How to Zest an Orange

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By kaytay
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The zest of a fruit is the outermost, colored skin of citrus fruits. Zest is often used for flavoring in recipes such as pastries and pies, and is synonymous for spice or flavoring. It is the oils in the peel that offer the flavor. Learn how to zest an orange, or another citrus fruit by following these simple instructions.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Grater, peeler, or paring knife
Orange, or another citrus fruit of choice

Step 1

Orange Zest

The zest of a citrus fruit is the outermost, colored skin of the fruit. The zest is often an ingredient in many pastries and pies because of its delicious flavor. However, the pith, or white membrane under the zest has a bitter, unpleasant taste and should be avoided while zesting the fruit.
Step 2

Peel or Scrape Zest

To zest an orange, simply begin scraping off the outer, colored skin of the fruit. A grater with small holes works well to grate the peel off of the fruit. Again, be careful not to grate too deeply as to avoid the bitter pith underneath.
Step 3

Finely Chop Zest to add to Recipe

Once the zest is removed from the citrus fruit, you can finely chop the zest as desired for the specific recipe. One large orange will typically yield about 2 tablespoons of zest.