How to Cut Ginger with Step-by-Step Instructions

Fresh ginger has a sweet and slightly peppery flavor, with a distinctive spicy aroma. Ginger can be used in so many ways, from curries and stir-fries to desserts and beverages and everything in between.

The fresh ginger that we buy at the grocery store is the root or rhizome of the ginger plant. Ginger belongs in the same family as turmeric and galangal. There are several ginger varieties. However, the type most often found at grocery stores has light brown skin and pale-yellow flesh.

The different ways to cut ginger 

Depending on what you are making, there are several ways to cut ginger.

• Slices or “coins” for making ginger-infused teas, syrups, or cold drinks
• Thin julienned slices (“matchsticks”) work well for stir-fries
• If you are adding ginger to your curry, you will want to dice it finely
• For sauces or a marinade, minced ginger is often best
• If you want to use fresh ginger in baked dishes, finely grated ginger will infuse flavor most evenly

The best way to peel ginger

Is with a spoon. Yes, a spoon. There are so many nooks and crannies on the average root of ginger. It can be tricky to navigate these with a sharp knife and come out of the experience unscathed. The papery, brown skin of the ginger root is not as hard as you might think. With the edge of a metal spoon, you can gently peel away the skin without losing much of the ginger. Use a spoon with a sharp edge rather than a rounded edge.

• Hold the ginger root in your non-dominant hand (your left hand if you are right-handed).
• Holding the spoon sideways with the bowl of the spoon in your other hand, scrape the side of the spoon across the surface of the ginger.
• Peel the skin off by working your way around the ginger with the side of the spoon.

If your piece of ginger root has been lying in the vegetable drawer a bit long, the skin might be too tough to peel with a metal spoon. In this case, go at it with a sharp paring knife instead.

Ginger does not keep well once peeled. Therefore, only peel as far up the root as you need to slice or grate.

Do you peel ginger before grating?

You don’t always need to peel ginger. Very young ginger has such soft, thin skin that you don’t need to peel the ginger at all. The peel of older ginger will be tougher. However, if you are going to be chopping or mincing the ginger very finely, you don’t need to peel it. Only peel the ginger if it is your preference or aesthetically necessary.

How to cut ginger for stir-fry

Paired with garlic and chili, ginger is a quintessential flavor in Asian-inspired stir-fry dishes. Ginger is quite fibrous and becomes more so with increasing age. To avoid having long fibers of ginger in your stir-fry, cut the ginger as follows:

• Using a large, sharp knife, cut slices of peeled ginger across the grain of the fibers (coins).
• Stack two or three coins of ginger on top of one another and then slice thinly so that the pieces of ginger resemble matchsticks.

How to cut ginger root for tea

Hot ginger tea with lemon and honey has long enjoyed a reputation for easing colds and sore throats. Ginger is also known to help with nausea, morning sickness, and motion sickness. When using ginger to make tea or other beverages, you don’t usually eat or chew on the actual ginger. So, you don’t have to peel the ginger.

• Rinse and scrub your ginger root.
• A one-inch piece of ginger will flavor one cup of tea.
• Slice the section of ginger into coins one-quarter inch thick or less.
• Add these slices to a mug of boiling water and allow them to steep for a few minutes.

How to grate ginger

Do you want just a spoonful of grated ginger for adding flavor to a sauce, or stir fry now and then? A helpful hint is to keep a piece of ginger wrapped in plastic wrap in the freezer. Take the ginger out of the freezer, then scrape a small section of the skin off. Next, using a grater or a micro-plane grater, grate the ginger across the fibers of the root. When done, place the rest of the ginger back in the freezer.

How to mince ginger root

Minced (or diced) ginger can flavor stir-fries, sauces, marinades, condiments, and curries.

• Start by peeling a piece of ginger that is enough for the recipe that you want to make.
• Slice the ginger into planks down the length of the piece of root that you have peeled.
• Stack three or four of these planks on top of one another and slice down the length again.
• Turn these matchsticks perpendicular to your knife blade and cut across the matchsticks to mince the ginger.

How to store cut ginger root

Ginger will be fine stored at room temperature on your kitchen counter for a few days. However, if you want to keep it for a longer time, wrap the ginger in a paper towel and store it in an airtight container in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Once your ginger is cut, you can store it in the refrigerator, but only for a short time. If you mean to keep it for some time, store it in an airtight container in the freezer.

Where to buy ginger root

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