How to Zest and Juice a Lemon Safely

Let’s learn how to zest a lemon safely. When working with round objects such as potatoes, limes, oranges and lemons, you want to take your time. If you are in a hurry, you don’t take time to have proper equipment, you can hurt yourself. From grated knuckles to cutting yourself, zesting and juicing a lemon can be intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be.

I’ll walk you through the steps verbally and with a few photos and finally a video. The video is better as you can see the cutting of lemon as well as how to zest. For obvious safety reasons, I couldn’t take photos through the whole process. However, just follow these simple steps.

First, you want to make sure your lemon is washed and dried well. Run it under cool water for 30 – 45 seconds and rub the surface with your hands to wash away any loose dirt. Do not use soap. If you insist on some kind of cleaner, stick with vinegar as it is edible and the skin is porous and can absorb soap.

Second, use a non slip cutting board or sit it on a towel or silicone mat for traction. If the cutting board slides around, you could seriously injury yourself while cutting the lemon. Also, make sure to use a sharp knife. No dull knives here, please.

Third, you will need a box grater or a zester. Hold the lemon so the pointed ends facing toward the work surface and ceiling. This will help it not roll as you grate against metal. Take your time. Getting in a hurry can grate off skin. Trust me, it hurts.

Lastly, when cutting the lemon, take notice of your hand at all times. If the lemon starts to slip, release the pressure from the knife immediately and let go of the lemon. Stop, take a breath and readjust. It isn’t hard once you do it a few times and speed comes with practice.

Always remember this one key advice: A snails pace is safest when learning in the kitchen. Now let’s make a lemon cake!

You May Also Like:

French Pastry Cream versus American Pudding

What is difference between a pastry cream recipe versus American pudding? The truth is, not much. As long as we are talking about the cooked version and not the box kind. It took a long time for me to figure out how to make Crème Pâtissière (fancy way of saying pastry...

The Serious Advantages of an Oil-Based Cake

The advantages of an oil-based cake are that it is light, moist, easy to make, and delicious. Oil is cheaper than butter and you can make this cake for those with milk sensitives or allergies. What's not to love? I've been watching a lot of "The Great British Bake...

Tempering White Chocolate Made Easy

Tempering white chocolate doesn't have to be difficult. But exactly what is it? White chocolate is cocoa butter with milk and sugars added. Some people argue it's not chocolate at all because there is only cocoa butter, not actual cocoa in the candy. That's up to you...

More Ways to Connect!

Do you want to share your results?  Do you have more questions on this recipe?  Did you find an error?  We want to help and we appreciate yours.  Please contact us.  We love hearing from you!

Follow Us:

Questions? We're Here to Help!

Do you have questions about our recipes, want to brag about your accomplishments, complain, compliment, send stories of your furry pets, or found an error in our typing?  We want to hear from you!  Please contact us and we will get back to you as soon as we finish baking our latest creation.  Or sleeping.

Comments:

0 Comments
Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Pin It on Pinterest