6 Best Ways to Store and Freeze Ginger at Home

Ginger can be frozen and stored for longer whether it is grated, minced or pureed time. Ginger holds a great importance in the field of cooking across the world.

Whether it is grated or puréed, the refreshing taste and aroma of the freshly ground ginger makes every recipe lip-smacking.

Also, the juice of ginger is packed with nutrients and is very healthy for your digestive system. Such impactful reasons push us to freeze and store them in ample amounts so that we never run out of the stock.

It might also occur that you are not able to get a constant availability of fresh ginger at your disposal. If you live in colder climates getting fresh ginger is a boon.

In these aspects the only way to use ginger is in its frozen form. But, how do we freeze ginger? We will come back to this shortly.

The source of flavor and the characteristic aroma of ginger comes from its essential oils which are generally stored at the ginger root or rhizome.

This can stay intact even in the frozen form. Now, let us talk about the different techniques to freeze fresh ginger.

6 Ways to Freeze Fresh Ginger in The Freezer

1. How to Freeze and Store Whole Ginger

Often you need a very small bit of the raw ginger root just for the characteristic aroma in your dish. In such a situation, it is better to store the complete rhizome.

It is always better to clean the root thoroughly before storage. Wrap the complete root with aluminum foil or kitchen wrap tightly and put the wrapped root into an almost same size zipper bag.

Next, take out the maximum air possible from the bag and keep this in the freezer properly. It is a long lasting way of storing ginger and garlic alike you can store them for months.

2. How to Freeze Chopped Ginger Pieces

Chopped gingers are highly essential for cooking methods like baking or stir-frying. It is heavily used in Cantonese and Thai cuisine.

In this case, the ginger root can be peeled or unpeeled, depending on the requirements of your dish.

  • Chopping should be done into thumb sized pieces or small thin cubes. Place the chopped pieces inside a plastic bag that can be resealed or an airtight container.
  • Then keep the airtight bags inside the freezer for storage. The cut pieces can be stored up to three months.
  • It is an easy and hassle-free way of storing. You can use these cubes and turmeric for tea making and feel the freshness of all the ingredients. Even, ginger roots can be used for tea.

3. How to Store Grated/Minced Ginger

Grated or minced ginger is the base ingredient of the recipes where you do not want the complete bits of ginger yet you want the oomph and aroma of ginger’s essential oils.

Although storing ginger roots in this method can be a little hectic but it can come really handy at the time of cooking.

For this process, wash the rhizome thoroughly before grating it. Although peeling is optional, peeled and minced ginger lasts long in the freezer.

  • You can use a grater or a good processor for mincing the ginger. After this, you need to line up a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
  • Use a teaspoon to scoop up the minced ginger or a small ice cream scoop for this purpose.
  • Keep the scoops as evenly placed as possible on the baking sheet.
  • After that, place a plastic wrap on the sheet gently.
  • Let it freeze for some time until the scoops get hard-to-touch.
  • Place the scoops inside an airtight container or a plastic container and freeze it again to store the grated ginger.
  • You can use an ice tray or a normal plate as the medium as well.

4. How to Store Medallion Ginger

Medallion cut gingers are essential for Italian cooking. It is a preferable shape for preparing ginger pickle.

  • Although in order to have this signature shape you need to get a large sized ginger root which has enough surface area to cut.
  • Before cutting, never forget to peel it. Try to make a round sized cut for each small piece.
  • Put all the medallions into a small plastic zipper bag and take out all the air. Lastly, keep the bag inside the freezer.

5. Freezing Ginger Juice

Ginger juice is tremendously beneficial for health. It contains micro and macro nutrients along with essential oils.

In fact, ginger is one of the most nutritionally beneficial plants of the plant family. Freshly ground ginger juice is a blessing for your body in short.

You can store the juice in the freezer. Use ice trays and fill each chamber up with one to two teaspoons of fresh juice. After that you can freeze the tray for storage.

6. How to Freeze Ginger Paste

Ginger paste is another essential condiment of Southeast Asian cuisines. It is especially a staple in Indian and Thai food.

Besides, ginger garlic or plain ginger paste is needed for preparing most dishes. Now, with the never-ending hustle of daily life you might not have ample time to prepare ginger paste with a blender.

That is why, freezing the paste is a quick tip to enjoy the kick of flavor of those ginger rhizomes. The best way to store this ginger paste is to add the paste in a small bowl and use a clean film to wrap it and keep it inside the freezer.

It can hold up pretty nicely in this condition. But do not store a lump sum amount of paste as there might be chances of fermentation due to bacterial infection.

Let us be honest, frozen ginger in any shape or form can never bear the same amount of flavor profile, taste and smell compared to its fresh counterparts. This is because they lose nutrients and essential components. But you might not have a good flow of fresh ginger all the time. Under such a circumstance, frozen ginger may serve you the purpose of glorifying your dish by adding a rustic and zingy flavor to it.

How To Use Frozen Ginger in Recipes

 

 

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