Does Ginger Go Bad?
Naomi Lynne Pardue
ginger, but didn't need anything else, so couldn't see sending in
an order. So I picked up some ground ginger at one of the local
alternative groceries. When I opened the package (it was packaged
in one of those flat, round, plastic boxes), it smelled really
musty. I know that old spices can lose their potency, but I've
never run across this problem before. Anyone else?
(Yeah, I'll probably return it, though I think I already threw out
the receipt.)
Naomi
Dennis P. Harris
Pardue <npa...@steel.ucs.indiana.edu> wrote:
> I usually buy my spices from Penzy, but I was running real low on
> ginger, but didn't need anything else, so couldn't see sending in
> an order. So I picked up some ground ginger at one of the local
> alternative groceries.
why would anyone use dried ginger these days, when fresh ginger
seems to be available almost everywhere?
Naomi Lynne Pardue
Because I don't always have fresh ginger on hand. (Becuase fresh ginger
DOES go bad.) Because sometimes I'm in a hurry and don't feel
like grating fresh giner. Becuase, in many recipes, powdered ginger
works just fine.
Naomi
Rhonda Anderson
news:cgisttguqvaib02l4...@4ax.com:
You use ground ginger in different ways to fresh ginger. I can't imagine
making gingernut biscuits or ginger cake with fresh ginger.
--
Rhonda Anderson
Penrith, NSW, Australia
Michael Edelman
And you can freeze it. Ground ginger goes bad very fast. That's true of
most any powdered spice, owing to the high ratio of surface area to
mass. It's best to keep things like nutmeg whole and grate or crush them
as needed. About the only thing that doesn't seem to lose flavor quickly
is turmeric.
--
-----------------------------------
Michael Edelman m...@spamcop.net
http://www.foldingkayaks.org
http://www.findascope.com
PENMART01
NO_SPAM_T...@gci.net (Dennis P. Harris) writes:
>Naomi Lynne
>Pardue <npa...@steel.ucs.indiana.edu> wrote:
>
>> I usually buy my spices from Penzy, but I was running real low on
>> ginger, but didn't need anything else, so couldn't see sending in
>> an order. So I picked up some ground ginger at one of the local
>> alternative groceries.
>
>why would anyone use dried ginger these days, when fresh ginger
>seems to be available almost everywhere?
Duh. . . BAKING ! ! !
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Naomi Lynne Pardue
> And you can freeze it. Ground ginger goes bad very fast. That's true of
> most any powdered spice, owing to the high ratio of surface area to
> mass. It's best to keep things like nutmeg whole and grate or crush them
> as needed. About the only thing that doesn't seem to lose flavor quickly
> is turmeric.
Ok. I've never had powdered ginger go bad in my kitchen. (After several
months, it smells fine, and tastes fine.) And, while
other spices may lose stegnth over time, I've never had one spoil.
And THAT is my question. Does ground, dried giner actually SPOIL? And
if so, how long must it have been sitting on the store shelf for this
to happen? (I shop very selectively at this store, since they DO often
sell expired merchandaise...)
Naomi
John P. Nyberg
try taking a hand of fresh ginger, peeling it, cutting it into pieces the
size of your thumb and storing it in a sealed jar full of cooking sherry.
It'll last months and months if kept in the fridge, then all you have to do
is slice or grate whatever you need. There's little or no taste of the
sherry, either.
PENMART01
>Ok. I've never had powdered ginger go bad in my kitchen. (After several
>months, it smells fine, and tastes fine.) And, while
>other spices may lose stegnth over time, I've never had one spoil.
>And THAT is my question. Does ground, dried giner actually SPOIL? And
>if so, how long must it have been sitting on the store shelf for this
>to happen? (I shop very selectively at this store, since they DO often
>sell expired merchandaise...)
From your original description you have no sure way of knowing what you bought
(could easily be a 50/50 blend of ginger and cornstarch), perhaps not any
ginger at all. And yes, ground ginger can spoil, anything can spoil. Ground
ginger is inexpensive, buy new... and this time from a reliable source.
PENMART01
>try taking a hand of fresh ginger, peeling it, cutting it into pieces the
>size of your thumb and storing it in a sealed jar full of cooking sherry.
>It'll last months and months if kept in the fridge, then all you have to do
>is slice or grate whatever you need. There's little or no taste of the
>sherry, either.
