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How to keep Ginger happy?

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King-O-Coals
King-O-Coals Posts: 510
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I bought a big ginger root today. It's Hawaiian Ginger. It was in a chilled display case at the store. I have heard experts say that fresh ginger will keep indefinately. Should I freeze it, put in the fresh veggie bin of the fridge, or just leave it in a cupboard? This stuff smell and taste great. It's a cross between lemon, and orange. Pardon my excitement,, but I ain't never had me no ginger root before.
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  • Seattle Todd
    Seattle Todd Posts: 227
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    King-O-Coals,[p]Nature Boy'd know more than me I'm sure as he cooks with Asian spices/herbs as much as I'd like to. =)[p]Ginger will keep not indefinately but purty darn close. I leave mine in the fridge. Will it be usable in two years? Probably not. Will it make you sick after two years? Definately not. Actually used some two year old ginger in a pinch at my folks' house once and it was dry to the point that out of an entire root I maybe got a teaspoon of usable ginger. Doesn't rot but it dries up pretty good.[p]Definately keep it in the fridge if you want to use it over a longer period of time though I'm sure sitting in a cupboard for a couple weeks wouldn't hurt it if you're not going to cut in right away. Don't smother the bugger in plastic. I like to keep mine up in the shelf near the butter or eggs. Especially if you got one of them plastic doors up thereabouts. Keeps the ginger smell outta the rest of the food. =)[p]Also if you plan on grating it if there's a specialty kitchen store or Asian market nearby look for a ginger grater. Looks a lot like a mini washboard. No holes like a cheese grater. Rather a paddle with lil' spikes on it. Works really well with ginger and they's cheap.[p]Good eats to ya, KOC! You WILL notice the difference with fresh just like with garlic.
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  • Char-Woody
    Char-Woody Posts: 2,642
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    Seattle Todd, it never ceases to amaze me what you guy's dig out of the cracks. This is what we "relish" here! At least this B'Q'er does! :-)
    C~W[p]
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  • Steve
    Steve Posts: 94
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    King-O-Coals,
    King:
    I have used fresh ginge extensively over the years in stir frying. I have always kept my ginger in the freezer wrapped in foil. The reason why is because ginger is a fibrous root loaded with liquid. To use, I take root out of freezer and, utilizing a very small hand grater, shave off what I need. This works quite well since ginger is strong and you don't want to bite into any sizeable pieces.
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  • Seattle Todd
    Seattle Todd Posts: 227
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    Char-Woody,[p]Relish? Hmmmm. That reminds me of a recipe. Have to remember it then I'll post.[p]Yeah, Baby!
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  • Mike Oelrich
    Mike Oelrich Posts: 544
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    King-O-Coals,[p] What a great topic! I've often wondered the same thing, but I've been too lazy to go find the answer :-0. Prompted by your post, I did some research and came to a few conclusions:
    It would seem that you're best off storing ginger like you would potatoes. Eventually, the ginger will lose its moisture and get more and more "fibrous," making it hard to grate. If you want to put it in the fridge, don't wrap it as it will get moldy (it'll do this out of the fridge, too, if you wrap it tightly (I'll attest to that one personally!)). Mixed feelings on freezing. Some say it will alter the flavor, others say you can do it for up to three months. Most interesting methods of storing: 1) peel and cover with sherry -- use the ginger when you need it, use the sherry when you're done!; 2) puree in the blender with vegetable oil (1 tbsp oil to 2 tbsp ginger) and freeze in cubes for later use! Much of this is summarized nicely at the link below.[p]MikeO
    [ul][li]Tips From The Ginger People[/ul]
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  • Gretl
    Gretl Posts: 670
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    King-O-Coals,
    I remove the peel from the fresh ginger, cut it into large pieces (about 1 inch), and keep it in a jar covered with sherry in the fridge. It does keep almost indefinitely. And the ceramic ginger grater is a must-have. Works great (grate?) on ginger and I use it to shred zest from citrus fruit as well.
    Happy cooking with fresh ginger! There's nothing like it.
    Cheers,
    Gretl
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  • King-O-Coals
    King-O-Coals Posts: 510
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    Thanks my buddies,, for all the great info. I bookmarked the link and have done a little reading. I've also ordered a few other spices from the net. I went to just order juniper berries, but got caught-up some other things,, NOW,, the adventure begins. Thanks again..

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  • Char-Woody
    Char-Woody Posts: 2,642
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    MikeO, thanks for a good one..that Ginger Lime Marinate may be in the works for tomorrow trial. Great Ginger website.
    C~W[p]
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