How To Store Fresh Turmeric Root For Cooking

Turmeric’s delicious, and fragrant aroma is an excellent addition to many different dishes. Whether they are Indian in cuisine or Western, the beautiful colour it brings to a dish will surely brighten up your dining table and make the food look even more ravishing. Turmeric contains antibacterial properties that clean out all the bacteria within our body and boost our immunity. It makes the food look appealing and is great for our body too.

People in the south of Asia tend to use turmeric for all purposes of life, for cooking, medicinal purposes and even at weddings! Many people tend to cook with and use recipes with turmeric powder rather than the turmeric root itself. The turmeric root is equally if not more beneficial as the powder and has versatile uses as well.

Below are some ways to store the turmeric root for cooking and using the raw root instead of powder for cooking.

Many researches and dieticians always suggest using fresh herbs and roots rather than their counterparts which are their dried powders. This is because they contain much more goodness than the powder does. In this case, turmeric isn’t an exception either. The fresh root of turmeric tastes much better and less bitter than the powder as the favor is greatly intensified in the powder.

To use fresh turmeric there is no right way to do it; rather it’s a fairly simple process. All you need to do is wash a turmeric root and get all the dirt off it. Then use a vegetable peeler to peel off the outer layer or the skin of the root. You can then grate it with a ginger grate or even smash it in a mortar and pestle.

When storing the turmeric root, you want to make sure it lasts long and does not mould. This is why it is important to store it within the fridge. You can wrap it loosely with plastic wrap which will prevent moulding or rotting. It is also possible to freeze turmeric. You can do this, however, the turmeric will be a little mushy when it thaws due to the water content within it. Many people even prefer to make a paste out of the turmeric root like a ginger or garlic paste which will then aid them in cooking.

When you cook with fresh turmeric root, it is important to keep the conversions in mind because most people are so used to the powder, they tend to use the same ratio with fresh root. However, this is not the case. The ratio is of 1:3, meaning, 1 teaspoon of the powder is equal to 3 teaspoons of the fresh turmeric root so that makes it around a tablespoon. Every time you decide to add fresh turmeric root, you must keep this in mind.

A little tip, however, is that turmeric is bright yellow in colour and does tend to stain. Hence, it is essential that you wear gloves if you do not want yellow-stained hands.