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Ginger
Ginger, whether fresh, dried or in some other distinct form, has become the trendy ingredient in many specialty foods in recent years, making its versatile presence known in everything from chocolate to cheese to marinades, even popping up in ice cream and yogurts. In fact, Americans consume approximately 38 million pounds of ginger a year. Though increasingly popular in the United States, it has long been a mainstay in Asian and Indian cooking. The Chinese, Japanese and East Indians have been grating, grinding, and slivering this harmonious spice in many savory dishes for centuries. In fact, the early Greeks even mixed it into breads; hence, the first gingerbread.

Ginger has been cultivated for so long its exact origin is unclear. It is known, however, that it reached the West at least two thousand years ago, recorded as a Roman tax in the second century after being imported from the Red Sea to Alexandria. By the 13th and 14th centuries, it was familiar to English palates, and next to pepper, was the most widely used spice. In fact, it was so highly regarded, a single pound of ginger was valued at the price of one sheep. A product of the Far East, ginger was no doubt imprinted upon the taste buds of Westerners even before the ubiquitous potato, tomato and corn were even known to exist by Europeans.

Revered for its pungent taste, ginger is also widely prized for its medicinal properties. Asian, Indian and Arabic herbal traditions have utilized it since ancient times. In China, for example, ginger has been used to aid digestion, treat upset stomach and relieve diarrhea and nausea for more than 2,000 years. North American colonists even sipped nausea-quelling ginger beer, the precursor of the modern ginger ale.

Today, many cultures continue to rely on ginger to control nausea and to reduce inflammation. Ginger has been used to treat everything from the common cold to arthritis to colic to heart conditions. Recent studies by Japanese researchers indicate that ginger may lower blood pressure by restricting blood flow in peripheral areas of the body, and further studies indicate that ginger may even lower cholesterol levels by reducing cholesterol absorption in the blood and liver.

Getting Technical
So what exactly is ginger? Well, to get scientific, the only edible variety of ginger comes from the Zingiber officinale plant. Its official name is derived from the Sanskrit word for “horn root,” which undoubtedly refers to its knotted appearance. Edible ginger consists of the plant’s thick, scaly underground roots, which are called rhizomes. Branching out with thumb-like protrusions, the individual divisions of the rhizome are known as “hands.” This aromatic rhizome is what’s commonly used for culinary and medicinal purposes.

A relative of marjoram and turmeric, the ginger plant is indigenous to Southeast Asia and today is extensively cultivated in Jamaica, India, Africa and China. Ginger produced in Hawaii is generally larger, sweeter, more flavorful, has fewer fibers, and is often organic and pesticide free. Beneath its tan skin lies the moist flesh that ranges in color from pale greenish yellow to ivory. The flavor is most commonly described as peppery and slightly sweet, while the aroma is pungent and spicy.

Forms of Ginger
Six basic forms of ginger exist and include fresh, dried, pickled, preserved, crystallized (or candied) and powdered or ground.

Fresh Ginger
Fresh ginger is available in two forms — young and mature. Young ginger, sometimes called spring ginger, has a pale, thin skin that doesn’t require any peeling. Very tender, it has a milder flavor than its mature form does. It can be grated, chopped or julienned and can usually be found in most Asian markets during the springtime.

Mature ginger on the other hand, has a tough, golden brown skin that must be peeled to reach the fibrous flesh before cooking and is usually grated, chopped or ground for use. It also has a longer shelf life than young ginger. Look for mature ginger with smooth skin (wrinkled skin indicates that the root is dry and past its prime). It should have a fresh, spicy fragrance. Fresh unpeeled ginger root, tightly wrapped, can be refrigerated for up to three weeks and frozen for up to six months, but the fresh form is always best.

To use fresh ginger, slice off a one-inch piece, which will yield approximately one tablespoon, and trim away the peel, mince it with a sharp knife or shred it on the wide holes of a flat-sided grater. Ginger pairs well with other flavors, such as tarragon, anise and rosemary, but keep in mind that fresh ginger, much like garlic, mellows with cooking, and turns bitter if you burn it.

Dried Ginger
This form is usually found in whole fingers, as well as in slices and is normally soaked in liquid before being used. The flavor of dried, ground ginger is very different from that of its fresh form and is not an appropriate substitute for dishes specifying fresh ginger. It is, however, delicious in many savory dishes such as soups, curries and meats, as well as a nice addition to fruit compotes, and indispensable in sweets like gingerbread, gingersnaps and many spice cookies. Dried ginger is the flavor that has long given the popular beverages ginger ale and ginger beer their claim to fame.

Pickled Ginger
Called gari or beni shoga in Japan, this form is pickled in sweet vinegar and is usually bright red or pink in color. Most often, it is used as a relish or an accompaniment to sushi and is also eaten to refresh the breath and cleanse the palate.

Preserved Ginger
This form has been preserved in a sugar-salt mixture. Generally, it is used as a confection or added to desserts, and pairs especially well with melons.

Crystallized Ginger
Also known as candied ginger, this form has been slow cooked in sugar water until tender and then coated with granulated sugar. It is commonly used in desserts or custards, and even in ice cream. Crystallized ginger can easily be made at home.

