Zesting can make all the difference in baking, cooking, or getting that “curb appeal”.
Is zesting something you’ve never done or dreaded because it’s an extra step or you just don’t know how? Well, fret no more! Here are some easy tips and tools to make your life easy peasy. This is what I call, zesting made easy and safe for scrumptious food! Zest provides a freshness and natural fruit flavor to all sorts of baked goods, soups, salads, and meat dishes.
Depending on what you’re zesting and the type of zest you need, there are a couple of tools that are easy, safe, and get the job done with amazing results! These are my personal favs that I use in the kitchen for all sorts of cooking, baking, and just making things look pretty.
Microplane it or Veggie Peel it!
There are several ways to create zest from your fruit or veggies, but for years I have gravitated towards these top two favs. I have no affiliation with any companies, I just really love and use these products all the time! The microplane and veggie peeler each serve different purposes, but both require little effort. The best reason to use these two items is that you don’t have to worry about accidentally adding any bitter pith to your dishes or injuring your hands or fingers in the process.
Great uses for a microplane are…
-mincing fresh garlic,
-mincing fresh ginger or turmeric roots,
-grating fresh whole nutmeg,
-finely grating hard cheeses like Parmesan or Pecorino,
-finely grating chocolate to top hot chocolate, cakes, pies, cookies, and breads,
-for anytime you want a small amount of a finely grated or minced ingredient
Great uses for a veggie peeler are…
-peeling the outer edge of a vegetable like a potato (duh!),
-zesting strips of fruit peels for a topping or fresh addition to your beverage,
-making noodles from thin strips of veggies like zucchini, carrots, cucumbers, etc.,
-shaving off thin strips of butter,
-de-stringing celery (to remove the thick outer strings),
-for chocolate shavings,
-mincing onion by going against the grain of the onion as you shave it,
-shaving of cheese for a topping over vegetables
Zesting Tips:
-The microplane and veggie peelers are great for zesting because the sharp grates are narrow enough to only zest the outer layer of the fruit skin whereas another sharp edge like a knife may not give you the control you need to avoid the ever-so-bitter white pith.
-Purchase organic fruit and veggies to limit chemicals and pesticides that were sprayed on the crop. Washing will not remove chemicals and pesticides as much of them were absorbed in the fruit themselves.
-Wash and dry all fruit and veggies intended to be zested to remove any dirt or unwanted particles.
-Make sure the skin of your fruit is dry before zesting or it will just stick to the microplane or other zester and you won’t be able to accurately measure the zest as it will be waterlogged and sticking together.
-For the microplane, place the end (the opposite end of the handle end) of the microplane on a flat surface like a cutting board or over a bowl where the end lays on the bowl edge. This will provide you with control, stability, and support thus offering safety while you’re grating your ingredient.
Check out my video on how to zest properly using a microplane and veggie peeler, “Zesting Made Easy and Safe for Scrumptious Food!”
Looking for recipes that call for zesting? Check out my blog post with video!
Interested in kitchen tips?
How to Bring Butter and Eggs to Room Temperature Quickly
Prepping and Storing Fresh Herbs
What are Fennel and Leek, Really?
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes. Until next time, go bake the world!