Zest

Culinary definition of zest:  The outermost layer of citrus skin, not including the bitter white pith.

C@H FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Always use clean organic fruit if a recipe calls for fresh zest. 

Before the widespread availability and popularity of rasps and plane graters, it used to be that zesting was messy work indeed. 

One could spend hours scraping lemons and oranges against the tiny rough-edged holes of a box grater, then picking the zest away with the tines of a fork. 

In today's kitchens, a bowl full of organic lemons and limes is as ubiquitous as salt and pepper.  It takes seconds to pull a few delicate strands of zest from a lemon (see right); finish or garnish a dish with fine lime zest; or brighten soups before serving.

✭ ✭ ✭ Kitchen Drawer.  Keep a set of very good quality, very sharp stainless steel microplanes/rasps close at hand.  Most come with storage covers to help keep cutting surfaces sharp and nick free, and keep fingers and knuckes out of danger. 

Ideally: a fine rasp or grater for zesting and spices; medium for zesting and hard cheese; coarse for cheese and vegetables, and a medium ribbon grater for apples, onions, garnishes. 

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