How to clean lemons for zesting

As a Brit I still cannot get over the thrill of being able to wander outside and pick a lemon, orange of grapefruit off a tree in my California garden.  The problem is that once my tree is bare, and my friends have also handed over their spare fruit I really struggle with paying for citrus.  Call me a cheapskate, I don’t care.  What I also miss is the fact that all my homegrown stuff is pure, organic and fresh – and it doesn’t have wax on.

Citrus fruit has wax applied to help prolong the shelf life, reduce the fruit drying out and to make it look shiny and pretty. Citrus has a naturally waxy coating when it is fresh off the tree. However, when it is being sold commercially, the fruit is washed, so the natural wax comes off.  And then the producer applies a natural wax such as beeswax (not so bad) or a petroleum-based wax (shudder).

You can buy un-waxed fruit, but some shops don’t always have it.  So, all you need to do is throw your citrus in a bowl of very hot water, leave it for 5 minutes then give it a gentle rub with a brush or cloth.  You’ll see the wax floating in the water and your fruit will be naked and ready to cook with.  A word of warning, un-waxed fruit doesn’t last as long as when it has the wax coating.  So keep it in the fridge and use it within a few days.  Bring it out of the fridge a while before you use it as you’ll get more juice from room temperature fruit.

If you don’t use citrus zest please start.  I find that most cookbooks don’t tell you to use the zest, but often tell you to use just the juice of lemons, limes and oranges.  But the zest is the bit with the best with the most concentrated flavour. So if you’re going to go to the effort of paying for citrus, you may as well get your money’s worth.  If a recipe calls for the juice I always add the zest.  Simple.

Invest in a Microplane zester and you’ll be rewarded with an extra layer of loveliness and freshness in everything you make.

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What exactly is a fresh lemon zest and how do you make it work with the microplane grater? In this post I will show you the easiest way to zest the lemon and how to preserve fresh lemon peel. Make the most out of your lemon peels!

What is Lemon Zest?

Fresh lemon zest comes from the bright yellow portion of the rind. It’s colorful, flavorful and has citrusy aroma because the fruit’s essential oils reside in its rind. These oils is what adds a lot of flavor to many recipes that use lemon zest.

Why Zest a lemon?

• I love using lemon zest in baking.  It’s extremely versatile and is appropriate for a variety of desserts. Besides, zesting is one of the best ways to harness all of the sharp citrusy flavor of the lemon. Much more flavor that you will ever get from juicing. When you want to add a zingy, sweet citrus flavor to a dessert, the zest is the way to go. As I mentioned earlier, it has natural oils that will impart amazing flavor to many dishes.
• Use zest in salads or marinades. Sometimes all you need is just a little bit to make a huge difference.
• Freshly grated zest can also be used as decoration on iced breads, cakes, and cupcakes.

How to Choose a Lemon

• First of all we need to choose the right kind of lemons. Be sure to use organic lemons as much as possible. Since non-organic lemons might be coated with questionable protective layer, going organic is the safest bet. Always wash and dry the fruit before using the zester.
• If using non-organic lemons, remove the wax coating first. It’s very easy to do! Simply put the fruit in a colander and pour over water from a recently boiled kettle or rinse the fruit under a hot running tap (if you trust your tap water). Then, scrub the fruit all over with a stiff brush, such as a vegetable brush, under a cool running tap but try not to use a brush or scrubbing sponge that you use for dishes as this could cause some soap residue to get on to the fruit. Rinse the fruit thoroughly with cold water and leave to dry, or dry with paper towels.

Easy Way to Zest a Lemon

• The easiest way to zest a lemon is with a help of a microplane zester. You can also use a a zester, or vegetable peeler.
• Always zest a whole lemon! You do not want to to zest 4 tiny wedges of lemon. Zest an entire lemon.
• While zesting, be sure to avoid the white bitter layer separating the colorful zest and the fruit.
• usually use both the juice and the peel, and always grate it whole, without cutting.

Does wax on a citrus fruit make it unsafe to zest?

Citrus fruit have a natural wax coating that is washed off along with orchard grime at the packing house. A new protective coating is usually applied before packing. This protects the fruit in transit, makes it look shiny, slows down moisture loss and extends shelf-life. Unfortunately, both natural waxes and petroleum-based waxes are used. To prevent ingesting the unwanted waxes, opt for organic lemons and make sure to remove the wax coating from the citrus fruit before zesting.

Remember that not all unwaxed lemons are organic, but all organic ones are unwaxed. A new, olive oil-based wax suitable for organic fruit is in development, but not yet in use.

How to Preserve Lemon Peel

Lemon peel stores beautifully in small jars in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Because lemon zest is so compact, I recommend using a tiny jar to preserve space in the fridge.

How to Freeze Citrus Zest

1. Place the zest in a single layer on a piece of parchment paper.
2. Move it to the freezer. Once frozen, transfer the zest to a zip-top plastic bag.
3. I usually label it with the date and type of citrus zest.
4. Store it in the freezer for up to six months.

How to Use Frozen Zest

I never thaw the zest prior to use. Since it’s frozen, it will retain the fresh flavor that it originally had. This means that I can use it in exactly the same way as I would fresh zest. I like to overmeasure frozen zest slightly to compensate for any ice crystals. For example, when a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest, I measure out 1 ½ teaspoons of frozen zest.

Recipes with Lemon Zest

Baked Cajun Salmon
Berry Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze
How to cook spinach

Lemon zest comes from the bright yellow portion of the rind. It’s colorful, flavorful and has citrusy aroma because the fruit’s essential oils reside in its rind. Make the most out of your lemon peels!

• Zest a lemon using a microplane zester. Store in a glass bottle, or freeze in a air tight ziplock bag.

How to zest a lemon with a lemon zester

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.