Things bakers know: The right way to zest a lemon

There is more than one way to zest a lemon. But the best way, according to the baking wizards in our Test Kitchen, is with a Microplane Zester. This isn’t a new discovery; the day this handy tool was stolen from the woodshop and brought into the kitchen, cooks rejoiced. The sharp teeth of this wand-like rasp remove only the fragrant zest of the fruit, leaving the bitter pith behind. (The tool is also handy for hard cheeses, chocolate, garlic, ginger, nutmeg and more, making it far more than a single-use gadget.) 

Photography and food styling by Liz Neily

But it’s not just the tool that matters, it’s how you use it: Even if you’ve been using a microplane for ages, it’s possible you’re not using it to its full potential, particularly when it comes to citrus. Many bakers hold the microplace stationary with the sharp teeth facing up, then rapidly run the citrus over the tool, letting the zest rain down on the work surface. For best results, though, there’s another way: Hold the lemon (or orange, lime, or grapefruit) in your non-dominant hand. Hold the microplane in your dominant hand, orienting it so the sharp teeth are facing down, against the fruit, and the well side of the rasp faces up. That way, when you start to zest, the fragrant fruity filaments are trapped in the tool, rather than falling onto your work surface. This also lets you see just how much zest you’ve gotten, and ensures you stop zesting before you’ve reached the white pith.  

Using long strokes, run the microplane over the surface of the fruit. With the tool in your dominant hand, you have more control, which allows you to remove more zest with each stroke, making this method more efficient. Continue zesting, rotating the fruit as you go, until there’s no yellow peel remaining (or you’ve gotten the amount of zest you need for a recipe, whichever comes first). 

If you’re using zest as a garnish and don’t need a measured amount, you can turn the rasp well-side down and let the zest fall directly onto the surface of your baked good, taking care to move the wand as you’re zesting so it doesn’t all clump in one spot. Ta-da! 

Love lemon? Here are 17 of our favorite lemon recipes, including Mile-High Meringue Pie.

Cover photo by Patrick Marinello; food styling by Yekaterina Boytsova.