How to pick good Turmeric Root

How to pick

Look for rhizomes that feel firm and dense, with smooth, taut, light tan-brown skin and no wrinkling. The knobby 'finger' pieces branching off the central rhizome should look plump and rounded, not thin or shrunken. If a piece already has a broken or cut end, check the color there — it should be a vivid, even orange, not pale or dull. Skip pieces that feel unexpectedly light for their size, which usually means moisture has already started to leave the inside. Like ginger, a harvested rhizome doesn't ripen further once picked, so what you see in the store is what you get.

Red flags

• Wrinkled, shriveled, or dull skin — moisture has left the rhizome
• Soft or mushy patches, or any visible mold (white, blue-green, or black growth)
• Small circular gray-brown crusty patches (about 1/32 inch [1 mm]) on the skin — scale insect damage
• Pale sprouts pushing from the nodes — the rhizome has broken dormancy and is living off its own moisture

How to store

Best kept at room temperature, out of direct sun, for up to a week — like ginger, fresh turmeric is a tropical rhizome whose ideal storage range (about 52–55°F [11–13°C]) sits well above a home fridge's typical 39°F (4°C), so cold storage brings on chilling injury rather than extending life the way it does for most produce. For a week or two longer, wrap loosely in a paper towel in the crisper drawer, accepting some quality loss. For the long term, freeze whole and unpeeled — it grates straight from frozen with no thawing needed, and freezing also loosens the papery skin.

More to pick

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