ground ginger
Dried ginger root ground into a fine powder, warmer, drier, and more concentrated in flavor than fresh ginger -- common in baking (gingerbread, spice cookies) and dry spice blends where fresh ginger's moisture would be unwelcome. Its flavor is sharper and more one-dimensionally hot than fresh ginger's brighter, more citrusy profile.
Buying guidance
Buy in a quantity that will be used within a year; like most ground spices, it fades to a flat, dusty flavor well before it's officially expired. It's markedly more concentrated than fresh ginger by volume, so a fresh-ginger measurement and a ground-ginger measurement are not interchangeable 1:1.
Substitutions
- Fresh ginger, grated, at about three to four times the amount -- brighter and juicier; only appropriate where added moisture is tolerable, such as sauces or marinades, not most dry baking.
- Ginger paste, in a similarly increased amount -- a middle ground between fresh and powdered, with more moisture than powder but less texture than grated fresh.
Tips & common mistakes
As a rough substitution for fresh ginger, use about 1/4 to 1/6 the amount called for, since ground ginger is far more concentrated -- start on the smaller side and taste, since its heat and pepperiness build differently than fresh ginger's brighter flavor.