Citrons Verts Art Print
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When choosing citrus to zest and juice, pick out fruit that is unblemished on the outside. It should be heavy for its size, and the skin should look taut and plump, not shriveled. Most citrus fruit at the grocery store has been waxed to make it look more appealing; if you’ll be using the zest, you can choose organic fruit.
Yields
As a general guideline,
* One medium orange = ½ cup juice (4 oz.)
* One lemon = 3 tablespoons juice (1.5 oz.)
* One lime = 2 tablespoons juice (1 oz.)
Zest
The outer layer of citrus holds a large amount of aromatic oils and taste, which can add a fruity kick to many foods. Zest is the outermost layer.
A citrus zester will yield the best possible result, a vegetable peeler or box grater will work in an emergency but the vegetable peeler is a coarse zesting tool and a great deal of bitter tasting pith may be scraped off along with the desired zest. When using a vegetable peeler, do not press hard into the citrus in an attempt to avoid removing any pith. Using a box grater is probably the quickest way to zest, but is also the most wasteful and sloppy. The grating motion will cause a large amount of juice to be forced out of the zest, lessening the zest’s aromatic taste.