A zester (also, citrus zester or lemon zester) is a
kitchen utensil for obtaining
zest from
lemons and other
citrus fruit
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...
. A kitchen zester is approximately long, with a handle and a curved metal end, the top of which is perforated with a row of round holes with sharpened rims. To operate, the zester is pressed with moderate force against the fruit and drawn across its
peel. The rims cut the zest from the
pith underneath. The zest is cut into ribbons, one drawn through each hole.
Other tools are also sometimes called zesters because they too are able to separate the zest from a citrus fruit. For example, when
Microplane discovered that its
surform
A surform tool (also surface-forming tool) features perforated sheet metal and resembles a food grater. A surform tool consists of a steel strip with holes punched out and the rim of each hole sharpened to form a cutting edge. The strip is mou ...
type
wood rasps had become popular as food
grater
A grater, also known as a shredder, is a kitchen utensil used to grate foods into fine pieces.
Uses
Food preparation
Several types of graters feature different sizes of grating slots, and can therefore aid in the preparation of a variety of ...
s and zesters, it adapted the
woodworking
Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning.
History
Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...
tools and marketed them as "zester / graters".
See also
*
Grater
A grater, also known as a shredder, is a kitchen utensil used to grate foods into fine pieces.
Uses
Food preparation
Several types of graters feature different sizes of grating slots, and can therefore aid in the preparation of a variety of ...
*
Oroshigane
, also known as , are graters used in Japanese cooking.
differ significantly from Western-style graters, as they produce a much finer grating. Traditionally, these graters were tin-coated copper plates with many small spikes gouged out of t ...
*
Surform
A surform tool (also surface-forming tool) features perforated sheet metal and resembles a food grater. A surform tool consists of a steel strip with holes punched out and the rim of each hole sharpened to form a cutting edge. The strip is mou ...
References
External links
{{Kitchen Tools
Food preparation utensils
Bartending equipment