How To Peel (And Everything Else) Ginger

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Ginger is easily one of the most flavorful ingredients in cooking. Even a tiny shaving of it causes an intense explosion of flavor when it hits the tongue. Adding some ground ginger to a recipe will create a strong and distinct flavor that will make eating the food a much more interesting experience.

The biggest downside of using ginger in your cooking, though, is that it’s very difficult to peel. That is, unless you know the proper techniques. In this post, I’ll explain the best ways to peel and prepare ginger, as well as answering some commonly asked questions about the fiery cooking ingredient.

About Ginger

Before we get into ways to prep ginger, let’s talk about what it even is and how to best use ginger in your cooking.

What is Ginger?

In this post, “ginger” will refer to what is actually the root of the ginger plant. The plant is used for decorative purposes in some tropical areas and its leaves are even used for a subtler ginger flavor in a few dishes, but the root is much more popular as a spice.

At first glance, the light brown root doesn’t look especially appetizing It’s usually gnarled and lumpy, and it divides into branches like an old oak tree. But cut through the thin layer of papery skin that makes up the ginger flesh and you’ll reach the firm, crunchy, cream-colored inside. The inside is just slightly moist, like most roots. It is also incredibly aromatic and flavorful.

What is Ginger Used for?

Ginger is used heavily in nearly every cuisine in the world as a flavoring for meats, vegetables, and sauces. You’re likely to find ginger used in any recipe using complex flavors, whether it’s dessert or entree, dinner or brunch, hot or cold, Eastern or Western, simple or extremely complex.

Some notable examples of dishes that use ginger as a centerpoint include:

• Ginger cake
• Curries
• Ginger tea
• Ginger snap cookies
• Fried rice with ginger (one of my favorites!)
• Many savory soups and stews
• Ginger pudding
• Stir fries
• Beverages such as ginger ale
• Many cocktails

Pickled ginger is also a great topping for many recipes, especially Asian-inspired ones!

Do You Really Need to Peel Ginger?

No. Believe it or not, ginger skin is not harmful in any way. In fact, it has some health benefits. The only reason not to leave the skin on the ginger when chopping or grating it is because of its texture.

But to be honest, the texture of ripe ginger is quite soft, like the skin of a ripe potato. The skin of old ginger is harder, but that just means you should pick out ripe ginger at the store.

Peeling with a Spoon

If you really feel more comfortable peeling your ginger, the easy way to do it is actually by using a spoon and nothing else. Just follow these steps:

Step 1. Hold the unpeeled ginger firmly in one hand and the spoon in the other. Make sure the bowl of the spoon is facing you.

Step 2. Place the edge of the spoon’s bowl on the ginger’s papery skin.

Step 3. Drag the edge of the spoon down the skin of the ginger, applying enough pressure to break through the skin and use the spoon as a peeler.

Step 4. Gently “rotate” around the ginger with the spoon, keeping pressure applied. This is where the curvature of the spoon as opposed to something flat like a pairing knife comes in handy, because it makes it easier to peel in a circular motion.

Step 5. Peel only what you think you’ll use. If you’re only going to use a fifth of the chunk of ginger, then only peel a fifth of it and store the rest for next time. Peeled ginger starts to lose flavor quickly unless used immediately.

Slicing, Julienne, Chopping, and Mincing Ginger

If the recipe you’re using calls for sliced, julienned, chopped, or minced ginger, follow these steps:

Step 1. Peel the ginger. Again, this is optional. If the ginger is fresh, it shouldn’t really matter in terms of health or taste unless you really hate the idea of unpeeled ginger.

Step 2. Slice the ginger into very thin rounds. Make sure to cut against the grain to release all the flavor in the ginger. If you’re making ginger slivers, you’re done!

FOR JULIENNED, CHOPPED, OR MINCED GINGER: Stack the rounds and slice them into tiny matchstick-shaped pieces by cutting through the entire stack at once. That’s it if you’re making julienned ginger.

FOR CHOPPED OR MINCED GINGER: Line up the ginger matchsticks and make crosswise cuts. If you’re chopping the ginger, you’re done.

FOR MINCED GINGER: Using a rocking motion, repeatedly run the knife blade over your chopped ginger until you cannot cut the pieces any smaller. Voila! Diced ginger.

Grating Ginger

To grate ginger, use an entire root of it. Grate the part you want to use in your recipe by running it up and down a microplane grater. Again, it’s perfectly fine to grate the skin along with the ginger. Just make sure to only grate as much as you want to use, because grated ginger goes bad very quickly even if properly stored.

Storing Ginger

To store ginger, just wrap the part of the root you don’t want to use in plastic so it is airtight and put it in the freezer. When you are ready to use it again, take it out of the freezer, unwrap it, and give it a few minutes to thaw before cutting it.

Remember, you can’t store ginger that has already been peeled or else it will lose its flavor. So make sure not to peel the part of the root you’re not using if you insist on peeling ginger at all!

A Ginger-ly Conclusion

Ginger really is an incredible food. It goes well with so many flavor profiles, and it’s so easy to prep if you know how to do it correctly. I hope this short guide will help you to more easily and successfully use ginger in your recipes.