Why You Should Be Freezing Ginger

Sometimes, cooking can be a serious hassle, but thankfully there are plenty of ways to streamline and meal prep for those busy days. For anyone who doesn't want to make whole meals ahead of time, there's another even easier option: freezing your ingredients. Freezing isn't just for leftovers or fruit for smoothies! Ingredients like ginger are great to have on hand and easy to freeze, why not save a batch? Ginger adds so much flavor to dishes and has incredible health benefits. By storing your ginger in the freezer, you'll no longer have to add it to your shopping list every time week. As a bonus, there will also be no more waste if you buy a larger chunk of ginger root!

The Washington Post says ginger lasts in the freezer for a year or more, so taking a few minutes to prep and stock up on your ginger supply is an obvious yes. Freezing ginger is a quick and easy process, so it's absolutely worth it.

According to The Spruce Eats, the first step to freezing ginger is getting a fresh root that is firm and doesn't have too many wrinkles. Then, you want to place the ginger in an airtight container or freezer bag. You don't have to peel the ginger or chop it up, but the outlet recommends cutting it up into smaller pieces. This is especially helpful if you know you'll need the ginger in a certain size (like one-inch pieces or diced) for a specific recipe.

Once you're ready to use your ginger, just take it out of the freezer to defrost. If you're blending the ginger into a juice, you can even use it still frozen! The Spruce Eats says it can be easier to grate frozen ginger than fresh, but you shouldn't slice your ginger until it thaws because it can difficult and dangerous since it's easier to cut yourself. Grating or mincing fresh ginger, portioning it out, and then freezing it is also an option, shares The Kitchn.

There are other ways to store and preserve ginger, so if your freezer is full, don't worry. One fun alternative for storing ginger is to soak it in spirits like vodka, sake, or rice wine (via All Recipes). No matter how you store your ginger, you'll be happy to have it at your fingertips.