Peeling – Hold a piece of ginger root firmly in one hand and the bowl of a metal spoon firmly in the other hand. Scrape the edge of the spoon against the ginger to peel off the skin. Work your way around the ginger root, peeling only as much as you think you will use. You can also use a blunt knife to peel the skin. Chopping – Slice the root across the grain of the fibers into thin coins (small potato chips). Stack the coins and cut them into sticks and then the sticks small pieces.