Plastic is fantastic for prepping ginger

Scraping ginger with a metal spoon to remove its outer peel is a useful go-to for many chefs. However, during a cooking demonstration at the University of Massachusetts’ 2015 Chef Culinary Conference, chef Neela Paniz learned that, in a pinch, plastic gets the job done just as effectively. But quality still matters: “Some of the plastics are a little too flimsy … you do have to apply a little bit of pressure, or you might break the handle off,” she says. 

Chef Neela Paniz,