lemon zest

[Antheia]

What is lemon zest and what part of the supermarket would i find it?

[Aimz]

Lemon zest is just the peel of the lemon.

You just need to get a grater and grate the outside of the lemon.

[Rouge]

Its the outside skin of the lemon. You can either grate it off with a fine grater, or buy a lemon zester. You don't want the pith (the white bit) just the waxy yellow part.

[butterfly_warrior]

To find lemon zest - buy one lemon and finely grate the coloured part (not the white part) of the lemon rind.

You can get special lemon zesters to do this, but a fine grater will also do the job.

BW

[Sterla]

The way I understand it, lemon zest is just the grated skin of the lemon. I'm not sure if you can buy it ready-done or not?
I could be wrong though - I'm certainly no chef!

[Antheia]

Thanks for that. Easier then trying to look for something i have no idea about lol!

[Loveinamist]

Its the outside skin of the lemon. You can either grate it off with a fine grater, or buy a lemon zester. You don't want the pith (the white bit) just the waxy yellow part.

I would advise to get an unwaxed lemon. That waxy bit you have described is just that, wax. They wax lemons to make them look better for longer on the supermarket shelf. They sometimes also coat them in a fungicide before waxing.

[Rouge]

I didn't actually mean a waxy lemon, sorry for the confusion, I actually meant the peel and not the pith. Sorry for any confusion. I've never even seen a waxy lemon! We mustn't get them here in aus.

[Antheia]

Yeah i was gonna say i have never seen a waxy lemon before lol!

[Loveinamist]

Lemons in Australia are waxed as well. It is done to preserve them. Your standard lemon on the supermarket shelf has been dipped in fungicide and then waxed.

[Antheia]

Well how are you suppose to tell the difference then?

[Loveinamist]

Unwaxed lemons are usually sold separately and are usually bagged up and labelled as unwaxed. They are here in the UK anyway. I never needed to buy them when I lived in Australia as we grew our own lemons, but DH, who works in the food industry, assures me though that they sell them in Australia as well, so maybe if you ask for them you might be able to get them.

[Rouge]

Well there ya go. I guess there's something to be said for having a lemon tree in your back yard I'll have to ask my local supermarket now if their lemons are unwaxed...