Best Way to Zest a Lime or Lemon
I always seem to avoid dishes that require zest of lemon or lime because it seems arduous to me - and I have difficulty getting only the colored portion. But I have recently started making a key lime pie (aka Mexican lime pie) which is so easy and everyone loves it. So -- any suggestions for the most efficient way to zest a lime? I will be in NY for Thanksgiving and will have my semi-annual chance to shop for kitchen tools. Thanks.
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As the previous posters mostly said, microplane is the way to go.
A tip I learned on this very board some months back is to pull the microplane across the top of citrus fruit. For some reason it works better, or is easier to get the zest out of the grater, than when you hold the microplane business side up in the non-dominant hand and rub the citrus fruit across the top of the plane with dominant hand. It sounds weird that it would make a difference but it really does.
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re: c oliver
Ruth Lafler
Nov 19, 2008 04:00 PM
The microplane was adapted from the woodworking rasp, and a rasp is used by drawing it across the object, not the other way around, which might be why your husband does it that way.
It really does work better that way (I learned it here, too: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/372416), and the curve of the microplane catches the zest. Seriously, there's nothing better then a microplane for zesting -- it's just so much faster, neater and easier than any other implement.
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re: grant.cook
Sam Fujisaka
Nov 19, 2008 01:49 PM
No. They're tin rectangular devices that have lots of double rows of very small raised teeth and no holes. Grated ginger and juice or zest collects at a collector at the bottom. There is a smaller similar grater with smaller teeth at the top handle part which is good but slower.
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I vote for the ubiquitos vegetable peeler. Don't dig deep, but if you want the most zest for the least work, just use a peeler. Microplanes are nice if you want zest-dust, IMHO, and are a lot of work. If you want a microplane but balk at Kitchen shop prices, go to Home Depot or a store like that and look at the ShureForm Rasps. Same thing, without a "Restaurant/Kitchen price tag. Most of the chefs I know who are using a microplane shop at Home Depot!
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re: Bigley9
I think what he's talking about is the thickness of the zest. In the "before times" where there were no microplanes for the kitchen, zesters and veggie peelers were used to peel off really thick slices of the zest, often taking pith with it. It required a lot of hand control and muscle (especially when the zester would get dull) to get peel without pith. Sometimes I want thicker zest, like when I'm baking gingerbread and want larger pieces of candied orange zest, but most of the time I prefer the convienience of the microplane over the added value of larger zest pieces. Sometimes, I just want zest dust.
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gansu girl
Nov 19, 2008 06:38 AM
I third the Microplane. You will no longer be intimidated by zest if you invest in this simple tool! Trust us!
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