How to Zest an Orange

How to peel an orange: 3 ways! You’ll need a Microplane, Box Grater, or Vegetable Peeler to make Orange Peels, which you can use in all of your recipes.

Wondering how to peel an orange? We are here to help you. You would think that to make zest you would need a zester, right? It’s actually not the best tool for the job. Zesters are difficult to use and are best used in cocktails anyway. To maintain your sharpness, you’ll need either a micro grater or a cardboard grater… and a vegetable peeler will get the job done in no time! Here’s how to make a thin twist for use in recipes (not as a cocktail garnish).

**Would you like to garnish an orange for a cocktail? Go to How to Make a Lemon Twist (works for oranges too!)

What is seasoning?

Orange peel is the colored outer part of his skin. It adds a lemony and tangy flavor to recipes. It’s great in salad dressings like our citrus vinaigrette, or in baked goods like Orange Fennel Cake.

Here is the most important part of how to peel an orange: You only want the colored part of the skin, not the white skin! The pulp has a bitter taste and should be avoided.

Best Method: How to Peel an Orange

The best way to peel an orange? Using a microplan. What is a micro plan? It is a hand grater that has a metal plate with sharp holes. You will find that it works much faster than using a box grater and gives a more even grating. You can grate all kinds of things with it: lemons, limes, garlic and ginger. This is the coarse microplane grater we’re going to use.

Don’t have a microplane? No worries. You can use the fine holes on a box grater.

How to peel an orange using a microplane (or fine holes on a crate grater):

1. Hold the microplane with one hand, then place one end on a flat surface and hold it at an angle. (For the box grater, just place it on a flat surface like a cutting board.)
2. Hold the orange in the other hand and slide it down over the holes in the microplane. Important: Be careful to only remove the orange part of the skin! Avoid the white pith, which can taste bitter.
3. Gradually turn the orange until all the orange parts of the peel are removed.

How to peel an orange: in no time!

If you don’t have a microplane or box grater, you can use a vegetable peeler! This method is a bit trickier as it can be difficult to remove the skin with a vegetable peeler. But it works ! Here’s what to do:

• Use a vegetable peeler to gently peel off large chunks from the orange part of the peel only (avoid the pith).
• Use a chef’s knife to chop the skin into very small pieces.

How much zest and juice in 1 orange?

We have the magic formula. Keep in mind that this amount will vary slightly if you have very large or very small oranges. Here is the formula: A regular orange yields about 2-3 tablespoons of zest and about ¼ cup of orange juice.

Orange peel recipes

We love cooking with this ingredient because of the lovely pizzazz it adds! Here are some of our favorite recipes that include it: