Fresh ginger is the secret to who knows how many amazing recipes. However, to stop it from going off after using it once, how can you store your fresh ginger for future cooking?
For more tips on how to store food correctly, why not learn How to Store Cilantro? Or find out How to Roast Garlic to use in your next dinner recipe.
How To Store Fresh Ginger
Though not extremely common in Western cuisine, fresh ginger is a critical ingredient in all kinds of Asian recipes.
With a unique flavor and an amazing ability to affect the flavor of anything that it is paired with, fresh ginger is an amazing addition to any home kitchen.
However, most recipes really only call for a very small knob of ginger, but you can only really buy them in large chunks.
So what are you supposed to do with all of that leftover ginger? Instead of letting it rot in your fridge, why not try and store it for later?
How Long Does Fresh Ginger Keep?
Fresh ginger can actually keep a pretty long time if stored in your fridge, as long as you store it properly.
The key to storing fresh ginger in your fridge is to keep it in your crisper drawer in the fridge and to make sure that it is not kept within the plastic bag that it probably came in.
If kept properly, you can expect your ginger to keep for up to a couple of months – however, the longer it sits in the fridge for more than a couple of months, expect the skin to start to dry out and the ginger to slowly shrink through dehydration. This concentrates the flavor but also makes it a bit harder to cut up and prepare for any dish.
However, there is likely no way you will be able to use up any amount of ginger in just a couple of months, so how can you store it for longer?
How To Store Fresh Ginger In The Freezer
Probably the best way to store ginger for longer term use is to keep it in the freezer.
Though the risk of freezer burn is always prevalent, the freezer is the best way to keep your ginger usable for years at a time.
To keep it usable, you need to store it in a freezer safe, resealable container.
Whenever you want to use it, you just need to take it out of the freezer and grate it straight from frozen.
There is no need to defrost it – in fact, if you let your frozen ginger defrost, it will basically melt and fall apart due to all of the water content of the ginger leeching out.
To get it ready for cooking, use a microplane or a grater to break the ginger apart as you need simply, and then store what is leftover in the freezer.
How To Store Fresh Minced Ginger
If you want a more uniform, easily accessible source of ginger for use in cooking, you can always cut and dice your fresh ginger and then freeze the individual pieces of minced ginger in the freezer.
The best way to freeze those little bits of minced ginger is to store the minced ginger in ice cube trays.
As long as you make sure that the ice cube trays are clean, then you will end up with little cubes of ready-made fresh ginger that you can pop out and then add to any recipe you wish to use.
In fact, the cubes of frozen ginger can be added without even defrosting them, as they will likely melt and break apart in a hot pan within only a few seconds.
The Best Way To Store Fresh Ginger: In The Dirt
This idea might seem a little bit strange, but one great way to store your ginger is to simply stick it in some dirt.
Whether by submerging it in a pot of soil, or even a pot of sand, your ginger will then take root and slowly grow in the dirt, allowing for it to easily sit there without going off.
As long as you use it within about 6 months to prevent it from starting to send out green shoots, you can easily store your ginger, and, as long as you clean it really carefully after “harvesting” it, you can have some perfectly fresh ginger, as well as feeling like a bit of a gardener as well.
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How to store fresh ginger
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 resealable freezer container
Instructions
Freezing Whole Ginger
- To keep it usable, you need to store it in a freezer safe, resealable container. Whenever you want to use it, you just need to take it out of the freezer and grate it straight from frozen.
Freezing Diced Ginger
- The best way to freeze those little bits of minced ginger is to store the minced ginger in ice cube trays. As long as you make sure that the ice cube trays are clean, then you will end up with little cubes of ready-made diced fresh ginger to throw in any dish.
In the Dirt
- Whether by submerging it in a pot of soil, or even a pot of sand, your ginger will then take root and slowly grow in the dirt, allowing for it to easily sit there without going off. As long as you use it within about 4-6 months to prevent it from starting to send out green shoots, you can easily store your ginger this way making it last longer.
Maggie Greif says
Dear Karlynn,
Another easy way of storing and preserving ginger is to peel it, slice it — or cut it in chunks or in other large pieces — and store in container, covered with dry sherry. It lasts in the refrigerator for ages!
Karlynn Johnston says
That sounds really interesting!