How to get the most out of fresh ginger - given some tips
Kyiv • UNN
Fresh ginger root gives spicy, sweet, peppery and citrusy flavors to dishes.
Just a teaspoon or tablespoon of fresh ginger will add its signature spicy flavor, with sweet, peppery and citrus notes at the same time. How to get the most out of fresh ginger was explained in The Washington Post, writes UNN.
Details
Ginger is present in cuisines around the world in many sweet and savory dishes.
The publication tells you what you need to know about buying, peeling, grating and otherwise preparing this ingredient.
Look for ginger root with smooth, unwrinkled skin and a "fresh, spicy flavor," advise Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst in The New Food Lover's Companion. They advise avoiding soft or moldy pieces.
If you shop at a farmer's market or Asian grocery store, as indicated, you may encounter baby ginger or young ginger. "Immature ginger is off-white, quite soft and pliable, with pink, undeveloped leaves called bud scales," points out expert Tim Carman. - Baby ginger tickles your palate rather than attacking it." Its lack of fibrous parts makes it a dream to work with, plus it doesn't need to be peeled.
How to store fresh ginger
Tightly wrapped ginger can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, report in The New Food Lover's Companion. Another recommended refrigeration option: place peeled ginger in a glass jar with a lid and pour in dry sherry or madera. "The wine will impart some of its flavor to the ginger - a small disadvantage compared to being able to have the peeled ginger ready and waiting," the publication says.
As another method, freezing is recommended. To do this, they advise cutting the root into pieces of 2.5 or 5 cm (peeled or unpeeled, at your discretion) and placing them in a resealable bag and freezing them. It can be used straight from the freezer or after a few minutes of thawing on the counter, the publication says.
"It's best to trim the tips of the ginger root before using, as they tend to be a bit dried out. As for peeling, I prefer to scrape off the skin with the edge of a spoon. You can use a knife, but chances are you'll remove more than you want, and if you're working with a frozen piece, you run the risk of the blades slipping off," notes the author of the publication.
After that, as directed, there are a few options: grate, coin, chop, or matchstick (julienne) slices, depending on the recipe. "Ginger should be sliced across the fibers because there are long fibers running along it," says Megan Ginsberg of America's Test Kitchen. If you cut against the fibers, perpendicular rather than parallel to the fibers, you'll cut those long fibers into more manageable chunks, the publication says.
In some recipes, you need to crush the ginger pieces - in that case, they advise using the side of a knife.
How to grate fresh ginger
"Especially if you take ginger out of the freezer, grating it will be a breeze," the publication said.
Ceramic graters are reportedly another preferred tool among some culinary professionals.
How to use fresh ginger
Ginger root is found in a wide variety of cuisines and dishes around the world, both savory and sweet. "Because of its vibrant flavor, along with garlic and green onions, it provides an alternative to the roasted flavorful base found in many Asian dishes, especially stir-fry. Sliced or diced, it can be made into a soup broth or a tea that clears the head when the weather is bad. Naturally, it is a staple in baked goods, often combined with dried ginger and sweet, chewy crystallized (candied) ginger," the publication points out.
