My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets
Continuation of an occasional series on worthwhile kitchen gadgets.
I love kitchen gadgets. Anything that makes my work in the kitchen go faster is something I must try. I've always been intrigued by the novelty of kitchen tools, but since having children, I've come to believe they are a necessity if there's any hope of my cooking more than a can of soup for dinner. My only problem is that I'm running out of space to store them all and will be forced to remodel my kitchen someday if I don't stop! To spare you that expense, I'll tell you which in my collection are really worth the space.
Citrus Zesters
The first time I cooked a recipe that called for lemon zest, I was very puzzled. I had cooked with lemon juice, lemon peel and lemon slices, but I had never heard of lemon zest. Thinking it was some kind of unusual spice, I searched my supermarket's spice offerings and the baking department since it was an ingredient for a cake. I expected to find some kind of powdered ingredient in a jar. Eventually, through lots of embarrassing questions, I learned that zest is the colored part of lemon, orange or lime peels. It contains the flavorful oils of the fruit's skin, without the bitter part of the white pith. Zest is often used in citrus cakes and muffins, but you'll also use it in salad dressings, vegetable and rice dishes, or even meat sauces.
There are several ways to harvest the zest from the peel. You can pare it with a sharp paring knife. You can grate it with a small handheld grater. Or you can purchase a zester which is the most efficient and attractive way to remove the zest. It's difficult with a paring knife to avoid peeling off some of the pith, and with a grater, the zest often turns into an unattractive mush. A zester removes the zest in attractive, thin strips that can be used as is, or minced into smaller pieces depending on your recipe.
Traditional zesters are small handheld tools with a metal end that has 4 or 5 small, sharp edged holes in it, perfectly angled to work the proper depth of a citrus peel. You drag the tool around the fruit to create the desired length strips. The latest trend in zesters is the Microplane zester, the design of which is based upon a woodworking tool. It creates a very fine zest and can be used for nutmeg and garlic, as well. Zesters usually cost less than ten dollars and take up minimal drawer space. So whether you zest weekly, or only several times a year, it's worth purchasing this gadget.
You'll find several online sources below, but you can also find these gadgets in large kitchenware stores.
Campbell's Gourmet
Cottage
The latest trend in zesters is the Microplane zester found on this page.
It makes a finer zest than the traditional version I currently use.
Citrus
Zester
Cooking.com's own brand gadget.
Oxo Good Grips
Oxo offers a very attractive model in their online catalog that also has
a channel knife feature useful for garnishing. You'll need to type the word
"zester" into the search box to find product.
Related Recipes
Baked Lemon
Shrimp with Garlic
A very simply recipe from Gourmet using lemon zest.
Basil, Mint
and Orange Vinaigrette
A fresh, summery vinaigrette using orange zest.
Lemon Thins
This is a cookie recipe from Gourmet magazine.
Sour
Cream and Lemon Cake 
A good recipe for practicing your zesting skills,
from Diana Rattray, About.com Guide to Southern Cuisine.
Back to My Favorite Gadgets Index
Photo courtesy of Rick Hall, About.com Guide to Nutrition.
