A Zester's Life For Me
By AnjaP
@Rollo1 (16679)
Boston, Massachusetts
January 11, 2017 4:00pm CST
Zest is not something I oft confess, or express, except when pressed. And yet, there are times in life when one needs a little zest.
Yesterday, for instance, when I decided to make an orange sponge cake. I had oranges and wouldn't it be simple to zest a little orange peel?
No. No, it wouldn't be simple. I don't have a zester, due to my aforementioned usual lack of need for zest. But, at the very least, I thought I possessed a cheese grater.
Yet, this very important (hardly ever used) utensil was not in the drawer in which it usually resides. Nor was it in the other drawer, where the things I really should throw away reside. Because I needed it - finally - it had vanished.
Zesting an orange with a cheese slicer and a vegetable peeler is not easy. It's terribly messy and you get great big pieces instead of fine curlicues.
So, I have been shopping on Amazon for a zester. One which will do what I need it to do, when I need it. That's about once every 7 years or so. In the meantime it will reside in the other drawer.
How often do you zest? Do you have a zester? Do you buy zest? Do you care at all about the zester life?
17 people like this
16 responses
@GardenGerty (160883)
• United States
16 Jan 17
And an enthusiasm for life!
. I am feeling silly now, so I am enjoying playing with the words in this post.
. I am feeling silly now, so I am enjoying playing with the words in this post.1 person likes this
@allknowing (137553)
• India
16 Jan 17
@GardenGerty I never knew there was something called zester that works on oranges (lol
@GardenGerty (160883)
• United States
16 Jan 17
@JudyEv curlicue, curlicue, curlicue, it is a fun word. It sounds like a curlicue looks. I do not know what they would make it with either. My herbal class lady has a little ceramic thing that she shreds ginger with that I would love to have for running citrus over.
1 person likes this
@much2say (55901)
• Los Angeles, California
14 Jan 17
Often when a recipe includes the need for "zest", I skip it 
. I know, I know, it's what gives the recipe it's "zestiness", but in most cases I'm ok with the flavor from the juice 
.
I had a zester with a row of circles . . . I could never get it to actually scrape anything. I've even resorted to using a sharp knife and then to slice the zest into fine, fine slivers which was a pain.
So if I really, really, really need some zest, which is rare, I will attempt to use the fine grater. That doesn't seem to yield a lot . . . the grated bits get too fine and sort of liquefy 
.
. I know, I know, it's what gives the recipe it's "zestiness", but in most cases I'm ok with the flavor from the juice .
I had a zester with a row of circles . . . I could never get it to actually scrape anything. I've even resorted to using a sharp knife and then to slice the zest into fine, fine slivers which was a pain.
So if I really, really, really need some zest, which is rare, I will attempt to use the fine grater. That doesn't seem to yield a lot . . . the grated bits get too fine and sort of liquefy .1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160883)
• United States
16 Jan 17
I have dried orange peel, or other citrus, removing as much of the white as I can. When dried I have ground it up in a food processor. I kept of jar of said grindings on hand and used it a lot.
1 person likes this
@much2say (55901)
• Los Angeles, California
20 Jan 17
@GardenGerty 
And is the flavor of it pretty much the same? I never thought of that . . . good idea 
!
And is the flavor of it pretty much the same? I never thought of that . . . good idea !
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
13 Jan 17
I have a plane grater which is a zester so it works very well when zest is called for!!!
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
16 Jan 17
@Rollo1 You can stab it with a fork and then plane it to save your fingers.
1 person likes this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
16 Jan 17
@BelleStarr Never say the word "stab" around my fingers.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (50596)
• United States
11 Jan 17
I may have zested years ago in home economics class 
2 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
11 Jan 17
I do not, but cant even remember the last time one was needed! lol
2 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
18 Jan 17
Funny, Anja. I don't have a zester either, but I've put peel in my cranberry relish just about every year. You're correct, a potato peeler isn't quite the same, but what I've done in recent years is just put the whole orange rind and all into the food processor and grind it up. No one has any idea what's in it and that way I can provide a bit of zest without using a utensil I don't own nor ever have.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
18 Jan 17
@Rollo1 If you don't want to use the whole rind, you can just cut whatever portion you'd want and try that. I do grind it with other things too, so if you want the pieces of rind to show up in your cakes, I'm not sure how they'd do alone, but you can always give it a try and see. Maybe it will still work well that way.
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
12 Jan 17
I have never zested. I do not want to zest. I will never zest.
1 person likes this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
16 Jan 17
@paigea I like the idea of mug cakes, but I am always slightly disappointed in them. Microwaves just do food differently. I occasionally make myself a mug cake, but I prefer a great big cake that will ask me to eat a slice of it every time I walk by.
@Hate2Iron (15727)
• Canada
16 Jan 17
Nope... don't have one, but I'm pretty sure that I did have one at some point in my life. I think that it managed to get lost during one of our moves... never thought of it until you mentioned it. I guess I can do without it... or will put it on my Christmas list for next year lol!
@JESSY3236 (20046)
• United States
16 Jan 17
Lol. You must got rid of it when you thought you wouldn't need it. No I never zested before. That orange cake sounds good.
