Kitchen Tactics

Many ancient civilizations used dry ginger in their cooking but for
centuries only the East Asians and Indians enjoyed the use of fresh
ginger.  Fresh ginger has a lifespan of mere weeks and wouldn’t
survive the treacherous journey through the spice routes.

Although its available in its root form any time of the year, most
people don’t know how to store ginger properly.  Below are several
methods in order of shelf life.

How to store ginger refrigerated:
Thoroughly wash and peel the root.  Wrap in a paper towel and close
tightly in a plastic bag.  Ginger will last several weeks using this
method.

The advantage with refrigeration is a crisper texture and more vibrant
flavor.  The trade off is the short storage time.  This is the best
method for fresh ginger tea.  Just pull a piece from the bag, slice
thinly into a tea cup, pour in hot water, and sweeten with honey.

How to store ginger pickled:
Wash and peel ginger, slice into 1/8 inch slivers.  Soak in ice water
for 8 hours. Store in a jar of rice vinegar (enough vinegar to cover),
optionally: add a teaspoon honey and/or red miso. Pickled ginger will
last several months.

Pickled ginger is great for sushi.  Over time the ginger will lose
flavor but the rice vinegar will become even better as a base for salad
dressings.

How to store ginger frozen:
Wash ginger thoroughly, peeling ginger is optional.  Slice into several
easy to handle pieces.  Wrap in a paper towel and enclose in a plastic
bag.  Ginger will last up to six months in the freezer.

Ginger keeps it’s flavor well frozen but will have a mushy texture when
thawed.  Frozen ginger can be easily grated and added to stir-fry.

Each method has it’s trade offs.  It can be economical to buy a large
ginger root at a good price, and store a portion using all 3 methods.

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