Step 1

Peeling Ginger with a SpoonHold a piece of ginger root firmly in one hand and the bowl of a metal spoon firmly in the other hand. (Note that you can also just break a lobe off of the ginger and peel only that.) Scrape the edge of the spoon against the ginger to peel off the skin. Work your way around the ginger root, peeling only as much as you think you will use. (The ginger will last longer if it is stored with the peel on.) Slicing and Cutting Ginger in Matchsticks (Julienne)

Step 2

Ginger is quite fibrous. The fibers are in the direction of the root of the ginger and its lobes. Slice the peeled area of the ginger root, across the grain of the fibers, into coins. (Use the coins to make candied ginger!)

Step 3

If your recipe calls for slivers of ginger or julienned ginger, stack two or three "coins" of the ginger at a time and cut them into matchsticks. Chopping or Mincing GingerIf your recipe calls for chopped or minced ginger, line up the ginger matchsticks cut in the previous step and make crosswise cuts. Grating GingerThe easiest way to grate ginger is to keep a knob of ginger wrapped in plastic in your freezer. When you need some grated ginger, pull it out of the freezer, scrape away the peel (if you want, it's not really necessary) of the area you want to grate, and grate the ginger with a microplane grater. Like we do when we slice ginger, grate across the grain of the fibers of the ginger.