How to store zest at home. How to zest citrus fruits

Lemons are an integral part of the human diet. They contain a large number of useful vitamins and microelements that protect the body from various diseases. In order to be able to buy these citrus fruits for several weeks in advance, you need to know how to store them correctly.

Fruit selection criteria

Before learning how to properly store lemons at home, you need to be able to choose the highest quality fruits. This is a difficult task, and some advice will help you cope with it. experienced gardeners. They recommend choosing citrus fruits according to the following criteria:

Appearance. A quality lemon should have a uniform color. In addition, the fruits should not have any defects, black spots or dots.
Peel. The outer layer of a good fruit is always smooth. If there are folds, wilted areas or depressions on it, then it is better not to take risks and look for more acceptable options.
Elasticity. Citrus peels should have this quality. This can be checked by lightly pressing on different areas of the surface of the fruit.
Ripeness. An unripe lemon will have a greenish-yellow skin instead of yellow.
Smell. The aroma of citrus should be such that it can be felt even through the peel.
Thickness. Good lemons always have thin skin. If you manage to find such a fruit, you can be sure not only of its quality, but also of the presence of a large amount of useful substances.

How to preserve whole lemons?

Storing whole lemons in the refrigerator is considered the most the right option. In this form they can remain fresh for 1 month. Thanks to the absence of incisions, it will be possible to preserve lemon juice, which is rich in vitamins and minerals important for humans.

The work is carried out in the following way:

Among the purchased fruits, only the most beautiful, fragrant and without any damage are selected.
After this, they are thoroughly washed and laid out on the table.
As soon as excess moisture has evaporated, the citrus fruits are carefully wrapped in parchment paper. Thanks to this, you can not only prevent moisture from entering, but also protect the fruits from unwanted contact with each other.
Prepared lemons are placed in special containers or plastic bags.
The containers are sealed and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

If you want to store lemons in the freezer, you will need to additionally lubricate them with vegetable oil. This will create a protective layer that will protect the peel from negative impact cold.

Simple ways to store cut lemons

Storing a cut lemon is much more difficult than storing a whole one. This is due to the influence of many factors not only on the skin, but also on the inside of the fruit. However, enterprising housewives have found several ways to increase the shelf life of lemons cut into small slices.

Lemons with sugar in a jar in the refrigerator

This one is simple and effective method allows you to preserve sliced lemon for up to 6 months. Having this opportunity, it is recommended to prepare citrus fruits for the whole winter.

Correct sequence of actions:

The fruits are thoroughly washed, dried from moisture and cut into thin rings or half rings.
Granulated sugar is poured into the bottom of a pre-prepared jar.
Several layers of citrus are placed on top.
Similarly, continue filling the glass container to its neck.
The prepared products are left on the table until all the sugar has dissolved.
Only after this the jar is closed with a lid and the lemons and sugar are placed in the refrigerator.

Storing lemons in salt

You can prepare lemons for the winter not only with sugar, but also with salt. Finished product will be fresh for at least 6 months and retain all its beneficial substances. The only drawback of this method is the salty taste of the infused fruits. Because of this, they are added during the preparation of main courses or unusual desserts.

Procedure:

The washed fruits are cut into pieces of arbitrary shape.
A thin layer of salt is poured into the bottom of a clean jar.
Citrus fruits are evenly placed on top.
They are placed on them Bay leaf and a few black peppercorns.
Repeat the same steps until the container is filled.
The workpiece is covered with a lid and placed in the refrigerator.

Frozen lemons

The longest storage of lemons is possible when using a freezer. In this case, the fruits can last for about a year without spoiling.

Citrus fruits are prepared as follows:

The fruits are washed, dried and cut into thin slices.
After this they are placed in freezer and kept there for 5 hours.
The citrus fruits are then placed in containers or bags and returned to the freezer.

Storage on a saucer

Make the preparation like this:

Place a little salt or sugar on a saucer.
Place citrus on top (cut side down).
Then the fruit is covered with a glass. If the lemon is too big, you can use a cup or jar.
The saucer is sent into the cold, where the lemon can be stored for 5 to 15 days.

How to properly store lemon zest?

Zest is one of the most sought after ingredients used in the preparation of various pastries and desserts. Crushed citrus peel adds a pleasant lemony scent to dishes and eliminates the need for artificial flavors.

For long-term storage, do the following:

Using a vegetable peeler, cut off the top yellow layer of skin.
The resulting thin plates are laid out on parchment paper.
Cover the top of the zest with gauze.
After this, the product is placed on the windowsill and ensure that the sun's rays fall on it.
After 2 days, the zest is transferred to a jar and stored at room temperature.

Recipes for lemon preparations

Citrus fruits can be stored in the form of various preparations for the winter. The recipes for their preparation are simple, so they are accessible even to people with limited financial resources.

