How To Zest A Lemon
Here are five easy ways to zest a lemon. From using a more traditional microplane zester, to a vegetable peeler, or even a knife. It's easy!
Servings: 1 Tablespoon
Calories: 3kcal
Ingredients
- 1 large Lemon washed
Instructions
Microplane Grater
- Hold a microplane in one hand and place the bottom on a flat surface, such as your countertop. Hold the lemon in your other hand.
- Press the lemon into the microplane, sliding it up and down, removing the lemon zest.
- Slowly turn the lemon with each pass to zest the entire lemon. (Or until you have enough citrus zest for your recipe.)
Citrus Ribbon Zester
- Hold the citrus ribbon zester in your non-dominant hand and the lemon in your dominant hand.
- Press the ribbon zester into the lemon and scrape downwards or sideways (whichever feels more natural).
- Repeat this motion until you have one tablespoon of zest. (Or whatever amount you need for your specific recipe.)
Box Grater
- Hold your box grater in one hand with the fine side up.
- Place the bottom edge on a flat surface like your countertop or a cutting board.
- Hold the lemon in your other hand and press orange against the grater.
- Pressing against the cheese grater, slide the lemon down and then back up. (Just like you might cheese or carrots.)
- Continue this process until you have enough lemon zest for your recipe.
Vegetable Peeler
- Hold the veggie peeler in one hand and a lemon in the other.
- Carefully peel off small bits of lemon skin.
- Repeat this a number of times until you have several small lemon peel pieces.
- Chop them up finely with a sharp knife.
- Continue to mince until you have enough citrus zest for your recipe.
Paring Knife
- Hold a lemon in one hand and a sharp paring knife in the other.
- Cut off thin long pieces of lemon skin. (You want to ensure they are thin pieces. Leave the white pith on the lemon itself.)
- Finely chop the thin strips of the yellow part of the peel.
Video
Notes
Can I Zest Lemon Ahead Of Time?
Zesting your lemon ahead of time is a smart trick in the kitchen. You’ll always have it ready when you need it, and you can use this trick with other types of citrus fruit too.
Storage Tips
Make your own lemon zest and store whatever unused portion you have left in your fridge if you plan to use it quickly. It will lose its flavor the longer it sits in there, even when you put it in an airtight container or resealable bag. You’ll have about a week or so before it’s lost that wonderful flavor.
How to freeze lemon zest. (This is a sub-heading under storage tips.)
Unless you’re going to use that lemon zest in the next day or two, a better idea is to freeze it. You should lay it out in a single layer atop parchment or wax paper, then freeze it. Once frozen, you can slide it into a freezer bag. You’ll want to label it with the date so you can use it up while it’s still potent. Another way is to freeze it into your ice cube trays, which makes it great for cocktails or even refreshing mocktails. Either way, be sure you use your frozen lemon zest within six months.
Please read the blog post above for more helpful tips, tricks, and topping suggestions!
Nutrition
Calories: 3kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 0.4mg | Potassium: 10mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.1mg
