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ever wonder how professional chefs get
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that perfect punch of citrus flavor in
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their dishes it's all in the CEST and
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today I'm going to show you exactly how
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to CEST a lemon the right way without
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making a mess wasting any of that golden
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goodness or accidentally zesting your
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fingertips whether you're adding it to
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baked goods pasta or even cocktails
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knowing how to get the most zest with
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the least effort is a skill worth having
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so stick around because by the end of
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this video you'll be zesting like a pro
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first things first wash your lemon I
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know I know it seems basic but trust me
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you don't want any wax or dirt getting
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into your food I give mine a good rinse
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under warm water and dry it off
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completely a dry lemon is is much easier
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to zest and nobody likes soggy
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zest also make sure your lemon is at
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room temperature it's much easier to
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zest than a cold one if it's been in the
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fridge just let it sit out for a bit or
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roll it between your hands to warm it up
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now let's talk tools there are a few
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ways to zest a lemon and each method
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gives slightly different results my
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go-to the lemon lemon zester this little
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tool is designed specifically for the
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job giving you delicate strands of CEST
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with minimal effort and no wasted lemon
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goodness before I start I always put on
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disposable vinyl gloves and grab a large
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mixing bowl the gloves protect my hands
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from absorbing too much of the lemon's
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natural oils which can be irritating if
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you have small Cuts or sensitive skin
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plus lemons can leave your hands feeling
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weirdly sticky the bowl that's my secret
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to catching every last bit of zest so
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none of that Citrus magic goes to waste
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I hold the lemon in one hand and the
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greater over the bowl then lightly rub
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the lemon against it rotating as I go
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the trick here don't go too
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deep you only want the bright yellow
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outer layer the second you hit the white
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you're in bitter territory and that's
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not what we're going for no microplane
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no problem a box grater Works in a pinch
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just use the fine side it's not as
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precise but it gets the job done just go
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slow nobody wants a lemon SED knuckle
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and if you're feeling fancy a citrus
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zester gives you those
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delicate curly strands of CEST perfect
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for garnishes whatever method you use
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just remember the key is light pressure
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and constant rotation to get even zest
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without digging too deep now that we've
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got our beautiful zest let's talk
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storage fresh zest has the best flavor
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but if I have extra I pop it into an
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airtight container and refrigerate it
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for up to a week if I know I won't use
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it right away I spread it out on a
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baking sheet freeze it and then trans
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transer it to uh a a sealed bag this way
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it stays fresh for up to 3 months and
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here's my Pro tip label your bag or
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container with the date trust me frozen
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lemon zest looks suspiciously like
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Ginger and let's just say lemon flavored
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stir fry is not a trend I'd recommend
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starting all right so now that we have
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of this amazing fragrance zest what do
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we do with it the possibilities are
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endless I love adding it to baked goods
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for an extra Citrus kick stirring it
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into pasta for a fresh pop of flavor or
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mixing it into yogurt and smoothies it
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also makes an amazing addition to butter
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or sugar just rub it in and you've got
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lemon infused magic ready to
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zesting a lemon is quick easy and a
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simple way to bring a burst of flavor to
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just about anything try it out and let
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me know in the comments how you use
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lemon zest in your kitchen and if you
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want to see how I put this fresh zest to
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good use check out my next video where I
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make a lemon bun cake using the zest we
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just made see you there
