Selcting fresh ginger...

[Longhorn]

I love fresh ginger, but I seem to have very bad luck choosing it at the store. The flesh is too often stringy and tough. Sometimes I'll get an entire two inch piece that is completely unusable. I've learned to keep dried ginger around just in case! Does anybody have any tips for selecting fresh ginger?
Thanks!

[buddie]

i have never really thought about how i pick out ginger. i haven't ever had a problem with what i pick. i usually just make sure it isn't soft or no soft spots and after i break it off make sure it smells like good strong ginger.

it is a hard spice to peel and chop for it is a stringy item. i find it easier to peel and chop if i freeze it first

[Grace]

I buy the pre-grated bottles stuff. It lasts a lot longer than fresh, and is so much easier and less messy than trying to grate your own. My refrigerator is never without a bottle! It is found in the produce section, near the tofu, minced garlic, etc.

I found an even better brand at a Chinese grocery store, though, so if you have access to an asian market, go get it there! (Oh, and the bottled stuff is WONDERFUL quality stuff, whereas I don't like bottled garlic much at all, so don't think because it's bottled it won't be as good as fresh).

[gertdog]

Fresh ginger should be firm and have a smooth, not wrinkled skin. Often it comes in very large pieces and customers at the grocery store break off a hunk and buy that. Sometimes the pieces that have been around for awhile can get dessicated and wrinkly and tough.

Like buddie described above, I buy ginger fresh and then freeze it. When I need to cook with it, I take it out of the freezer about 5-10 minutes before I plan to peel and slice/chop/whatever. I break or cut off a piece the size I need and peel it with a vegetable peeler.

For grated or finely minced giner, I use a microplane grater (one of the rasp-style thingies), which makes quick work of even stringy ginger. For chopped, I slice the peeled ginger into "coins" a little less than 1/4" thick. Then I dice the coins into little pieces.

I also have one of those little ceramic ginger grater dishes that Williams-Sonoma sells (looks like a saucer with tiny white teeth all over the middle) but it's never worked well for me.

I do think that the trick to avoiding stringiness is to have it frozen and then thawed just a little when you work with it.

I've never used bottled but might try it now that I've seen that others use it!

[Wienie]

Originally posted by Grace:
I buy the pre-grated bottles stuff. It lasts a lot longer than fresh, and is so much easier and less messy than trying to grate your own. My refrigerator is never without a bottle! It is found in the produce section, near the tofu, minced garlic, etc.

I found an even better brand at a Chinese grocery store, though, so if you have access to an asian market, go get it there! (Oh, and the bottled stuff is WONDERFUL quality stuff, whereas I don't like bottled garlic much at all, so don't think because it's bottled it won't be as good as fresh).
Grace, about how long does it last in the bottle? I don't use it very often, but it sure would be handy to have around.
Jeanne

[Longhorn]

Thanks for all the help. It sounds like ginger is supposed to be a little stringy. That's good to know. I will definitely try freezing it next time.
I had no idea that people just broke off a piece of ginger from the huge pieces in the store. I ususally just root around in the bin until I find a piece that's the size I need. That's probably why I've ended up with some old pieces occasionally. I've often wondered who buys those huge pieces! I don't know why it never occurred to me to break a piece off. Probably the same reason that I don't break up the bunchs of green onions, broccoli, asparagus, cilantro, etc. Is that okay too?!?! Cuz I never need that much cilantro!!

[aggie94]

I think it's perfectly appropriate to only take pieces/parts/sections of produce that's sold by the pound. I used to buy lots of fresh fruits and veggies for my bunny (he passed away a few weeks ago, so I don't do this anymore). One store sold bulk celery, so I could go through and pick out the ribs that had lots of the leafy tops still on, because my bunny liked those best. One day, they had run out, so I asked the produce guy if he had more. He told me to feel free to go through one of the still-intact celery bunches and just break off the leafy tops, if that's all I wanted.

[buddie]

BREAK AWAY!!!

find the best looking hunk of ginger and break off what you want.... i usually go for a chuck that does not have an exposed end. i buy about 3-4 inches at a times and freeze it in a freezer bag.

[makedah]

I break off ginger all the time. I also see people getting individual cloves of garlic from a head, but I wouldn't do that -- I can easily use up a head of garlic in a week!

I also separate bunches of broccoli and get the nicer stalks, unless its sold by the bunch. Green onions and bundled herbs are usually sold by the bunch, longhorn, so taking some out only benefits the STORE!

[gertdog]

Hmmm. Maybe I shouldn't be breaking off pieces of ginger?! I always just assumed I was supposed to, since the pieces are so huge and I'd seen others do it. Now I'm curious... does anybody know the correct supermarket etiquette? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

I do break up broccoli bunches sometimes since at my store it's priced by the pound, not the bunch. Herbs like cilantro at my store are priced by the bunch, though, so I don't break up those. Bummer, 'cause I never need the whole bunch either!

[monica67]

I posted this question a few days ago, but it doesn't seem to have gone through.

I love all the ideas, especially about the bottled ginger (I went to my supermarket to check again and they were out of it!). I usually freeze my ginger in pieces that are about a tablespoon as well.
My problem is in the defrosting. I also usually use the microwave, for 10, 20 or 30 seconds depending on the size. The problem is very often the piece comes out waterlogged. It's like a sponge -- I can squeeze out the juice/water! This also makes it hard to peel. (I tried peeling with the potato peeler, but with the squishiness, that didn't work out too well.) I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong in the freezing or something. It sounds like I'm doing it like other people, but have you ever encountered this spongy ginger problem?
Also, when I get it out of the freezer, it sometimes has a green tinge to it. Is there something wrong with it? Is it old? The pieces that turn green aren't necessarily old, or so I thought. What's the cause, and should I worry?


BTW, on breaking off ginger in the supermarket -- break away! I just did it today to get two nice pieces.

Thanks for all the help!

monica

[McSix]

I had read in this bb that you can store ginger forever. Therefore, I went out today and spent a whole twenty cents on what seemed like a huge piece. How long will it store? In the cupboard or in the fridge? I've finally trained myself to use fresh garlic instead of the jarred, but now I'm wondering whether I should be buying fresh ginger???

[aggie94]

Ginger definitely doesn't keep forever (I've seen mine grow mold), but it will keep for quite a while. I keep mine in the produce drawer in my fridge. If it's been in there for awhile, you'll probably need to slice off the ends (if they've been broken off a bigger piece) where it might have dried out a bit.