Learn How To Zest A Lemon

All of your favourite spring and summer soups, salads, and lemon desserts taste better with lemon zest added! You can zest a lemon without a fancy tool by using anything you already have in the kitchen. You can also use this method to create a stunning cocktail twist. Any citrus zest, including a little lemon zest, may transform meals in amazing ways. Chances are, a little aromatic lemon zest can save your recipe from ending up hidden in the fridge, never to be eaten again, if it needs a little more something, but you're not exactly sure what. Also, lemon zest can be made without having the best-equipped kitchen in the world. There are numerous ways to zest. 

A little fresh lemon zest is one of the quickest and simplest ways to give meals a good amount of flavour. Some of you beginners might be a little scared by this at first because it initially seems like a professional cooking technique. But let me reassure you—you can still zest a lemon without a citrus zester! In fact,we share some distinct methods for zesting, grating, and peeling a lemon using a fews kitchen equipment's you can easily get or you already own. These methods can also be used to zest limes and oranges once you've mastered them. 

What Is A Lemon Zest 

Lemon zest is a component made up of the fruit's vibrant, yellow skin, which is removed by scraping or chopping with a knife. It gives your favourite foods a blast of freshness and a bunch of flavour. Lemon zest is more flavorful, contains essential oils, and is not nearly as acidic or tart as lemon juice. You should only remove the brightly coloured flesh of the peel when zesting citrus fruits like lemons, limes, or oranges. The white pith, which is located right beneath the peel and is particularly bitter, should be avoided. 

The majority of non-organic lemons have a wax coating on their outside to protect it and making it look good. You can still choose to de-wax them before zesting. 

Method: 

Pour boiling water over lemons in a strainer after bringing a big pot of water to a boil. Lemons should be scrubbed right away using a vegetable brush to get the wax off. Before zesting the lemons, carefully dry them. As an alternative, you can get organic citrus that either has no wax covering at all or one made of organic beeswax. 

When you want finely grated lemon zest, this method is by far one of the best to utilise. The brightly coloured citrus flesh is removed with a microplane, a specialised kitchen equipment. Hold the lemon in one hand and the microplane in the other to zest with. Rotate the lemon as you move it back and forth over the microplane's grate. Pay great attention to where your fingers are placed. (a microplane's razor-sharp blades are easily capable of cutting you.) Zest the lemon until all of the yellow peel has been removed. 

Citrus Zester  

Using a citrus zester is another technique for zesting lemons. As opposed to the microplane's smaller pieces, using this instrument will result in longer peel strands. Using a citrus zester to zest, place the tiny, pointy-edged holes on the citrus's one end, following the fruit's natural curve. Push the fruit just a little, then pull away from one end. Continue doing this until just the pith is left after completely removing the lemon peel. 

Most home cooks already have a cheese grater in their kitchen cupboard, which is a secret weapon. Use one with the smaller holes for grating cheese rather than the larger ones for shredding it. Using a cheese grater to zest, put the lemon on the side of the cheese grater with the smallest holes. With careful attention to where your fingers are placed, move it back and forth. Zest the lemon until all of the yellow skin has been removed. 

Potato Peeler 

If you don't have a zester or microplane on hand, another simple method to zest a lemon is to use a vegetable or potato peeler. Even while this approach is a little more technique-dependent, you can still acquire a sizable amount of lemon zest if you need it quickly. Using a vegetable peeler to zest, on one end of the citrus fruit, place the peel's sharp edges and gently press them into the fruit. Pay special attention not to cut into the fruit too deeply as you pull down to the other end. As little of the white portion as feasible should not be removed. Continue doing this until only the pith is left after completely removing the peel. To create lemon zest, finely chop the lemon peel.