And what if one wants to bake traditional gingerbread, ginger snaps, spice
cake, etc.... guess acording to your feeble pinhead they're phucked, eh?
Christian Wilms
Strange, was it just me, or did you forget a line? How about this one:
>>Certainly there are times when powdered ginger is perfect
So John was just offering a tip on how to preserve fresh ginger which
does go better with asian cooking.
> And what if one wants to bake traditional gingerbread, ginger snaps, spice
> cake, etc.... guess acording to your feeble pinhead they're phucked, eh?
Well, then one takes powdered ginger. Just as John said, there are
times, when that's perfect :-)
Chris
--
Chr. Wilms (mel...@gmx.de)
Tammy McNiff
:> On 30 Oct 2001 01:02:29 GMT in rec.food.cooking, Naomi Lynne
:> Pardue <npa...@steel.ucs.indiana.edu> wrote:
:>
:>> I usually buy my spices from Penzy, but I was running real low on
:>> ginger, but didn't need anything else, so couldn't see sending in
:>> an order. So I picked up some ground ginger at one of the local
:>> alternative groceries.
:>
:> why would anyone use dried ginger these days, when fresh ginger
:> seems to be available almost everywhere?
Rhonda Anderson <schuma...@bigpond.com> wrote:
: You use ground ginger in different ways to fresh ginger. I can't imagine
: making gingernut biscuits or ginger cake with fresh ginger.
: --
: Rhonda Anderson
: Penrith, NSW, Australia
Here's a great recipe that uses both! And also uses crystalized Ginger.
Recipe given to me by Jean B. here on rfc :-)
Triple Ginger Cookies
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons crushed gingerroot
3 ounces crystallized ginger, chopped
Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the
molasses and then the egg. In a separate bowl, sift the
flour, ground ginger, baking soda and salt. Stir the dry
ingredients into the butter. Mix with a wooden spoon until
blended. Add the gingerroot and crystallized ginger and stir
until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or
overnight.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls
and place about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake until browned, about 10 minutes.
Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes approx. 5 dozen
S. Wan
fresh ginger cake and gingersnap cookies. And I think they have better
ginger flavor than the ones that use ground ginger.
If you're lazy like me, there's still a simple way to keep fresh ginger a
bit longer in the refrigerator. I wrap fresh ginger in paper towel and keep
in a tightened plastic bag or ziploc and then put it in the veggie drawer.
It will keep a couple weeks this way. And I never buy big chunk of ginger
from the grogery store, just enough for me to get by a week or two.
Dennis P. Harris
<wa...@westat.com> wrote:
> As a matter of fact, I do have baking recipes that call for fresh ginger -
> fresh ginger cake and gingersnap cookies. And I think they have better
> ginger flavor than the ones that use ground ginger.
>
it's easy to substitute fresh grated ginger for dried powdered
ginger, and most baked goods taste better with fresh ginger.
Dennis P. Harris
penm...@aol.como (PENMART01) wrote:
> >why would anyone use dried ginger these days, when fresh ginger
> >seems to be available almost everywhere?
>
> Duh. . . BAKING ! ! !
>
ground ginger works just fine in baking. as a matter of fact,
gingerbread made with fresh ginger usually tastes better!
Dennis P. Harris
Nyberg" <jp...@n-jcenter.com> wrote:
> Certainly there are times when powdered ginger is perfect, but you might
> try taking a hand of fresh ginger, peeling it, cutting it into pieces the
> size of your thumb and storing it in a sealed jar full of cooking sherry.
> It'll last months and months if kept in the fridge, then all you have to do
> is slice or grate whatever you need. There's little or no taste of the
> sherry, either.
>
another good way to preserve ginger root is to plant it in a
flower pot full of sand, and water it. it will probably sprout,
and may even bloom, but that's ok. you can dig it up, cut off
what you need, and bury it again.
you want to use clean sand, however, so you don't have any e-coli
contaning soil. you can use a little liquid fish fertilizer if
you want to actually grow more ginger in the pot.
