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.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Lime
• Vegetable peeler
• Cutting board
• Paring knife
• Grater with small holes

Zest a Lime

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.

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.

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.

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.

References

• NY Times Test Kitchen

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