Ground Ginger
Also referred to as powdered, this dried, ground form is quite different than fresh ginger. Readily available in supermarkets, it is used primarily in sweets and curry mixes. Jamaican ginger, the spice available in most markets, is the best ground variety available. Ground and fresh ginger taste quite different and ground ginger is a particularly poor substitute for fresh ginger.

Juicers
Why juice? Well for years, health experts have been touting the therapeutic benefits and nutritional support raw fruits and vegetable juices provide. Until the early 1990’s, most juice extractors were found in health food stores, used predominantly by those wearing Birkenstocks and enjoying the scent of patchouli.

But today, juicing is hip rather than hippy. Seen as a creative, healthful alternative to store-bought, prepackaged juices, it is usually sugar water with a bit of fruit or vegetable juice added. Many juices available in the grocery store today also contain a number of preservatives, coloring agents and other not-so-good-for-you additives. Freshly extracted juice also retains more nutrients than the pasteurized kind, and you can experiment with exotic concoctions.

With the right juicer and good produce, you can create delicious beverages and even add juicy flavor to salad dressings, marinades, sauces and desserts. Of course, you can juice the old-fashioned way, by hand, but see how many eight-ounce glasses of orange juice you can squeeze before getting tired. Or, for a greater challenge, try juicing vegetables or grasses.

Types of Juicers and How They Work
The earliest and most common juicers lacked moving parts and space-age materials; instead, they relied on a porcelain or glass reamer and good old-fashioned elbow grease. Today, numerous juicers are available — some masticate, some grate, some pulverize all types of foods and the most popular, squeeze citrus. Selecting the appropriate model depends upon how the juicer will be primarily utilized. Citrus, hard and soft fruits and vegetables and dry leafy vegetables require different equipment to juice effectively. A wheatgrass devotee, for example, does not need the same machine as someone who simply wants freshly squeezed orange juice each morning. Some of the newer machines even have the capability to perform multiple juicing functions.

The following are the three main types of juicers:
Centrifugal Juicer (Juice Extractor)
These juicers use very sharp blades and powerful centrifugal force to extract juice from all kinds of fruits and vegetables. Generally, these are regarded as the best all-purpose juicers. Depending on the machine, the pulp is either ejected or stored in a basket. Fast and suitable for juicing most fruits and vegetables, it is not recommended for soft fruits, such as bananas and berries, and leafy vegetables, such as parsley, spinach and wheatgrass. These juicers produce some foaming due to the high speed used to process the juice.

Two main types of centrifugal juicers are available — the full-basket type and the continuous type. The full basket machines provide a very effective way to extract juice and are considered more effective than continuous pulp ejection ones. The pulp from the fruits and vegetables is retained in the basket, not automatically ejected during the juicing process. This allows the centrifugal force to continually extract the juice from the pulp screen/basket. The basket needs to be emptied occasionally when it fills with pulp, usually after 1–2 quarts of juice.

Continuous juicers use an angled strainer basket for continuous juicing. The plant material is pushed down against the spinning shredding blade and then forced against an angled basket. The pulp hits the angled basket and centrifugal force pulls the juice out of the shredded plant material in a manner similar to that of full-basket units, but the pulp does not remain in the basket. The spinning plant material moves up the angled basket and ejects the pulp into a container for easy disposal. This method allows for continuous juicing as it is not necessary to stop to empty the basket while juicing. Typically, these units are easier to clean than full-basket ones.

Masticators
Considered the more efficient yet expensive of the juicers, masticating juicers tend to yield the most juice by chewing or mashing whole produce into a paste, then squeezing it through a screen. By blocking out this filter, the juicer can also be used as a homogenizer to produce baby foods, applesauce, nut butters and even pasta. Generally, these produce more fiber, enzymes, vitamins and trace minerals, which is evident in the juice’s darker, richer color and the sweeter, richer, fuller-bodied flavor. This type is best if you want to juice hard vegetables and leafy greens.

Citrus Juicers
Usually more affordably priced than extractors, citrus juicers are the choice for those interested in juices extracted solely from citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits. The tools needed to basically separate citrus juice from citrus meat and rind can be generally divided into the categories of reamers, leverage presses and motorized juicers.

The classic reamer may be handheld or placed into a dish and has been used for centuries to press juice from citrus fruits. It has a simple, functional design — a wide cone with ridges crushes the inner flesh of the fruit, releasing its juices. With no motor to speed up the juicing process, you must use good, old-fashioned elbow grease to press a citrus half down and rotate it on these implements. It’s best to select a reamer that has sharp ridges that will make the process easier.

Commonly used in juice bars, leverage press-style juicers make use of smoother cones to press the juice from its flesh. This type of citrus juicer uses the weight of metal against metal to force juice from its flesh, rather than the twisting motion of its hard-working ancestors. This method takes some muscle as well, but a good press-style juicer with excellent leverage will guarantee a satisfying squeeze.

For the time pressed who just can’t wake up in the morning without a glass of freshly squeezed juice, the electric or motorized juicer is the first choice. An electric citrus juicer is basically a reamer set on top of a motor. The user simply presses half of a citrus fruit onto the spinning reamer, and voila — the juice is released and then separated from most of the pulp by a strainer that surrounds the reamer. To yield more juice, choose a citrus juicer with bidirectional reamers as opposed to single directional ones.