Lemon with ginger

This workpiece is considered one of the best means that help fight colds and strengthen the immune system.

Pre-washed fruits are peeled.
Citrus fruits without zest are cut into large pieces and ground in a meat grinder.
The top inedible layer is removed from the ginger.
Grate the peeled root on a fine grater.
The prepared products are transferred to a bowl, where they are mixed with liquid honey.
The resulting mass is laid out in jars and tightly closed with nylon lids.
Glass containers are placed on the refrigerator shelf and stored for no more than 1 month.

Lemon with honey

The mixture of these 2 useful components is effective medicine against various seasonal diseases. In addition, it has a pleasant taste and will be a good addition to a holiday tea party.

Lemon-honey mass is prepared according to the following recipe:

The peels are cut off from washed citrus fruits.
The remaining part of the fruit is placed in a blender, where it is ground until smooth.
After this, it is mixed with natural honey in a 2:1 ratio.
The treat is transferred to glass jar with a screw cap and leave for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Then the containers are placed in a dark place with a temperature of no more than +10°C and a humidity of about 70%.

Lemon jam

In order to prepare lemon jam for the winter, you need to buy 1 kg of ripe fruits and 1.5 kg granulated sugar, and also pass 0.5 liters of water through the filter.

The cooking process consists of the following steps:

Thoroughly washed lemons are cut into 4 parts.
Then they are passed through a meat grinder 2 times.
The thick mass is transferred to a saucepan with a thick bottom.
Purified water is poured there and granulated sugar is added.
Place the container on low heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
The future jam is cooked for 7 minutes and then removed from the stove.
The delicacy is left to infuse at room temperature for 10 hours.
After this, it is boiled again and cooked for 10 minutes.
After removing from the stove, leave the jam for 12 hours.
After the specified time, cook the delicacy a third time. In this case, it needs to be kept on the stove for about 15 minutes.
The finished aromatic sweet is poured into jars.
Glass containers are cooled and placed in a cool place where they will be reliably protected from sunlight.

Candied fruit

This delicacy consists of juicy fruits boiled in sugar syrup. In most cases they are prepared from various types citrus. Candied lemons are considered the most delicious and healthy. The process of their preparation consists of the following sequence of actions:

Of all the lemons purchased, only the ripest ones are chosen. They will contain a lot of juice, which is necessary to obtain delicious candied fruits.
The fruits are washed several times and dried with paper towels.
Using a sharp knife, citrus fruits are cut into slices, the thickness of which should not exceed 5 millimeters.
They are placed in a pan of suitable size and filled with cold water.
The slices are left in this form for 24 hours. This simple operation will help get rid of excessive bitterness.
After the specified time, the liquid is drained and the lemon slices are dried.
After this, they are placed in a dry container.
Each layer is sprinkled with granulated sugar.
The products are left at room temperature for 2 hours. During this time, a large amount of juice will be released from the citrus fruits.
The container with future candied fruits is placed on low fire, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
Then the treat is removed from the stove and left for 12 hours.
A similar procedure is carried out 1 or 2 more times.
Boiled lemon slices are removed from the syrup and placed on wooden board or baking sheet.
Candied fruits are dried for 2 days in a warm place. At the same time, they are periodically turned over and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

The finished treat is stored in the refrigerator.

IN Lately Several people asked me about this at once, so I’m writing for everyone. In fact, there are no special tricks with zest: the main thing is to learn how to work with it once, understand what’s what, and more errors will not arise.

What is zest? This outer layer, the “rind” of many citrus fruits that contains essential oils. Which, naturally, makes it very useful and indispensable in cooking and distillery production. No food flavoring can compare with the aroma of properly preserved zest: the flavoring will always have a harsh aftertaste, while the zest very gently and unobtrusively reveals the taste and aroma. This is especially noticeable in baking: once I was “lucky” to try a Chinese sponge cake with added flavoring... a dubious pleasure, I tell you. It's like chewing on a sponge with orange soap.

The zest can be saved in two different ways. Let’s imagine that a truck loaded with citrus fruits has overturned on your street and urgently needs to be placed somewhere. It is best to prepare the zest when the orange (lemon and others) is fresh. When its peel is elastic, without black spots and other signs of disease. Over time, citrus fruits can dry out - then the peel also dries out, essential oils leave it, which we strive to obtain while preserving the zest. Therefore, it is necessary to always take fresh fruit. Theoretically, of course, you can even try to remove the zest from a dried lemon, but it will be of a slightly different quality.

We start by thoroughly washing the fruit. With a sponge, with soap, you can rinse with boiling water. Why is this being done? The peel of citrus fruits is very porous, and if the manufacturer has applied wax or other “protective” agents to the fruit for greater preservation, you risk treating your body with them. Therefore, citrus fruits should always be washed thoroughly. Then you need to dry it with a towel: removing the zest from a dry fruit is a little easier than from a wet one.

