zest a lemon

Meaning

To zest a lemon means to grate or scrape off the colorful, oily outer skin (the zest) of the fruit while avoiding the bitter white pith underneath. This releases highly concentrated, aromatic citrus oils that add a bright flavor to both sweet and savory dishes.

Examples

• Be careful to only zest a lemon down to the yellow layer, avoiding the bitter white part.

  Be careful to only zest a lemon down to the yellow layer, avoiding the bitter white part.

• The recipe calls for you to zest a lemon directly into the cake batter for a fresh aroma.

  The recipe calls for you to zest a lemon directly into the cake batter for a fresh aroma.

• I always use a microplane grater when I need to zest a lemon for my pasta sauce.

  I always use a microplane grater when I need to zest a lemon for my pasta sauce.

• She showed me how to zest a lemon to give the blueberry muffins an extra kick.

  She showed me how to zest a lemon to give the blueberry muffins an extra kick.

• Before you squeeze the juice, remember to zest a lemon first because it is much easier that way.

  Before you squeeze the juice, remember to zest a lemon first because it is much easier that way.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I used a potato peeler to zest a lemon and got deep into the white skin.

  ✓ I used a microplane to zest a lemon, avoiding the bitter white pith.

  Zesting only involves the very thin, colored outer layer. Using a peeler often digs too deep into the bitter white pith (mesocarp), which ruins the flavor of your dish.

• ✗ Make sure to zest a lemon after you cut and squeeze it.

  ✓ Make sure to zest a lemon before you cut and squeeze it.

  It is extremely difficult to grate the skin of a deflated, juiced lemon. Always zest the fruit while it is whole and firm.

Related Expressions

Practice

• It is much easier to ___ while the fruit is still whole and firm rather than after it is squeezed.

  💡 Grate the yellow skin of a citrus fruit.

  Show answer

  zest a lemon

• To add a bright, citrusy punch to the frosting, you should ___ directly into the bowl.

  💡 Scrape off the fragrant outer peel of a yellow citrus.

  Show answer

  zest a lemon