GaryO
> "Dennis P. Harris" wrote:
>
> > On 30 Oct 2001 01:02:29 GMT in rec.food.cooking, Naomi Lynne
> > Pardue <npa...@steel.ucs.indiana.edu> wrote:
> >
> > > I usually buy my spices from Penzy, but I was running real low on
> > > ginger, but didn't need anything else, so couldn't see sending in
> > > an order. So I picked up some ground ginger at one of the local
> > > alternative groceries.
> >
> > why would anyone use dried ginger these days, when fresh ginger
> > seems to be available almost everywhere?
>
> And you can freeze it. Ground ginger goes bad very fast. That's true of
> most any powdered spice, owing to the high ratio of surface area to
> mass. It's best to keep things like nutmeg whole and grate or crush them
> as needed. About the only thing that doesn't seem to lose flavor quickly
> is turmeric.
Yep. Freezing is the best way to store ginger. The original poster
probably bought expired goods. Some low volume markets often have
this problem.
GaryO
trac...@pacbell.net
ruth
>
>
> You use ground ginger in different ways to fresh ginger. I can't imagine
> making gingernut biscuits or ginger cake with fresh ginger.
>
> --
> Rhonda Anderson
> Penrith, NSW, Australia
you can get ginger graters from asian stores. they left all the stringy
bits on the top, and you get a lovely ginger liquid down below. I
haven't heard of ginger going off, but it sure does dry out and get
yucky pucky
--
::::~~~~rOOth~~~~::::
notley37
Arri London
Ginger cake with a bit of fresh ginger added along with the
preserved ginger is great. But then I really like ginger.
Fred Williams
ru...@zip.com.au says...
and cut the ginger into chunks. Then I put the chunks
into a suitably sized jar with white wine and keep it
in the fridge. Yes, the ginger will take on the
flavour of the wine, but in the dishes I use it for
this is usually a plus, or not noticeable. It keeps
for months like this.
--
Regards,
Fred Williams
(Uncle Fred)
Judith Moore
useless (for normal fresh ginger purposes); powdered ginger in a spice jar
lasts for a long, long time.
Naomi Lynne Pardue
The original question was from me. I'd bought some powdered ginger
at one of the local ethnic groceries. (I usually buy it from Penzey, but
was running low and didn't need enough other stuff to make an order
yet.) When I opened the package, it smelled very odd; musty and sour, and
NOTHING like ginger. I wondered if it had gone bad.
Naomi
EHS
Powdered Ginger goes off really fast. It's a dried product derived from
an ingredient that is best used fresh. I only buy it in small quantities
to be used immediately.
Ellen
blake murphy
<fred.will...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> I preserve ginger root for later use. I peel
>and cut the ginger into chunks. Then I put the chunks
>into a suitably sized jar with white wine and keep it
>in the fridge. Yes, the ginger will take on the
>flavour of the wine, but in the dishes I use it for
>this is usually a plus, or not noticeable. It keeps
>for months like this.
>
>--
>Regards,
>Fred Williams
>(Uncle Fred)
people also use sherry. shouldn't it be a high-alcohol wine, in any
case?
your pal,
blake
Judith Moore
I generally think of "gone bad" as decayed or moldy. If the container was
air-tight, it probably started off bad. I usually sniff herbs and spices before
using. And sprinkle a little in my hand before shaking into food. There seem to
be tiny "spice bugs" that maybe are part of the original packaging (?) that
show up from time to time. It's really hard to generalize about these things.
I have a 25-yr-old box of cloves that I keep trying to throw out, but when I
open the box, there appears to be no decrease in strong clove smell (and no
bugs!) Dill seems to rather quickly go from a flavorful herb to dried grass
clippings. Dried powdered ginger, kept away from heat and humidity, ought to
last quite a while, but I rarely use it, so couldn't be sure.
PENMART01
>Dried powdered ginger, kept away from heat and humidity, ought to
>last quite a while, but I rarely use it, so couldn't be sure.
If you rarely use it and could not be sure, then why are you commenting on
something which you obviously, by your own admission, know virtually nothing
about... have you nothing more worthwhile to do with your life?!?!? If I
didn't know better (you have titties) I'd swear you are "the weenie".
Ground ginger is no exception, all spices (not allspice... well, yes, allspice
too), once ground, deteriorate rather rapidly relative to when in their whole
spice state. Do not purchase larger quantities of any ground spice than you
can be reasonably assured of using within a year... dried herbs and most
seasoning blends, within six months.