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Used to add a subtle, warming hint of spice to both sweet and savory dishes, fresh ginger is one of those irreplaceable ingredients you should always have on hand. Though the powdered version of the spice tends to be a common pantry staple, there's simply no competing with the real (read: fresh) thing. So it's important to learn exactly how to store ginger for best results.

To keep ginger at its freshest, leave the skin on during storage. And really, there's no need to peel ginger at all before adding it to your food—just give it a wash. Though fresh ginger is simple to peel with a spoon, it's a completely unnecessary step, so avoid food waste and stop peeling your ginger! Now that your life is a million times easier, invest in a nice knobby piece of ginger.

If you're going to use a knob of ginger later today or tomorrow, the uncut and unpeeled root can absolutely sit out on the counter for a day or so. Like most sturdy produce, it'll be just fine in a nice airy basket or on a plate.

If it takes you a bit longer to go through a piece of ginger, it should be stored in the fridge, skin-on (it'll last even longer in a zip-top bag). You can keep it in the fridge up to a month, as long as you check on it sporadically to make sure it's still firm and isn't growing mold. Same goes for when you've cut off a piece of the root: just wrap it tightly in a zip-top bag and refrigerate.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

To keep fresh ginger on hand practically forever, store the root in the freezer. You can pop the whole thing in a freezer-safe bag or container, or cut it into 1-inch pieces first. When you're ready to use it in a recipe, simply grate frozen ginger with a microplane until you have the desired amount—frozen ginger is actually easier to grate than fresh ginger! (This is basically the easiest way to mince ginger.) However, if you need sliced ginger for a recipe, you can defrost it by removing from the freezer a few hours in advance, or using the defrost setting on your microwave.

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