The Easiest Way to Grate Ginger

published Aug 17, 2015
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(Image credit: Christine Gallary)

I love always having fresh ginger around to add a spicy kick to sweets or depth to savory foods, but I don’t always use it up. Another thing that annoys me is when I grate ginger, there are usually lots of stringy bits that don’t break up in the grater, and I’m left with weird pulpy bits. Here’s a trick that solves both problems!

We’ve shared how to store fresh ginger and how to freeze already-grated ginger so you’re never without this flavorful root, but we recently came across a great tip about grating whole pieces of frozen ginger. In her recipe for Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice with Kalua Pork, Michelle Tam shares:

I always keep a large knob of ginger on hand in my freezer. It keeps really well. When I need to use it, I take it out of the freezer, peel off the skin with my vegetable peeler, and Microplane it. It’s almost like making ginger-flavored shaved ice.

I gave it a try and was amazed! Using my Microplane, the ginger easily grated into a fluffy pile with little effort, and I wasn’t left with a stump of fibrous ginger bits.

I also like her tip about peeling with a vegetable peeler, as my usual method of using a spoon didn’t work with the frozen ginger.

Now I can always enjoy the taste of fresh ginger and grate just what I need anytime, plus I know the ginger will be perfectly minced into tiny, even pieces!

More on Storing and Freezing Ginger