Food For Thought Friday – How to Use Fresh Ginger

As I try to trim the fat and calories from my diet, I find myself using more spices to kick up the flavor.  A spice that I’ve used sparingly (mostly in the dried form) in the past is ginger.  In my Asian Lettuce Wraps, the recipe called for fresh ginger.  I’ve used this once or twice before but actually found it quite intimidating, after all, its a big ‘ole root and not too pretty.  So, I pulled out my trusty “Tips Cooks Love” book by Rick Rodgers and this is what I found out how to use fresh ginger.

• Instead of mincing the ginger, use a box grater or a microplane.  You don’t even have to peel the ginger and the grater will remove the tough fibers on the ginger.
• Don’t whip out that knive to peel ginger, use the tip of a dessert spoon (it has an ovoid tip instead of round tip) to scrape the skin off.  It will be easier to get into the small places.
• Need to chop crystallized ginger?  Spray your knife with a non-stick cooking spray such as Pam.  Crystallized ginger is super sticky and this will help keep it from sticking to your knife.  Or, if the recipe also calls for sugar, put some sugar with the ginger in a food processor.  The sugar will coat the ginger and keep it from sticking.

Know that you know how to use fresh ginger be sure to check out these great recipes that call for fresh ginger:
Fresh Ginger Cookies
Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Peach-Ginger Chutney
Mango Salad with Ginger-Raisin Vinaigrette

Enjoy!