But then we choose how we will store the zest: simply as a powder or in a container sprinkled with sugar. If you are going to use the zest immediately, grate it with a fine grater just before adding it to the dish. There are no secrets here.

One of the most common questions is: how to prevent the zest from becoming bitter? It’s very simple: remove ONLY the zest, without touching the white layer, because it is this that gives that very bitterness. In general, if you pay attention, when using citrus fruits in cooking, cooks never touch the white partitions between the segments. For example, if you make a salad with orange and grapefruit, be sure to add only the pulp. This is especially true for grapefruit, where the partitions are the most bitter. To do this you need to use a good and very fine (!) grater. It's funny, but it's true. The zest requires delicate handling: if the grater is coarse, we risk touching the white layer of the peel; if it is too fine, the zest will turn into a heterogeneous mess that will lose some of the essential oils. I usually end up with an orange like this:

You see, I only removed the top layer. The surface of the orange remains porous, like a sponge: after some time it will dry out and harden. But now it's soft.
And this is the size I get for the zest:

It is best to transfer the grated zest into a glass container and sprinkle with sugar. It will absorb the released essential oils and serve as an excellent preservative for the zest. In the future, we will simply close the container with a lid and take out the zest only when we need to add it somewhere.

If you want to use the zest as a powder, it is better to remove it with a vegetable peeler rather than with a grater. We should get the thinnest strips of zest (remember about the white layer), which we cut in random order. We will dry the zest naturally: it is better to place it on a sheet of baking paper, cover with a second sheet and leave for several days in a sunny, well-ventilated area. Once a day, the zest will need to be turned or stirred so that it dries evenly. As soon as it becomes fragile, then we have achieved our goal. This usually takes 2-4 days. The dried zest can be stored like this, or you can grind it into powder using, for example, a coffee grinder, and add it to dishes as desired.

The first storage option is closer to me, since I put the zest more in baked goods than anywhere else. And zest and sugar are a great way out.

Another alternative to candied zest is candied fruits or specially prepared citrus peels, but about them - in a separate post, there are completely different rules and customs.

If anything is still unclear, ask questions :)

Which is used as an ingredient in many confectionery and beverages. The zest contains essential oils that add citrus flavor and aroma to dishes. In addition to essential oils, the zest contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals, which makes it also beneficial for the body.

Lemon zest can be bought at the store in finished form or obtained from a lemon by removing the outer layer of its peel.

Lemon zest information:

Lemon zest composition:

Lemon zest contains:

Water – 81.6%;
Dietary fiber – 10.6%;
Carbohydrates – 5.4%;
Proteins – 1.5%;
Ash – 0.6%;
Fat – 0.3%.

IN chemical composition Lemon zest contains macroelements such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus. Among the microelements, lemon peel contains iron, copper, selenium, and zinc.

Lemon zest is rich in vitamins such as A, C, B1, B2, B4, B5, B6, B9, E, PP, alpha Carotene, beta Carotene, beta Cryptoxanthin, Lutein, Zeaxanthin. Most of all, lemon zest contains vitamin C. 70 grams of lemon zest contains the daily requirement of ascorbic acid. Dishes containing lemon zest are useful for strengthening the immune system and preventing colds.

The calorie content of lemon zest is only 47 kcal per 100 grams of product.

How to make lemon zest at home:

In order to get lemon zest, you first need to buy fresh lemons and rinse them well under running water. Then, in order for the top layer of lemon peel to be peeled off well, you need to pour boiling water over the lemons or place them in boiling water for a few seconds in a colander. Wipe the lemons dry.

After this, carefully peel off the thin yellow layer using a knife or vegetable peeler, or you can rub it on a fine grater. Place the zest in a clean container. Ready. It can then be used for cooking.

The zest removed with a knife is of higher quality. There are no pieces of lemon pulp that remain on the zest when grated. They may taste bitter. The ideal zest is the thin outer yellow layer of the lemon peel. Using just such a zest in a recipe will give an unsurpassed citrus taste to the confectionery product.

How to preserve lemon zest:

Once the lemon zest is obtained, it can be used immediately or saved for future use. The zest is stored both grated and crushed.

In the first case, after obtaining the zest, it is dried, placed in a dry, clean container, tightly covered with a lid and stored in a dry place.

In the second case, the zest is carefully cut with a knife or vegetable peeler. Dry on a tray for 3 days in a ventilated room, periodically turning the yellow thin slices so that the zest is dried on all sides. After the zest is completely dry, it is crushed into powder. Then place in a dry container, cover tightly with a lid and store in a dry place.

How to replace lemon zest:

If you don’t have lemon or its zest on hand, you can use the zest of another citrus fruit, such as an orange, in the dish; it is closest in taste and aroma to lemon zest. You can also replace lemon zest with tangerine or grapefruit zest, although in this case the taste will differ significantly from what you want. The culinary product will not turn out exactly as intended in the recipe.

