Can you eat ginger skin?
In this brief guide, we will answer the question, “Can you eat ginger skin?”. Moreover, we will discuss when to peel ginger, how to use ginger with its skin in different recipes, and how to wash ginger when consuming it with the skin.
Read on to know the reasons why you do not have to peel ginger.
Can you eat ginger skin?
Yes, you can eat ginger skin. Ginger skin is completely safe to eat. In fact, it is high in fibre, so deciding whether or not to peel it or not is a personal preference.
The skin of fresh ginger is thin, smooth and has a dull shine. But when the rhizomes mature, they lose moisture and shrink, and their peel becomes more thick and woody.
Ginger
Ginger comes from the rhizome of a flowering plant, Zingiber officinale. The sharp taste of fresh ginger develops from gingerol that converts into the sweeter zingerone when heated or dried, making ginger an exceptionally varied ingredient.
When and how to remove ginger skin
It is best to remove the skin when the ginger starts to wilt and wither, and also if it exhibits visible indications of mould growth. At this point, the best tool for peeling the skin is a small, sharpened knife. Whereas, when the ginger is fresh and the skin is thin, you can use a regular peeler to peel it.
Removing ginger skin is tiresome and time-consuming. Also, using a large vegetable peeler may take much of the tender ginger flesh off with the skin. Alternatively, use a spoon to lightly scrape off just the skin. A spoon’s rounded shape gets into the holes and crevices better than a peeler and saves more of the pulp for cooking.
Peel on or off
Whether the peel needs to be removed or not depends on the way you will be using it. If you are making tea, drinks, tonics, smoothies or marinade, you can add ginger along with its skin.
Whereas if the ginger has to be marinated, pickled or shredded and cooked as a garnish to the main dish, it is usually skinned to give the ginger a better representation.
Reasons why you do not have to peel ginger
The exterior skin of ginger is so thin that once it is cooked, you can not even find out if it was peeled or not.
It also conserves your valuable cooking time (and your fingers from getting cut incidentally).
Leaving the skin on lessens food garbage as you are using the entire ginger. You will unavoidably waste quite good parts of ginger meat while skinning.
If it is a concern of cleanliness for you, just properly wash the ginger before using it.
How to wash ginger
When you have decided to use the ginger with the skin on, you will have to ensure proper cleaning of the ginger since you will be using the entire root (as you never know how many people have touched it before you had placed it in your purchasing cart). Follow the steps below:
- Separate or slice off the quantity of ginger you require for your recipe.
- Rinse the ginger under warm tap water, while rubbing the skin with your hands.
- Use a vegetable brush to scrub the surface and eliminate any residual dirt or bacteria.
- Wipe it off and it is set to use.
Three ways to store ginger
You can store fresh ginger in multiple ways, depending on how and when you plan to use the ginger:
Counter: If you are intending to use the entire ginger in a few days, then you can keep the ginger in a cold, shaded place, for instance, on your kitchen countertop away from the sunlight.
Refrigerator: Store the ginger in a resealable plastic bag or an airtight container, and place the bag in a cool drawer. When correctly stored, ginger can remain fresh for more than a month in the fridge. Peeled ginger will only last about 2 to 3 weeks, so the best way to store ginger in the refrigerator is to keep it with the skin.
Pickling: Fresh ginger can also be pickled. Peel the ginger skin with a vegetable peeler, then cut it into thin slices. Place the ginger slice in a glass jar filled with an equal concentration of vinegar, sugar, and water (you can adjust this mixture according to your taste). Keep pickled ginger in the fridge for up to 2 months.
Other FAQs about Ginger that you may be interested in.
How to counteract too much ginger?
How to know if ginger is spoiled?
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we have answered the question, “Can you eat ginger skin?”. Moreover, we have discussed when to peel ginger, how to use ginger with its skin in different recipes, how to wash ginger when consuming it with the skin and the reasons why you do not have to peel ginger.
