Store the unpeeled and uncut ginger in a sealable, plastic bag.