Today, various health benefits of ginger can be easily obtained through foods and drinks that contain ginger extract. In fact, extracting ginger with a juicer is the easiest and most efficient way. Unfortunately, because the price of the juicer is quite expensive, not everyone has one at home. Don't worry, though, because if you don't have a juicer or blender, ginger juice can also be extracted with the help of a grater and a cheese sieve. Or, if you have a blender, simply process the ginger pieces with water and strain the juice. Since fresh ginger juice doesn't last very long, just take the required amount of ginger juice and freeze the rest in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Using a Grate
Step 1. Wash and dry the ginger before extracting it
Rinse the entire surface of the ginger under running tap water, then rub the surface with your fingers or a special vegetable brush to remove dust and dirt. After that, lightly pat the ginger with a paper towel or clean towel to dry it.
- Another no less effective way to clean ginger is to soak it in a bowl of water mixed with 1 tsp. baking soda for 15 minutes.
- The amount of ginger used depends on the amount of ginger juice needed. If you only need 1-2 tsp. ginger juice, just use 2, 5-5 cm of ginger. If you need more ginger juice, understand that 200-300 grams of ginger can produce 100-200 ml of ginger juice, depending on the tool you use to extract it.
- If the ginger skin looks wrinkled or blotchy, feel free to peel or cut the area. If not, it means that the ginger skin does not need to be peeled.
Step 2. Grate the ginger with a small slotted grater or microplane
Use a square grater with the smallest holes or grate the ginger with the help of a microplane. Don't forget to put the bowl under the grater or microplane so the results don't splatter on the floor or your kitchen counter.
- Microplane is a grater with a not too wide cross section with very small holes. Generally, a microplane is used to grate the skin of citrus fruits, although you can also use it to grate very finely ground ginger.
- If you don't have a grater or microplane, you can also grate ginger with a garlic chopper. The trick, simply place 1.5 cm of ginger in the garlic chopper, then press the handle to chop the ginger until it has a smooth texture.
Step 3. Strain the grated ginger using a cheese strainer
Pour all the grated ginger onto a cheese sieve measuring 60x60 cm. After that, bring the ends of the cloth together to form a pocket, then squeeze the cloth over a bowl or glass to extract the grated ginger.
- Keep squeezing the cheesecloth until the ginger pulp is completely dry.
- Sifting grated ginger is a very easy activity and doesn't require expensive equipment, such as a blender or juicer. However, this method is actually less efficient and cannot produce as much ginger juice as other methods.
Method 2 of 3: Using Blender
Step 1. Wash and dry 150 grams of ginger
Rinse the ginger under running tap water and don't forget to scrub the dirt off the surface. After that, dry the ginger with a paper towel or clean towel.
The amount of ginger used will depend on the amount of ginger juice you need. In this method, you need to process 150 grams of ginger with enough water to make 250-350 ginger juice. If you only need a small amount of ginger juice, simply process 1.5-2.5 cm of ginger with 2-3 tbsp. water
Step 2. Cut the ginger into 1.3 cm thickness
Prepare a cutting board and place the ginger on it. Then, cut the ginger into small pieces to make it easier to process in a blender.
There is no need to peel the ginger skin as long as it is fresh and free of stains or dirt. However, feel free to do so if you feel the ginger peel is too dirty or stained
Step 3. Process the ginger with 100-250 ml of water
Put the ginger pieces in a blender, then pour the water over them. Process both for 1-2 minutes or until the texture of the ginger turns into a smooth paste.
- Remember, ginger must be treated with water. In particular, the more water you use, the thinner the ginger juice will be. Start by adding 100 ml of water first. If the ginger is not as smooth as you want it to be, add the water again.
- To extract as much of the flavor and aroma of ginger as possible, try processing it with 1 part 40-proof alcohol and 4 parts water. If you don't want to drink too much alcohol, you can heat the resulting ginger juice for 1-2 hours over low heat to evaporate most of the alcohol content.
Step 4. Strain the mashed ginger with a cheese strainer
To do this, simply place a cheese strainer over a bowl or similar container, then pour the ginger juice into the container through the strainer. Also press down on the ginger pulp with the back of a spoon to drain out as much of the liquid that is still trapped in it as possible.
- Because ginger is processed with water, the texture of the ginger juice will not be too thick, but still rich in flavor.
- If you want the ginger juice to taste stronger and more intense, try heating it over low heat to evaporate most of the water.
Step 5. Reduce the amount of liquid to produce a ginger juice with a more intense taste
As explained in the previous step, you can pour the ginger juice into a saucepan and heat it on the stove over medium heat until it boils. Once it boils, reduce the heat and heat the ginger juice until it is reduced by 1/3 to half, about an hour. If you've also used alcohol before, heating the ginger juice for 1-2 hours can help evaporate most of the alcohol.
The method you are using is correct if small bubbles appear on the surface of the water every 1-2 seconds. If the bubbles are too large and appear consistently and continuously, it means that the stove is too hot and the heat should be reduced
Method 3 of 3: Using a Juicer
Step 1. Wash 250 grams of ginger and dry it
Rub the surface of the ginger with your fingers or a special vegetable brush under running tap water. Then, dry the ginger with a paper towel or clean towel afterwards.
If you use a juicer, 250 grams of ginger will produce about 200 ml of ginger juice which is quite thick
Step 2. Cut the ginger into 1.5 to 2.5 cm thickness
There is no need to peel the ginger skin, unless there are parts that are not smooth or look dirty. After that, roughly chop the ginger to the recommended thickness to make it easier to fit into the juicer holes.
If necessary, remove any areas that look dirty, stained, or not smooth
Step 3. Process the ginger using a juicer
First, place a bowl or glass under the end of the juicer hole. Then, turn on the juicer and insert the ginger pieces into the holes provided, then push the ginger with the plunger provided. Because the instructions for using each brand of juicer are different, try to read and follow the instructions for use listed in the user's manual.
Once all the ginger juice has been squeezed out, turn off the juicer and remove the cord. At this stage, also follow the rules recommended in the user manual to turn off and clean the juicer
Step 4. Process the ginger before the other ingredients if you want to make a glass of ginger juice with mixed fruit and vegetables
If you want to add ginger juice to an existing juice recipe, start by processing 2 to 5 cm pieces of ginger first. After that, add other ingredients that contain a fairly high water content, such as celery, spinach, pears, or carrots.
- Fruits and vegetables that are full of water content are able to "wash" all the ginger juice that sticks to the surface of the juicer. As a result, you are able to extract as much of the taste and aroma of the ginger juice as possible afterward.
- The spicy sensation of ginger will still be felt even if it is mixed with other ingredients. Try processing a piece of ginger, 3 pears, and 2 celery sticks in a blender. Or, taste the delicious combination of a piece of ginger, 2 sticks of fennel, half a cucumber, half a green apple, and a handful of mint leaves.
Tips
- Fresh ginger juice can only last for 1-2 days if stored in the refrigerator. If you have extracted a large amount of ginger juice, only take the portion that needs to be used immediately and freeze the rest in the freezer for up to 6 months. If you want to freeze ginger juice in individual portions, try pouring it into ice cube molds.
- To make a delicious glass of ginger iced lemonade, try mixing 350 ml of ginger juice with 120 ml of lemon juice, 100 grams of sugar and 2 liters of water.
