Older recipes often called for powdered ginger because it was more generally available, especially in small towns. Even today many stores in rural areas simply don't carry items like fresh ginger. And for some purposes (i.e. as an amendment to bread dough) you need the powdered form.

Carol

Most of the time (the exception being baking, as Carol mentions) you sure can use the fresh. It doesn't take long for powdered ginger to develop a metallic "off" flavor. I don't care for it myself.

And someone here (Linda, maybe?) gave me the great tip years ago to peel the root, wrap it in plastic and pop it in the freezer. No molded ginger, and it grates easily with the good ol' Mircoplane while still frozen. :)

Also, The Ginger People does make a shelf stable ginger juice now that tastes like fresh without the scrapped knuckles.

Ginger also keeps quite well pre-grated and frozen. Place the grated ginger in a zip lock bag, and spread it out into a thin square,filling the corners of the bag and pushing as much air out as you can. Frozen like this, it is easy to break of small amounts as you need.

I'm not crazy about the flavor of ginger powder myself. I have noticed in an Asian market I frequent, whole peeled, dried ginger roots, and I wonder if those could be ground in a spice or coffee grinder into a powder as you need them, and if that would cut down on that odd flavor the powder gets?

I may try them, or dry some ginger slices in my dehydrator to use in that way to see if the flavor is better.

I peel my ginger (unless it's very young) and immerse it in sherry. Refrigerated it keeps very well and the gingered sherry is also a great ingredient for marinades and stir-fry.

Carol

I froze my ginger for a while, then decided I really prefer using it fresh. The ginger in sherry sounds like an idea I'd like to try.

Beanthere, I haven't seen the ginger juice in stores here. What is it located near and does it taste as good as ginger?

I freeze ginger before peeling it, and I found that it peels more easily after it is frozen. It's also easier to grate and/or slice when frozen, although it does make my fingers cold. Fresh ginger is really preferable to dried ginger in desserts or cookies, especially in pumpkin pie. You have to get used to adjusting the quantities, however.

If you don't have sherry, you can preserve ginger in vodka as well. I buy ginger paste in a jar at an Indian or Lebanese market, and it is very cheap and is good for putting into curries. I wouldn't use it in desserts, but it's perfectly good for stir fries and soups. It contains salt and acetic acid, and so you can only use it in recipes where those ingredients are not a problem.

You can buy ginger in a tube at your local Japanese market, along with wasabi in a tube. They keep extremely well, but are a lot more expensive than what comes in a jar.

Lars

Here is a link that might be useful: Oroshi-Shoga, ginger paste in a tube

To my taste buds, there is a vast difference in taste between fresh ginger and powdered ginger. Since I grow my own ginger, I've got the best of 2 worlds - I can dry and powder my own if I want to. And oh boy IS there a taste difference even in my own dried ginger from that of the bought stuff! Even that flavour deteriorates quite quickly.

Yes, you can use fresh ginger just about anywhere dried ginger is called for - as long as you don't mind 'lumps'. If you grate it finely, or even put it through your food processor, the lumps will be less noticeable. You'll need to do a taste-test, however, of things like cookie batter to get the amount of ginger just right for your taste.

Or you could make Ginger Syrup and use that. See the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: ginger syrup

I've bought dried ginger from Penzey's (it keeps forever) & grate it when I need the powder; it's far superior to the grocery store, ground variety.

I have ginger paste and ginger juice but mostly I use the dried ginger from Penzey's too (can't always find decent fresh ginger here).

I've also heard you can plant fresh roots in a pot of soil, water it once in awhile and dig it up whenever you need it. hmmmmm....

I'll have to try storing it in sherry....we do a lot of marinades. Might even try it with some of the dried. I made a ginger, garlic and peppercorn vinegar once. That was pretty yummy in marinades and salad dressings.

Ginger is very easy to grow if you have the right climate - it's a tropical plant, so it needs heat. You need to know whether the ginger you buy from the supermarket has been sprayed with growth-retardant to prevent it from germinating, however. It's a common practice. The root is harvested (at least here in the subtropics) once the leaves die down for winter - it takes about 6 months for the root to mature. I always break off small pieces with at least 2 'eyes' and replant them at harvesting time. I don't get ginger over winter, so I need to either freeze or dry what I get.

If you like galangal, treat it in exactly the same way as ginger.

Beverly - It's usually in the baking area. I've also seen it at Cost Plus. And, yes, to me it tastes like fresh ginger.

As for the dry ginger, I was referring to Penzey and The Spice House level spices. I haven't bought McCormick or that ilk in many years. And, no, I don't agree; they don't "keep forever". No spice or herb does, and while many simply fade away, so develop an "off" flavor.