Benefits of lemon zest:

Lemon zest not only gives the confectionery a pleasant lemon taste and aroma, but also saturates it with vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for human health.

Vitamin C found in lemon peel large quantities helps strengthen immunity and protective functions body. 100 grams of zest contains more ascorbic acid than a person needs per day. In addition to strengthening the immune system, lemon zest kills germs and produces a disinfecting effect in the oral cavity. It also has an antifungal effect, prevents bleeding gums and eliminates bad smell from mouth.

Antioxidants contained in the zest slow down the aging process of the body and prevent the development of various diseases and promote skin rejuvenation. This is a real gift for those who want to look young and be healthy for many years.

The presence of potassium in lemon peel helps improve heart function, strengthen blood vessels and improve blood circulation. Lemon zest has a cleansing effect on the human body. It removes toxins and waste and helps cleanse the liver.

One more useful property lemon zest is to strengthen bones, teeth and hair by saturating the body with calcium, which, like vitamin C, is present in large volumes of the zest.

Harm of lemon zest:

Allergy sufferers and people with stomach diseases such as ulcers, gastritis and enteritis should avoid lemon zest.

If you are allergic to citrus fruits, lemon zest can cause an allergic reaction, as it is part of the lemon.

The harm of lemon peel for people with stomach ulcers is due to the fact that it increases acidity in the gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to exacerbation of gastritis, enteritis or ulcers.

People with these diseases should consult a doctor before consuming this product to find out whether they can eat lemon zest, and if so, in what quantities.

For everyone else, lemon zest can be beneficial. But you should eat it like any other food – in moderation.

Citrus fruits are very beneficial for our health. Everyone basically eats the pulp. However, this action is wrong, because their zest has no less beneficial properties.

Citrus zest is the thinnest outer layer of fruit peel. Often, when cooking, only lemon zest is added. But this is in vain, since the zest of other fruits is in no way inferior to it: lime, orange, and grapefruit are also healthy and tasty. A good zest should be 2 millimeters thick and no more. The zest can be used fresh, stewed or frozen, so it is easier to prepare it during the season when prices for these fruits are not high.

Citrus zest: how to make and preserve

Before harvesting, fruits need to be thoroughly washed and brushed. To better separate the zest, the fruit is scalded with boiling water.
The zest can be removed different instruments: with a vegetable peeler, a knife with small sharp teeth or a fine grater.
Using a special knife, the zest can only be removed from thick-skinned fruits. It is not suitable for small fruits. Therefore, another option is a vegetable peeler. But you need to cut off the top layer as thinly as possible.
You need to cut the peel slowly so as not to touch its white layer: otherwise unnecessary bitterness will appear in the finished dish.
Place the cut layer evenly on a plate.
Dry the zest for 2-3 days at room temperature (no need to hide it in the refrigerator).
Grind the dried zest in a mortar or blender or coffee grinder.
Tip: the zest can be cut into strips and dried.
Important: lemon zest can be removed with a fine grater. The main thing is not to touch the white layer. Therefore, you need to rub carefully. As soon as you reach the white layer with the grater, start grating in another place of the fruit.
Another good way zest preparations - add two tablespoons of sugar to one tablespoon of zest, mix everything well and put it in jars with a lid. Must be stored in the refrigerator. This mixture can be stored for quite a long time.

It is necessary when preparing a variety of dishes: it can be used for baking, added to fish, meat or various sauces. It is also irreplaceable in drinks: for example, when mixing cocktails or as an aromatic addition to tea. The zest is rich in various essential oils and vitamins, so various medicines are made from it.

Before zesting, wash the citrus fruits with a brush under running warm water, then place in a colander and pour boiling water over them. This is how they are washed off from the surface of the fruit. chemical substances, which are used to process citrus fruits during cultivation, storage and transportation.

Under a thin colored layer of zest is white spongy pulp. It has no aroma, moreover, it can be bitter and spoil the taste of the dish. Therefore, when we say “zest,” we mean only a thin, bright, aromatic layer, without pulp.

Ribbons of zest 1–2 cm wide. Using a small sharp knife or a paring knife, called a paring knife, cut thin ribbons of zest from the fruit. The zest cut in this way is used to flavor syrups, drinks, and decoctions.

Zest shavings. Using a special peeling knife, you can remove thin ribbons of shavings of the same width. Such zest shavings are good for decorating dishes.

Finely grated zest. If you don't have special grater To remove the zest, you can grate the zest on a regular grater. Use the side of the grater with the protruding teeth. Cut a piece of foil and press it firmly against the teeth of a grater until they pierce the foil. Grate the zest, turning the fruit often. Make sure that only the zest is grated and not the white pulp.