I’m not sure how long I was peeling (and continually wasting) ginger with a knife before I finally figured out the best way to peel it without wasting ginger by the slice. Use a vegetable peeler. I’m sure most of you already do this, I’m just a couple years behind everyone else it seems.
So you may have known that, but did you know the best way to keep ginger when you have half a root left to use – but won’t need it for a while? Honestly, I buy ginger to use for one meal then often don’t need it again for a week or so. By that time the leftover root is all shriveled up if kept out in the open, or it’s bad from sitting in the refrigerator for so long. So how can you lengthen your ginger’s shelf life? Ready for the secret?
Freeze it. Simple as it seems, it really does a great job at keeping your ginger fresh-like while at the same time saving you a trip to the store just for half of a root. We eat frozen vegetables all the time, why not frozen ginger?
Peel and rinse the ginger root, use what you need, then slip it in a ziploc (writing the date on the bag if your prefer) and toss it in the freezer. When you need some, let the ginger root thaw for about a minute, then grate with a mincer or fine grater. You’ll never waste half a root again and although the water content seems higher as it thaws, (which means you need to think about how to prepare it – no throwing into hot oil!) it’s much less wasteful.
