How To: Zest Citrus
What You Need
Follow These Four Easy Steps
Wash your citrus fruits thoroughly to remove the wax coating.
A Microplane is an ideal tool, because its fine holes zest only the peel, not the bitter white membrane beneath. If you don’t have a Microplane, the fine side of a box grater is a good alternative. You can also use a vegetable peeler.
Hold the handle of the Microplane or box grater in one hand and hold the fruit in the other. Glide the fruit down the grater from top to bottom, pressing hard enough that you take off the outermost layer of skin. Repeat, rotating the fruit in your hand as you go so that you only grate each section of peel once.
Glide the blade of a vegetable peeler over the fruit with enough pressure to remove long strips of the outermost layer of
skin, avoiding the white pith.
Tip: Strips of zest can be cut into thinner pieces or finely diced with a small knife.
