Substituting spice for real thing

[Danielle]

Tonight I'm making the Peanutty Noodles for dinner (can't wait, since the dish received rave reviews). I noticed the recipe calls for ginger. Could ground ginger be substituted, or would you recommend actually using the ginger root? If you can substitute, how much?

Thanks!

[lorilei]

Dried ginger hits your palette in a different way than fresh, so there WILL be a significant difference if you substitute. But you can certainly try and see how you like it.

Generally they recommend dried ginger for baking and fresh ginger for cooking. Frankly, I find myself using a bit of both in recipes because I like the effect it gives...

[Danielle]

That's what I figured. I'll probably just use the fresh ginger. This will dictate which supermarket I stop at after work. The store in the town I live in is, well, a little slow at getting new things, and has an awful produce section. If I want anything really nice or "different," I have to stop at a different grocery store to get it. I'm hoping we can move soon and be closer to a "swankier" grocery store!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/cool.gif

[Beth]

Danielle, I haven't tried it, but I saw minced or grated ginger sold in a jar the way some garlic is sold. I was thinking about trying it since I tend to throw out part of the root whenever I buy fresh. I have used the garlic. When my husband's not available for the chopping or I'm in a real hurry, it's a real timesaver. Look to get one that has no oil added.

[Denise]

My grocery store sells minced ginger in a jar. They also have garlic that way. I use both, its so much easier then mincing and it stays good forever! Now I always have ginger and garlic on hand!

[ElinorC]

I love the minced ginger in a jar. I hate to peel those pesky gingerroots!

[CathyPA]

I have also used the minced ginger in a jar. I thought the flavor was just fine. It keeps much better for me since I was always throwing away fresh ginger. I just didn't use it up quickly enough.

I keep a jar of minced garlic in the refrigerator and use if I'm out of fresh. Still prefer fresh garlic and will use when I have it on hand, especially since my garlic press is so easy to use. I can pop a clove in without peeling it.

[JeanneW]

CathyPA

I used to have the same problem of throwing away fresh ginger because I didn't use it fast enough. Now I keep my fresh ginger in the freezer and it seems to work pretty well. I usually use a little more than the recipe calls for because I think the flavor is a bit diminished by the freezing. Other than that, I've had no problems and the benefit is that I always have fresh ginger on hand.

[lorilei]

I've read that keeping ginger in the freezer is a really good idea, Jeanne.

You can even grate it ahead of time into a ziplock bag (maybe that's what you do too), and then you just take out what you need when you need it.

[JeanneW]

Gee, I never thought to pre-grate it. What a great idea, Lorelei. I'll start doing that. Thanks.

[kendra]

I use the bottled garlic and ginger all the time and they taste great. Of course, not as good as fresh, but the time saving is worth it to me!