Best Ways to Zest a lime

A zester makes long, fine, curling stripes of lime. Hold the lime in one hand and the zester in another. Put the sharp edges of the zester at the top of the lime, press it slightly and pull the zester down. You will see long and curling strips at the end of the zester. Continue this process till you have enough zest needed. If you have collected more zest than is required, you can store it in a zip lock bag and put it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Wash your lemon properly before you start peeling it. Ensure that you only peel the outer part of the lime or lemon. The inner, white part is usually bitter, so avoid cutting that. Hold a peeler in one hand and a lemon in another. Pull the peeler across the lime skin so that the top part of the peel comes off in a slice. If you want smaller pieces and do not have a zester or a grater, use a knife and cut it later.

You can use a knife to zest a lemon, but it will take a few minutes longer than using a zester. Use a knife only if you don’t have a zester, peeler, or grater. Hold the lime down on a counter. Take a knife and cut the thinnest stripe of the lime. Avoid cutting the white part as it is bitter. Put the peeled slice in a cutting mat and cut it into equal strips. You can cut it again into dice if you want to use it for baking.

One of the best and quickest ways to zest a lime is to use a grater. The zest will come out small, and perfect when you are baking. Use a grater with tiny holes and grate the lime at a 45 degree angle until the color of the lime disappears. Remember to rotate the lime ever so often to make sure you don't grate off too much of the white peel.