I think peeling ginger is one of the most tedious cooking tasks in existence. It’s so small and so irregularly shaped—plus, are you supposed to use a vegetable peeler, a knife, or…?
No peeling strategy has ever seemed like the correct way, so I was thrilled to come across a new trick, thanks to a friend of mine. Actually, it’s more of a skip than a tip: Stop peeling your ginger.
My immediate reaction was, “Wait, are you sure?” But it quickly turned to “OMG, how has this never occurred to me before?” I thought of my favorite recipe that calls for ginger, a curried butternut squash soup. Why would I bother peeling the ginger when it’s going to be pulverized? And the more I thought about it, the more peeling ginger made less and less sense.
Simply Recipes / Getty Images
Why I Stopped Peeling Ginger
Ginger is a powerful ingredient, with recipes usually calling for a small amount, and the peel is incredibly thin—a far cry from, say, a citrus peel. So the amount of peel that ends up in a recipe is minimal. And as for the amount that actually does make it in, the cooking process will cause the peel to break down, making it undetectable.
Since receiving this tip, I’ve made many recipes with ginger—haven’t peeled a stitch of it—and not once have I noticed a difference in the taste or texture of a dish.
My Ginger Pro Tips
While I don’t peel ginger, I do still trim flat ends where the peel can be a little thicker. I mince it if it’s going into a soup that will be blended, but I find that grating ginger is the best prep method in most other cases. Grating breaks it down more than mincing does, so it “melts” better into dishes when it’s cooked or baked. To keep your fingertips as safe as possible, I recommend using a grater with a handle.
I usually eyeball the amounts as I’m prepping. If I am going to measure ginger, I use a measuring spoon. Grated ginger gathers up into a neatly packed ball for easy measuring without much effort, and for minced ginger, I press it down into the measuring spoon with my thumb to pack it in.
The best way to store ginger is to refrigerate fresh, whole, unpeeled ginger in an airtight plastic bag in the crisper drawer. The airtight bag keeps out oxygen and moisture, two things that will cause ginger to mold.
Consider yourself liberated from the annoying task of peeling your ginger!
Recipe for Using Up Ginger
#Stop #Ginger #Trick #Easier
