Looking for ways to easily peel and cut ginger? Here is the complete guide to peel, cut, dice and mince ginger the right way to use in any recipe!
Ginger is a fragrant root that is used as a spice and medicine in many cuisines and parts around the world. It belongs to the same family as the spices of turmeric and cardamom. Ginger comes from the rhizome part of the plant and is more commonly known as the root.
What is Ginger Good For?
Ginger is a versatile spice that adds great flavor to both sweet and savory dishes. It is also a great medicine for your scratchy throat or a runny nose. It would give you instant relief.
Ginger also comes with a whole lot of health benefits like:
- It boosts your immune system and also detoxifies the body
- It contains gingerol which is an anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving compound.
- It prevents motion sickness, which is a handy option when traveling with kids.
- Pregnant women often use ginger for their morning sickness.
- It helps to prevent and get relief from migraines.
In short, ginger is a quintessential spice that is all things nice.
You can use fresh ginger, both peeled or unpeeled, when cooking and it adds a wonderful zing to the dish. You can either mash them or slice them as thin pieces and add them to your dish. I love to add ginger to my Indian Masala Chai.
How to Clean Ginger?
When you buy ginger, make sure its root is firm and moist. It is okay if there is a dry patch where the root was cut off. Avoid shriveled roots because the juice of the ginger would have dried up.
Run the ginger under a tap and rub it well till the dust goes off. Then pat it dry with a kitchen towel and let it dry. You can leave the cleaned ginger on the counter to dry.
Do you have to Peel Ginger?
Usually, I don't peel the skin if I am using organic ginger. I just clean it well and use it directly for cooking. If it is not organic, I make sure to peel the ginger before using it.
How to Peel Ginger?
The easiest way to peel ginger is to use the back of a spoon or peeler. You can also use a knife to peel the ginger, but you will end up peeling too much of the flesh along with the skin. The spoon's curved edge will help in peeling the skin off quite easily.
In case you find it difficult, just soak the piece of ginger in warm water for a few minutes to soften the skin.
But if you are in a hurry or need things done quickly, then you can use the peeler. The peeler will scrape off a thicker layer, adding some wastage. But if the ginger is unruly or crooked, then peeler is more convenient to remove them.
How to Slice, Julienne, Chop, Grate or Mince ginger
The one great thing about ginger is that you can use it as the recipe calls for it. You can make it as a paste for curries, chop for a stir-fry or grate for baking. My favorite way is to grate the ginger for a curry or my afternoon tea.
Slice Ginger
You can use a sharp knife to slice the ginger in rounds. Slice the ginger across the grains of the fibers.
Julienne Ginger
Stack 2-3 rounds you cut above and cut into thin lengthwise sticks.
Chop ginger
Line up the ginger sticks you cut above, and chop them into small pieces.
Mince Ginger
Finely chop the ginger pieces using a chef's knife. You can move the knife right to left and vice versa to mince the ginger.
Grate Ginger
Hold one end of the ginger and move it downwards towards the chopping board over the microplane or grater.
Did you know that you can also freeze ginger in ziploc bags. When you need to use it, you can take out and grate it right away (no need to thaw!).
Ginger Paste
Add some chopped ginger along with a little touch of oil or water and pulse it in the blender to make a fine paste.
This paste can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. For longer storage freeze in ice-cube trays.
Check here more details about how to make ginger paste.
Now you have all the ways you can cut ginger to use in various recipes. Enjoy the amazing benefits of ginger in your cooking!
Here is my detailed post about how to store ginger in the refrigerator or freezer.
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📖 Recipe
How to Peel and Cut Ginger the Right Way
Ingredients
- 1 piece Fresh Ginger Root
Instructions
- Clean: Run the ginger under a tap and rub it well till it is cleaned. Then pat it dry with a kitchen towel or leave the cleaned ginger on the kitchen counter to dry.
- Peel: Use the back of a spoon to remove the skin. In case you find it difficult, soak the piece of ginger in warm water for a few minutes to soften the skin.If you are in a hurry, use the peeler to remove the skin.
- Slice: Use a sharp knife to slice the ginger in rounds using a chef's knife. Slice the ginger across the grains of the fibers.
- Julienne: Stack 2-3 rounds you cut above and cut into thin lengthwise sticks.
- Chop: Line up the ginger sticks you cut above, and chop them into small pieces.
- Mince: Finely chop the ginger pieces using a chef's knife. You can move the knife right to left and vice versa to mince the ginger.
- Grate: Hold one end of the ginger and move it downwards towards the chopping board over the microplane or grater. Freezed ginger can be grated the same way.
- Paste: Add some chopped ginger along with a little touch of oil or water and pulse it in the blender to make a fine paste.
Notes
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Margarita says
Very good advice on how to best process ginger. Thanks
Meeta Arora says
Hi Margarita - Happy to hear the details were helpful.
AJ says
Where was this tutorial when I was learning various curries?! I always buy fresh ginger, then grab the premade paste when I get ready to cook because cutting around the knobs was too time consuming. For shame... After learning that all it took was a spoon to stop throwing away wasted fresh ginger I will never but store bought paste again!!! Thank you so much!
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi - So happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing back.
LeAnn Biter says
Thank you, I am using go Ginger to make kombucha.
Meeta Arora says
Sounds wonderful!
Laura says
Do you add the ginger during fermentation or after it’s done? Thanks!
Darlene says
Very helpful to my start of trying to get healthy with ginger
Meeta Arora says
Hi Darlene - Glad to hear you found the post helpful!