Microplane®’’s new tool has all you need to get to grips with ginger
It seems like a lifetime ago, an era when ginger only came in powdered form and was used pretty much just for cakes and biscuits, where it chiefly made you cough.
Fresh ginger though has a hot-spice, citrusy-woody taste and aroma and it’s commonly used in Asian cuisine including stir-fry rice and noodle dishes with pork, beef and chicken.
These days the knobbly root is pretty much indispensable in all cooking and can be used for creamy puddings, poached pears, a Raspberry Fizz cocktail, homemade ginger beer, and it lends itself to all kinds of baking which is why we’re never without a big clump of it. It keeps for ages, although it does tend to get more fibrous as it ages.
Peeling it can be made easier by scraping at the root with a teaspoon or, if you’re as lazy as me, simply cut off the skin with straight slices. This does waste a lot of ginger though.
Sometimes you want slices of ginger in your dish, but they need to be wafer thin if not to be overpowering. Sometimes grated ginger is best, it releases all the oils.
This tool has everything covered. On the side is a scraper to gently remove only the skin, the ‘mandolin’ style slicer cuts the ginger very precisely, very finely and very easily. The grating side is taken care of by Microplane®’s ultra-sharp, photo-etched fine blade, which creates a fine paste without ripping or tearing,
The non-slip base and handle mean you can hold the tool at an angle or place it flat on a surface to slice or grate without the danger of it getting away from you. Safety first is also present in the clip on cover for the blade, which means you won’t get cut when rummaging for the tool in the drawer. There’s also a hole in the handle for hanging the tool up.
I was a bit dubious about the scraper part, but it actually worked very well, better than a spoon. The mandolin created perfect slices, always be careful with mandolins though, and the grater did an excellent job. Having all three tools in one certainly makes life a lot easier.
Microplane® have done it again!
RRP £19.95, from John Lewis