How to Tell If Ginger Root Has Gone Bad

Bad ginger root begins to display mold, a deep green, white or gray, often at cut edges if you have previously trimmed the root. Not quite as obviously bad is mushy ginger root, in which the aromatic root has dried out and lost some of its flavor and much of its texture. In a pinch, you can trim off the bad part of the ginger and use the rest -- but only if the root is still firm. Ideally, replace the ginger root with fresh.

Tip
Ginger root with moist blue flesh may be fresh, high-quality blue Hawaiian ginger, especially if the blue appears as a circle inside the flesh.