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Enjoyed as a delicacy as well as a spice, one should know how to store ginger. Ginger is used in many recipes all over the globe, it is not only a good addition to increase taste, but it also works great for medicinal purposes, such as fighting against stomach ache. It is most commonly used in savory, stir-fry dishes and in sweets like gingersnaps. Some people also love ginger in cocktails for instance the Moscow mule. Ever heard of this breathtaking cocktail?
Ginger is absolutely a delicious root, the only problem with this root is that it’s difficult to use ginger from a single root at once, which brings up to finding ways on how to store ginger so that we can easily enjoy it for long.
Let’s find out different ways on how to store ginger at home and use it for all your favorite savory recipes.
How To Store Ginger
To store ginger effectively use it for the long term, you must know the basics about storing it. The first step to which is choosing the freshest ginger available in the market. If you want your ginger roots to last for long, you must put your eyes on the fresh gingers. Wondering how to find fresh ginger out of so many out there?
You can easily spot one by looking for a fresh and spicy fragrance having smooth skin. The rhizomes of that ginger must be heavy and firm when you touch them. Try to avoid gingers having soft or wrinkled feels because most possibly the ginger has already declined in quality. Follow these tips on choosing the right ginger and basics about ginger:
- Avoid any ginger in the market that is moldy, moist, and wet.
- Decide whether you want to store the ginger in a refrigirator or a freezer. If you know that you will need ginger soon for some recipe, then it is best to store it in a refrigirator so that it becomes easier to peel and mince. When you store ginger inside of a refrigirator it will last for three weeks or so, so if you know you won’t be needing it again, just store it in the freezer.
- You can also try mixing and matching. If you know you will need a very small chunk of the ginger soon, just cut a piece and refrigerate it and the remaining ginger can be kept inside a freezer for long-term usage.
1. How To Store Ginger Using The Fridge
If you have decided to store ginger in a fridge, you will need a zipper storage bag. To store the gingers in this type of bag, you have to simply take unpeeled ginger and keep it inside this bag. Make sure you use all the air out before closing the zipper. You can place it inside of a veggie crisper in the fridge and have it stay fresh and crisp for few weeks.
When you compare this method on how to store ginger with certain other methods like wrapping it or using a paper bag, it has lasted for the longest time and the ginger has stayed fresh in the fridge for several weeks altogether.
If you have peeled the ginger already, this method will work great, but once you peel it, it would not last for much longer as unpeeled ginger.
Make sure you store the piece of unpeeled ginger using a paper towel or a paper bag. No holes of air or air bubbles should be present.
You can also store freshly peeled ginger submerged in spirits for keeping it fresh. Just place the freshly peeled ginger piece in a sealed container or a jar and submerge them using acidic liquid or a spirit. The most common liquids in which this can be done include dry sherry, vodka, sake, rice wine, fresh lime juice, and rice vinegar. Out of all these liquids used, vodka has proven to be really beneficial as the results were amazing and the taste of ginger remained almost the same with a negligible alteration.
Though this process is amazing for storing ginger, many people do not recommend it because the liquids used might alter the taste of ginger making it no longer a good fit for adding to recipes.
2. How To Store Ginger Inside A Freezer
This involves several steps for different types of ginger pieces. Let’s see one by one all the steps involved and the type of ginger pieces used.
- You can wrap the ginger using plastic wrap and seal it inside a zipper bag for storage. Carefully, select a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it around ginger that is not peeled once or twice. Then keep it inside the zipper storage bag, make sure to push extra air outside. Place this bag inside the freezer at low temperatures and it is ready to be used for few months. You can easily grate this ginger later using a cheese grater.
- You can also freeze minced ginger. First, you need to peel the ginger and mince it into very fine pieces. Spread or scoop it on any tray lined with parchment. Use tablespoon or teaspoon-sized portions for scooping it. Place this tray inside a freezer until all the pieces are frozen completely before transferring them to any air-tight containers like a jar or Tupperware with a tight lid. Once you place it in the freezer, you can easily use it for the next 5 to 6 months without worrying.
- Let’s see how to freeze chopped ginger. Chop the ginger into small slices that you generally use while you add ginger to any dish. It could be thumb-sized or a size that matches a matchstick. You can also mix ad match different sizes. Keep the skin of ginger while cutting them down to several pieces and then store it using an air-tight container before placing it inside the freezer for long-term usage.
- Cutting the peeled ginger in medallions. If you already know that you are going to cook the ginger in medallions, you can just peel it and cut them down into the shape of medallions. Place these inside any freezer-friendly container or a glass bowl that is open. Place it in the freezer till it freezes completely. Then use an airtight container to keep the ginger pieces and place the container inside the freezer again so that it could last easily for the next 3 months or so.
3. How To Store Ginger Using A Vacuum Seal Or Jar
This method is great as it will allow you to store ginger for a few weeks. Carefully follow the steps given below to store ginger using air-tight or vacuumed seals.
- You have to use a vacuumed sealing device like a food saver or maybe some other brand.
- Place all the ginger in a canning jar.
- Add the lid on top of it.
- Vacuum seal using jar attachment and use paper to label and date the jar.
- Place the jar into a refrigirator.
4. How To Store Ginger Using Vacuum Seal Bags
This method is amazing to store ginger as it will allow the ginger to stay fresh for longer as compared to using a vacuum jar. Follow all the steps mentioned below to store ginger:
- Take a vacuum seal bag and place the ginger inside of it.
- Vacuum this pack using a vacuumed sealer.
- Label the date for reference.
These were certain ways using which you can easily know how to store ginger for using it in future recipes.
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