Ginger in the Freezer

Two whole pieces of ginger sitting on a dark wood surface

Freezing minced ginger is a convenience I adore, especially when it comes time to actually add it to a recipe.  When it comes to adding a distinct flavour, you can’t beat ginger, and it is one ingredient that I would not substitute.  It adds such a wonderful earthy flavour with a little kick. The flavour is unmistakable.

I first tried this when I was taking an Indian cooking course.  I was searching for other Indian recipes and came across a post about freezing it.  I didn’t read the post, I didn’t need to.  I could easily imagine how it would work.  In the class, we used so much ginger and garlic that I can still hear the chef telling us to add the ginger and garlic like it was one word – “gingergarlic.”  When making the dishes at home, I started chopping the two together in my mini food processor.

That was in small quantities, for each recipe.  Now, I was going to go big.  Buy a big bag of ginger and chop more than just a tablespoon at a time.  I was going to chop enough to fill a resealable plastic bag.  No, not bulging full.  I don’t use it that much.  More like a flat sheet of it, maybe a centimetre thick.  Flat, because it would fit very nicely in my freezer. 

I peel the ginger.  You don’t have to, especially if it’s young, and fresh.  But who knows how long it has been sitting at the grocery store.  I want to make sure that there aren’t any bad spots starting under the skin, or if it is quite old, the skin can be a little bitter.  I live an a fairly remote rural area and bought it at the local store.  It could be quite old.  Also, I like to try recipes and where I might want a really smooth result, no skin is better.  I am wanting it for multiple purpose use.

After peeling the ginger, if desired, chop in to 1/2 inch pieces and place in the food processor. Pulse until the ginger is chopped into small pieces, about 1 minute.

Main Reasons for Mincing and Chopping Ginger

1. Availability.  I like to be a bit spontaneous in my cooking and as a result have a very well stocked pantry.  It might be weeks between wanting to use ginger.  While it does last quite a while fresh, there is no guarantee it will be when you want it.  I can’t count the number of times I have found a small bit of shrivelled up ginger in my fridge that I forgot about.

   
   

2. Reduces Waste.  Often you get ginger in fairly large pieces, and often you get more than you need.  It’s pretty hard to judge how much ginger to buy for 1 tbsp on granted or minced ginger.  Even if you don’t do a big batch like this, you can easily freeze your leftovers for later use. 

3. Convenience.  When you are preparing a meal, it’s one less thing to chop, since it’s already done.  For me, that’s my laziness showing, but I am also quite pleased with myself when I can make a recipe fairly quickly because some of the ingredients are already prepared.

4. Speeds up Prep Work. Being able to do larger amounts in the food processor is much faster than mincing It with a knife, and it’s cleaner than using a grater.  When I use a grater, I don’t always feel that I get as much and it’s not easy to get it off the grater.

5. You only need to wash the equipment used for chopping or grating once instead of for each recipe and I’m all for that. The fewer dishes I generate when cooking the better.

I like to freeze it in a freezer bag, flat, about ½ an inch or a cm thick.  I also prefer to use the freezer with my fridge.  It doesn’t get as cold as my deep freezer.  That way, I can  just break off how much I need, estimating the amount. 

You can also freeze it in 1 tbsp amounts, using an ice cube tray.  Once frozen, transfer the ginger “cubes” to a resealable bag them and return them to the freezer.  Just take out a cube at a time, as needed. 

 Let me know in the comments if you have ever frozen ginger and how much you usually do.