Many consider ginger to be a medicine cabinet all by itself. If you’re not already keeping fresh ginger or even a box of ginger tea in your pantry, next time you visit the store, bring some home. Ginger has been proven to relieve both motion and morning sickness, and can calm an upset stomach when you’ve overindulged. If you’re getting over the stomach flu, either a cup of ginger tea or a glass of ginger ale can have you feeling back to normal in no time.
And it’s not just an upset stomach that can benefit from ginger. Ginger is also loaded with antiviral compounds that fight rhinovirus, aka the common cold.
Ginger’s Many Forms
Ginger is available in many forms, with powdered ginger probably being the one you recognize the most. As well as adding it to foods like muffins, breads and desserts, powdered ginger can give a boost to savory dishes too.
One of the best ways to eat ginger is to buy fresh ginger root. It’s available in the produce department in just about every supermarket. It looks strange and intimidating but is really easy to use in recipes. The best way to peel it is with the back of a spoon.
And if you think you’re forced to buy more ginger than you can use for one recipe, there’s a good way to store leftovers. Just place it in a jar and cover it in vinegar — rice or white wine vinegar works best — and leave it in the refrigerator. It lasts almost indefinitely. When you need another piece, just take it out and rinse it.
One word of caution: if you’re new to using ginger, it does have a certain amount of heat to it, so don’t overdo it when you’re trying it in a recipe for the first time.
A Great Help for the Sniffles
If you feel you’re coming down with a cold, you can boil a piece of fresh ginger in water for about ten minutes and then add honey to taste. If you don’t have fresh ginger on hand, an alternative is one teaspoon of ginger powder to one cup of boiling water; let it steep for ten minutes and then drain it. Another treat for cold and flu season is the Republic of Tea’s Ginger and Peach Tea.
It’s caffeine-free and is one of the best ginger-based teas around.
There’s also an old favorite, ginger ale, that’s available in just about every supermarket. And a really nice treat is to take some candied ginger, dip it in melted dark chocolate, and let it harden for an hour.
Cooking with Ginger
Daniela Massey, product development manager from The Spice Hunter, says ginger is an essential flavor in Asian dishes. She suggests adding ginger to the regular seasoning you use for coating chicken to give any dish that Asian flare. And fresh ginger makes a tasty addition to lots of dishes, including stir-fries and curries. Be sure to experiment until you find your favorite combination.
