How To Grate And Store Ginger

Some recipes call for chopped fresh ginger.  It can be difficult to find a really fresh root and, if you don’t, it can be fibrous, stringy  and woody.  I almost always grate my ginger, whether it calls for chopped or grated.  There are many ways to do it but the two methods below are my favorites.

This lipped ceramic dish with small bumps in the center is a ginger grater.

I always peel the ginger root before using this little device.  Many people don’t but I think the pieces of skin mixed into the grated ginger are too large if using this method.  There are two easy ways to remove it.  Scrape it off with a spoon.

Or peel it off with a paring knife.

Rub the piece back and forth and sideways over the teeth.

Dispose of strings trapped in the center teeth.

Another great method is to use a microplane.  Peel if the skin is very thick and bark-like.  Otherwise, snap off a piece and grate it as you would cheese.

Freshly grated ginger will keep a few days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.  There are several freezing methods.  Place freshly grated ginger and juice in small ice cube trays.  When frozen solid, pop out of the trays and place in a sealed plastic bag or a sealed container in the freezer.  It also works to place small dollops on a flat surface and freeze until solid.  Store as described above.  Another convenient method is to place grated ginger and juices in a line as thick as your pinky fingers on a piece of plastic wrap.  Roll it up and twist the ends like a piece of salt water taffy candy.  Store in the freezer and break off amounts needed.  Rewrap and pop back into the freezer.