midweek gems #33: Ginger recipes + a Giveaway
ginger buying guide + 4 vibrant gingery recipes + a chance to win super useful cookware
Hello everyone!
Today’s dispatch is about two things that start with the letter G, so it’s time to “ginger up” — an old fashioned term to get energized and peppy. You don’t have to be gingerly with the amount of ginger you use in cooking because it’s darn good stuff for your well-being!
💎 G1: Ginger Tips + 4 1/2 recipes
There are many kinds of ginger available and to help you make sense of things, I put together a 🫚 new Ginger Buying Guide to cover ginger’s flavor spectrum (how is it sometimes hot, sweet, or pungent?) and buying tips for fresh (mature vs young), ground, candied, and pickled.
The Caramelized Ginger and Onion Jam with crispy salmon recipe last Sunday will hopefully get you going. Susan made a batch right away and wrote, “So….just finished making the ginger/onion jam. I may just stand here at the counter and eat the bowl full on my own.”
One thing I learned this week. That jam lasts longer than 3 days in the fridge! On Tuesday night, I threw 2 tablespoons of the jam into a pan of carrot and asparagus fried rice to jazz it up with a little sweet zing. Delicious. The casual recipe details are in the photo caption, where I often slide stuff in. 😉
Want more gingery ideas? How about these:
Gingery Tofu and Watercress Salad transports you to Hawaii, where it’s a mainstay for many folks. Make it with arugula because watercress can be hard to find. The dressing super versatile. You can dress a Japanese-American style salmon salad with it, for instance. Make the recipe.
No-Churn Ginger Ice Cream — Ground ginger and candied ginger in a no-churn ice cream? Sign me up. This is my ode to an ice cream I fell for in Hong Kong years ago. Cool off with the recipe.
Ginger Carrot Scallion Noodles can be prepared with fresh or young ginger, Chinese noodles or Italian pasta. It’s naturally vegan to boot! Get the recipe.
Gingery Wontons in Chili Oil is easy to make and eat. It’s a 2023 recipe that got many people to join up as paid subscribers. Thank you! Grab the recipe.
What else to cook when it’s hot? Grilling is one option but if it’s too hot to spend time outdoors, the microwave is a terrific kitchen helper.
💎 G2: Gamechanger cookware Giveaway
I don’t generally do product giveaways and this is a first for PTFS. Just so you know, I do not take any renumeration from Anyday! I’ve used their product for about 2 years and like it. I mentioned it an earlier post on vegetable meal prep.
Aside from my beloved microwave splatter guard covers, another microwave tool that I frequently use are Anyday glass bowls. The cookware was developed for plastic-less, sturdy microwave and oven cooking but most people use them in the microwave. They’re thoughtfully designed glass bowls and lids that you can prep, cook, serve, and store in. In that sense, they’re multipurpose cookware and dishware.
Here’s why they’re interesting: Anyday lids are designed for a perfect seal BUT there’s a little pull on the lid that allows you to let in just enough air to mimic steady steam heat. Given that, the bowl and lid set up gives greater consistent cooking than when using only a splatter guard cover.
When I’m not into turning on the stove for steaming or boiling veggies, the dishes are the solution. The other night, I steamed asparagus and carrots in one bowl and potatoes in another. Then I cooked separately cooked them off in a skillet and dished them out back into the bowls for serving.
For prep and storage: For taco night, we form the masa balls then keep them on the lid upside down. As the tortillas are made, they’re returned to the bowl (which one of us washed) and then covered by the lid. I’ve used these bowls for resting dumpling dough and bread dough too.
When Anyday first rolled out years ago, its lineup was made with frosted glass and metal. It was pricey.
This year, the company released a clear glass version that functions just the same as the original clear glass. After test driving a couple pieces of the clear ones, I like them for these reasons:
There’s no metal in this iteration and the new clear glass version isn’t as heavy as the frosted glass one.
Functionally, the clear and frosted glass work equally well.
The advantage of the clear glass is you can see exactly what’s in the bowl. I cook and store things in Anyday more than serve in them.
💎 Giveaway: Want to win an Anyday set?
The company offered to gift a lucky PTFSer a 12-piece set (above, value $184).
Giveaway rules:
To enter: Add a comment to this post by next Monday, June 30 at midnight PST. Free and paid subscribers are able to enter.
Eligibility: The winner must have a valid mailing address in the United States, Canada, or Australia. That’s to say, if you win but live a different part of the world, share your gift with a Stateside, Canadian, or Aussie buddy!
Winner selection: I’ll randomly select the winner and announce the outcome next Thursday, July 3.
GOOD LUCK!
For this coming paid subscriber Sunday Special, I’m thinking about tamarind. Join us, if you have not.
I have a lofty goal: minimize possessions and use environmentally conscious, multitasking tools (such as Anyday). But it's self-defeating: I lust after and want to add any new batch of environmentally conscious multitasking tools (such as Anyday)!
We're always looking for ways to reduce plastic in our lives, and I love the versatility of these containers. I'll keep my fingers crossed!