Spicy, sweet, and fragrant ginger is a funny looking knobby root. I’ll admit to ignoring fresh ginger in recipes in the past, because I had not a clue how to peel, grate, or work with it.
Once I discovered just how easy it is to work with giner, it became a kitchen staple in my home.
Unlike many other dried herbs and spices, dried ginger simply can not be substituted for fresh in most recipes. Fresh ginger offers a different dimension to many dishes that can’t be duplicated with dried spices.
Ginger root is a staple ingredient in Asian cooking. It adds a particular type of spice to recipes that’s far different than the spice you get from chilis, black pepper and other spices.
Ginger also brings acidity and just a touch of sweetness to recipes that can be enhanced by other sweeteners, like when you use it in hot tea or baked goods. That teensy bit of sweetness can also be tempered by acidic and salty flavors when you use fresh ginger root in savory dishes.
When you are buying ginger, you do not need to buy a huge amount. Most recipes only call for an inch or two of ginger but at many grocery stores, ginger is sold in large pieces. Unless you’re cooking with ginger several times a day, you probably won’t be able to use all of that good ginger before it goes bad.
There’s a solution! Simply break a knob, about the size you need, off a large piece of ginger. (Yes, that is allowed. I actually was shown how it works by the produce manager in the first store where I bought ginger.)
If you do need or want to buy a larger amount of ginger than you’ll use in a single recipe, it’s very easy to store.
Ginger will keep well in the refrigerator for at least a couple weeks before it’s peeled. Peeled ginger won’t keep for quite as long and should be stored in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.
Be sure to remove any moisture from the ginger and its container before storage so it stays fresh for as long as possible!
Ginger can also be frozen for 2-3 months. If you are going to freeze extra ginger, I suggest peeling it first. Grating frozen ginger is even easier than grating fresh ginger.
Ground: Ginger root dried and ground to a powder; this type of ginger is used mostly in baked goods.
Fresh Ginger Vs. Dried
Fresh ginger root and dried ginger do very different things in recipes. Fresh ginger delivers a more complex, spicy flavor than its dried counterparts, so I don’t recommend trying to substitute one for the other.
Dried ground ginger is the most common way we get that tasty gingery flavor into gingerbread, ginger cookies and other spiced baked goods. Fresh ginger can also be a delicious addition to certain ginger cookies, cakes and quick breads, as in these amazing looking Chocolate Ginger Molasses Cookies.
While, again, not a substitute for fresh ginger, I also enjoy the taste and flavor of crystalized (“candied”) ginger. Homemade Candied Ginger is made by simmering fresh peeled ginger root in a simple syrup of sugar and water, then dried.
It’s a delicious spicy snack on its own or chopped up and added to quick breads, muffins or cookies.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) mingles well with other spices, too, like coriander and cumin, garlic, turmeric and mustard in savory dishes and cinnamon and cloves in sweet recipes. Try it in cakes and biscuits, breads, cookies, fruit salads and cooked fruits, puddings, preserves, jams, and drinks, and with poultry, fish, tempeh, tofu, carrots, beets, squash and sweet potatoes.
Use 1/8 teaspoon of ginger powder per tablespoon of fresh ginger. Of course, you won’t have the pieces of ginger in your dish, but the aroma and taste will fill in nicely. You can also substitute whole dried ginger directly for whole fresh ginger in recipes. (Some cooks like to add a spritz of lemon juice to the dried ginger when they cut it, to moisten.) And if you have only crystallized ginger on hand, you can rinse off the sugar and finely cut it, then substitute it one for one for fresh ginger.
Most commercial ginger ale is made with ginger extract and carbonated water. You can make your own ginger ale by combining sugar, baking yeast, grated ginger, and water and letting it ferment in a closed bottle in a warm place. Some recipes also add cream of tartar and/or lemon juice. We have our own recipe that you can try out by clicking here. By the way, ginger ale originated in 19th century England, when tavern owners provided small containers of ginger so that patrons could sprinkle ginger in their beer.
How To Make Ginger Tea | The Goods | CBC Life
FAQ
Can I use fresh ginger in baking instead of ground ginger?
Can you use raw ginger in baking?
Is ground ginger used for baking?
What ginger is best for cooking?
Can you use fresh ginger in baked goods?
Fresh ginger has a bright, slightly spicy flavor to it that can really make some baked goods a lot more interesting, so it is worth giving it a shot at least a few times. To use fresh ginger, you must first peel off the dark outer layer of the piece you want to use.
Is ground ginger as effective as ginger root?
Fresh ginger root has more benefits compared to ground ginger. Ground ginger may maintain its benefits depending on the shelf like it takes. Both its nutritional and organoleptic properties are lost over time.
Can you substitute fresh ginger for baked sweets?
While the consistency of whole ginger suits savory foods better, you can easily substitute fresh ginger with powdered for baked sweets. It helps round out the flavor when you make pumpkin pie, and gives gingersnap cookies just right amount of pinch.
What can I use instead of dried ginger?
For even more moistness and zing, use grated fresh ginger (3 tablespoons) in place of dried ginger. Mix the grated ginger in with the butter and molasses before adding it to the recipe. For a shot of heat, stir up to 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper into the dry ingredients.