WJEC Level 3 Certificate in Food Science and Nutrition

199 Zester Citrus fruits contain concentrated natural oils in the outer skin or ‘zest’ (peel /exocarp) of the fruit, inside specialised pits that each contain an oil gland: The aim of zesting is to remove only the outer coloured skin (zest) of the citrus fruit (not the bitter, white pith layer beneath it), and in doing so, release the concentrated oil from the pits and use it to flavour foods and beverages. Zesting tools are designed to do this by applying pressure to the citrus skin as they are pulled across the surface of the fruit. Zesting tools are also used for finely grating other commodities, including hard cheeses, fresh coconut, nutmeg, garlic, chocolate, fresh galangal, turmeric and root ginger. There are two types of tool for this purpose: 1. A traditional citrus zester has a handle and a curved stainless-steel end, which is perforated with a single row of holes that have sharp edges. In this image, the zester is being pressed against the lemon (curved end pointing down) and drawn backwards across the skin. This cuts the skin away from the pith into shreds that pass through each hole. The shreds can also be used as a garnish / decoration. 2. Microplane zesters are similar in operation to cheese graters but have much finer slicing blades. They resemble a woodworking tool called a file or rasp, and produce finely grated zest: Peel (exocarp) Oil- lled pits (containing oil glands) Microplane zester (being used here to finely grate nutmegs) Utensils