Zesting a Citrus Fruit

Zesting a Citrus Fruit - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats.

You come across a recipe calling for citrus zest. So how do you do that? And to make it more complicated, there are several different kinds of zesting tools. So which one do you need? All right, I have this one called the Microplane Zester and it has got very sharp edges and it makes a very fine grated zest, so if your recipe calls for finely grated zest, this is what you are going to want to use. Then you have this tool which is actually called a Zester and it has got two parts to it. This one will make, on the very tip, there are five holes and it will make long, thin strands of zest. And that is really nice for garnish.

Then there is another one, that makes a thicker one and you will find that used more often in garnish and in cocktails. Then I have this other peeler. It is a vegetable peeler with a serrated edge. This is great when you need big pieces of the peel without the white part which is called the pith and that is bitter. sometimes you need that for candied citrus peel or if you are just infusing a liquid with the zest and you want it to be in big pieces so it is easy to remove. Now I am going to show you how to do it.

So to make finely grated zest using the microplane zester, I like to hold it upside down. Some people like to do it this way, but I like to see how much zest I am getting. First, I will peel off this label. You are just going to go lightly across the zest, which is just the bright yellow part. The white part right underneath is bitter and you do not want that part. This makes for very easy zesting. It is very easy to do. I do not have a whole lot of pressure. If you have to use a lot of pressure, it is time for a new zester. And then, when you think you have enough, you just tip it over and smack it down on the board.

Now if you wanted to do the long strands using this type of zester, I hold my thumb to stabilize it and just press it. There we go. You will get little curly cues and that is nice for garnish on top of vegetables. Then I have the thicker strand using this part right there and this is good for doing a twist and cocktails. OK. That one is a bit thicker. Now this one, the serrated peeler is just going to take off the outer edge, or the outer layer of the zest. This is for when you need really big pieces. You will see there is hardly any white on the underneath, which is good. If you were making candied peel you would put this in boiling sugar water and it would be edible. That is it for the zesting.

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