How to Zest a Lime Without a Zester
Lime zest can add flavor to baked goods like cheesecake or serve as a pretty garnish on everything from desserts and salads to mixed drinks. The zest is the outside, colored part of the fruit's peel; using the zest adds a sharp, sweet, tangy flavor without the bitterness contained in the white part of the peel. You can use a zester to remove the lime zest, but if you don't zest fruit often, you may not want to buy another kitchen gadget. Luckily, it's simple to zest a lime with a simple vegetable peeler. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Lime
- Vegetable peeler
- Cutting board
- Paring knife
- Grater with small holes
Instructions
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Zest a Lime
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1
Hold the lime in your non-dominant hand and position the peeler over the fruit. The peeler should be at a slight angle to the lime, as if you were peeling a carrot or potato.
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2
Begin peeling the lime near the top of the fruit; slowly continue peeling around the fruit in a spiral. For shorter strips, you can peel the lime from top to bottom. Pull the peeler toward you, pressing down firmly but not digging into the white pith.
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3
Lay the strips of peel on the cutting board and slice them into strips with the paring knife into the desired width. For baking or a garnish, you might want strips that are very thin (less than 1/8 inch). Strips that are a little wider look nice on the edge of a glass or on the top of a cake.
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4
If appearance is not important (e.g., you're using the zest for baking), you can grate the zest. Using a sharp metal grater, firmly scrape the fruit with the smallest holes until you have the desired amount of zest.
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