I finally asked my old prep cook why he always peeled ginger with a spoon

Been a chef for 8 years, always used a knife or peeler for ginger. Last week my old prep cook Frank dropped by the kitchen and saw me fighting with a root. He laughed and said "spoon it, chef" then grabbed a regular teaspoon and scraped the skin off in 10 seconds. No wasted flesh, no cut fingers, no fuss. Tried it on 4 pounds of ginger for service and saved myself like 15 minutes. Has anyone else got a weird tool hack that totally changed how you prep something?

3 comments

3 Comments

wilson.olivia10d ago

I get where you're coming from, but I honestly hate peeling ginger with a spoon. The skin always seems to tear off in strips and leaves little patches on the knobby parts.

lewis.brian10d ago

Nope, spoon peeling is the only way that works for me.

mark_green9d ago

Spoon trick works best on young ginger with thin skin. For older knobby pieces, @lewis.brian is right about the patches. Try freezing the ginger for 20 minutes first, makes the skin come off clean every time.