Food - Drink
Why It Pays To Zest Citrus Upside Down
By KAREN HART
Citrus zest is a fantastic boost of flavor in desserts and savory dishes. While the zest is easy to procure, as a bonus byproduct of any citrus fruit you may have, it's not always simple to add to your dishes, since citrus zesters or graters can be fussy and even cut your fingers —- here's a better way to zest citrus with a metal grater.
The Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts recommends flipping your grater upside-down so the rough edge is on the bottom, and the softer edge is the one that comes into contact with the skin of the fruit. The duller holes on a grater collect more light and soft peel shavings when you move the fruit back and forth over the surface.
Zesting your fruit too quickly will result in a lot of bitter white pith mixed up with the zest, so proceed slowly. Using your grater upside-down allows more control over how much zest makes it into your recipes, but an even better tool is a microplane, which is adaptable to this technique while preventing too much pith from ruining your zest.