Zest an Orange

Orange zest is the top layer of an orange's peel. It contains the fruit's oils and adds a bright citrus flavor to a variety of dishes. There are several kitchen utensils you can use to zest an orange, including a microplane, grater, vegetable peeler or knife. See Step 1 to start making fresh orange zest.

Steps

Since the objective is to use only the outermost layer of the fruit's skin, it is important to wash the fruit thoroughly before beginning any of the methods noted below.

Using a Grater

  1. Prop the grater against a cutting board. If you are using a flat grater, hold the grater at an angle, one end resting against the cutting board. If you are using a box grater, simply place the grater on the cutting board.
  2. Scrape the orange along the grater from top to bottom. Maintain enough pressure to remove the top layer of the rind. Take off only the rind of the orange's skin, and not the white pith, which tastes bitter.
    • Make sure the orange is clean. You might not usually think to wash an orange, since you normally discard the peel, but the zest is the peel so it's important to wash off any pesticides or dirt before zesting.
    • You might find it easier to handle the orange if you cut it in half and squeeze out the juice before zesting.
  3. Rotate the orange slightly after each scrape. Refrain from using any section of the orange more than once.
  4. Keep turning and scraping until the top layer of peel is removed. You should now have a pile of orange zest collected on your cutting board. Scoop it into a measuring cup to see how much you have.
    • One orange should yield about 1 tablespoon of zest. Zest more as needed to use in your recipe.

Using a Microplane

  1. Hold the microplane at an angle. Rest the tip of the microplane against your cutting board.
  2. Scrape the orange along the microplane. Lightly press the orange against the microplane and scrape it from top to bottom, or from the handle to the tip. Maintain enough pressure to remove the top layer of the rind. Be sure to take off only the rind of the orange's skin, and not the bitter pith inside.
  3. Turn the orange slightly after each scrape. Avoid using any section of the orange more than once, since you don't want pith mixed in with your zest.
  4. Continue scraping and turning until you have zested the entire orange. Gather your zest and measure it in a measuring cup to see how much you still need.

Using a Vegetable Peeler or Knife

  1. Peel the orange as you would a potato. Hold the peeler or knife against the orange's skin. Press down hard enough so that you remove the top layer of the rind. Do not remove the pith inside the orange. Since this method removes relatively large pieces of rind, rather than fine chopping the pieces, this may be a good place to use that Mini-Processor.
  2. Spin the orange slightly after removing a section of the peel. Avoid using any section of the orange more than once, since you don't want pith mixed in with the zest.
  3. Continue peeling and turning until you peeled around the circumference of the orange.
  4. Chop the peel into small pieces. Using a knife or peeler to peel an orange results in large pieces that need to be chopped up so you can use them as zest. Use a sharp knife to chop the peeled pieces finely. Depending upon the volume needed and any appearance concerns, reducing the peels to zest may be a task for the Mini Food Processor, if available. Measure out the amount you need for your recipe.

Tips

  • If sealed in a plastic bag, orange zest will keep in the freezer for up to six months.
  • The smaller and more finely grated the zest, the more the orange flavor will soak into your recipes.
  • Zesting with a grater will give you a zest that is slightly coarser than a microplane.
  • Using a microplane will give you a very fine zest.
  • Wash the orange thoroughly before zesting. Use soap and water to remove pesticides, waxes and dyes.
  • Using a vegetable peeler or knife will leave you with larger strips of zest. You can use this type of zest in drinks. You may also dice it to get a finer zest.

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Sources and Citations

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