Until recently, ginger for most home cooks outside Asia meant the beige powder labeled "ginger" in their dried spice collection. Today, fresh ginger root is widely available, even in most supermarkets. Select hard, heavy, young-looking ginger, and avoid the lighter, wizened, more wrinkled ginger, which will be fibrous and older-tasting.

I peel ginger the easy way, and don't worry too much about losing a little/being wasteful. Take a knob, and slice off any odd, misshapen ends, keeping the meatiest section of the knob. Then, using a pairing knife, simply slice away the skin, as you would an apple, and either mince or julienne the rest, depending on your intended use for it (minced ginger will blend more wholly into whatever you're cooking, and julienned ginger will retain its shape and pungency). One of my favorite foods is
pickled ginger-I eat mountains of the stuff.

Galangal is also known as Thai ginger; it's more pungent than regular ginger, and much harder to slice (and to digest, since it's so fibrous). But it's a magnificent flavor blast in soups, rice, marinades, and, especially, in ice cream. Just cut up a few thin coins, throw it into whatever you're cooking, and discard when done. Galangal is widely available in Asian markets.