Zester like a pro
Have you heard of the microplane? It's an extraordinary tool that allows you to grate very, very finely, and therefore zest with disconcerting ease.
Here's some information about it.
Here's some information about it.
5,209 4.9/5 (15 reviews)
Keywords for this post:ZestToolGraterPeelCitrusFineLast modified on: December 25th 2020
Zester like a pro
I'm not telling you anything new, but a lot of recipes use the zest of a fruit, citrus fruits in particular, and removing it is not as easy as you might think.
In fact, you may have already seen this tool here:
It's a zester or a zester knife, which has the advantage of making nice long zests, but which are almost totally exuded, i.e. a little crushed, squeezed, and so the essence of the fruit you're trying to get is more on your fingers or the zester than in the recipe, too bad.
It's more a tool of the past, now there's something much better, and that's the zester grater, it looks like a big file, and as the main brand, the one that launched the tool is Microplane, all the professionals now say one or the microplane.
It doesn't sound like a revolutionary tool, and yet it is. It looks like a large file, as I said, and it's more or less the same principle: tiny teeth in highly resistant stainless steel, and it allows you to zest any fruit you want with extreme finesse, producing a kind of fine powder that blends easily into any recipe, and contains all the essences and flavors of the fruit worked on.
How do you use it? Well, that's the trick: intuitively, you'd use it just like a file: you hold the fruit in one hand, the microplane in the other, and grate the surface, passing it all around the fruit.
Not a good idea, though, as you're going to get zest everywhere but where it needs to be - I'm exaggerating.
No, in fact it's the other way round: your hand holding the microplane doesn't move, it's the one holding the fruit that moves, from the handle to the tip.
And you do this without going back and forth, just one way and then you rotate the fruit a little on itself to zest a new part, and so on.
Well, when you put it like that, it sounds very complicated, and at first it's a bit confusing, this tool that doesn't move while the fruit does, but once you get the hang of it, you'll see. What's more, the amazing quality of the zest harvested is well worth this little change of habit.
The microplane can also be used to grate a whole host of other things, including Parmesan cheese.
Pastry chefs also use it, like a file for that matter, to smooth out their tart, tartelette or cookie bases after baking, for a near-perfect final appearance.
To sum up: to zest a fruit, nothing beats a grater (microplane or other), in which case the tool remains fixed, it's the fruit that moves.
In fact, you may have already seen this tool here:
It's a zester or a zester knife, which has the advantage of making nice long zests, but which are almost totally exuded, i.e. a little crushed, squeezed, and so the essence of the fruit you're trying to get is more on your fingers or the zester than in the recipe, too bad.
It's more a tool of the past, now there's something much better, and that's the zester grater, it looks like a big file, and as the main brand, the one that launched the tool is Microplane, all the professionals now say one or the microplane.
It doesn't sound like a revolutionary tool, and yet it is. It looks like a large file, as I said, and it's more or less the same principle: tiny teeth in highly resistant stainless steel, and it allows you to zest any fruit you want with extreme finesse, producing a kind of fine powder that blends easily into any recipe, and contains all the essences and flavors of the fruit worked on.
How do you use it? Well, that's the trick: intuitively, you'd use it just like a file: you hold the fruit in one hand, the microplane in the other, and grate the surface, passing it all around the fruit.
Not a good idea, though, as you're going to get zest everywhere but where it needs to be - I'm exaggerating.
No, in fact it's the other way round: your hand holding the microplane doesn't move, it's the one holding the fruit that moves, from the handle to the tip.
And you do this without going back and forth, just one way and then you rotate the fruit a little on itself to zest a new part, and so on.
Well, when you put it like that, it sounds very complicated, and at first it's a bit confusing, this tool that doesn't move while the fruit does, but once you get the hang of it, you'll see. What's more, the amazing quality of the zest harvested is well worth this little change of habit.
The microplane can also be used to grate a whole host of other things, including Parmesan cheese.
Pastry chefs also use it, like a file for that matter, to smooth out their tart, tartelette or cookie bases after baking, for a near-perfect final appearance.
To sum up: to zest a fruit, nothing beats a grater (microplane or other), in which case the tool remains fixed, it's the fruit that moves.
Lasts posts
Travel cakes
You may have come across the term "travel cakes" ("gateaux de voyage" in french) for certain pastries, so let's take a look at what they're all about.January 27th 20251,442
The aromatic power of sugar
In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors. Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas. By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making...December 25th 20241,8165
The little trap of thick cream
When you need to add cream to a recipe, you might be wondering: thick (heavy) cream or liquid cream? In most cases, there's no big difference: you can use either. But there is one exception, and that's when the cream needs to be cooked, for a sauce for example, and here the difference between...December 13th 20242,7375
Sauce and salad: When and how to mix them?
When dressing a salad, there's a kind of golden rule: add the dressing very shortly before serving, especially if your salad contains crunchy elements such as croutons or fresh vegetables, which will retain their crunchiness or crispiness. But, as is often the case in the kitchen, there are...November 29th 20242,8805
No need to boil gelatin
Gelatin is a magical ingredient for making light, creamy, structured desserts, yet it's often misused in the kitchen. A common mistake in some recipes is the idea that it needs to be boiled for it to work properly, but this is a mistake indeed: gelatin melts at a much lower temperature, around...November 21th 20242,6335
Other pages you may also like
Steam for baking bread
What does steam have to do with bread-making? This is not only a bakers' secret, it is something you might not think of at all: if you make bread and bake it like a cake, you will end up with bread, but pale and with a thick, hard crust – a long way from the golden-brown crusty loaf you had in...June 16th 2021139 K4.5
The skin side of the fish first?
When it comes to cooking fresh fish, if it's filleted with its skin on and you're planning to pan-fry it in a little olive oil, for example, you might ask yourself the following question: Which side, skin or flesh, should come into contact with the pan first?February 13th 202122 K4.4
The super powers of cornstarch
I start this new year by evoking an old product, that you most probably have in your cupboards, a white powder, often in a small cardboard package with a slightly outdated look, only the "gluten free" is relatively recent, it is simply cornstarch, hence its name of maïzena. It's used for a lot...January 14th 202210 K
Butter doesn't make you fat, unless you eat too much of it.
Whenever I'm discussing cooking and recipes, there is one idea which comes up frequently, like this: "Oh no! But that's got butter in it" (I should add, for the sake of accuracy, that this is something I hear more frequently from women, who are almost all concerned with keeping their figure). ...March 26th 201240 K4.5
How to zest a fruit?
You will have no doubt noticed that many recipes call for the zest of citrus fruit. The zest is that outer layer of the skin which adds so much flavour to a dish. There are many different ways to peel off the zest and various tools are available. Here is a summary of the “dos and don'ts” of...November 5th 201342 K3.8
Post a comment or question
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.