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How to Zest an Orange Without a Zester

Staff
Co-Authored

In this Article:Zesting an Orange with a Grater Using a Vegetable Peeler and Paring Knife Community Q&A 13 References

If you want to incorporate flavorful orange zest into your favorite recipes but don’t have a zester on hand, you can use a grater or a vegetable peeler and a sharp paring knife to get the job done.

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The grater method is self-explanatory—simply run the orange over the smallest set of slots on the grater to shave off the colorful peel. For the peeler-and-knife method, you’ll need to take off thin slices of the peel, then mince them by hand to reduce them to the correct size.

1 Wash the orange with warm water before you begin handling the peel. Rinse the orange under the faucet for a few seconds, using your fingers to gently wipe away any traces of dirt or waxy residue. If not properly removed, these substances could interfere with the flavor of the zest. Once your orange is nice and clean, pat it dry with an absorbent towel.^[1]
- Don’t forget to remove any stickers that happen to be clinging to the outside of the orange.
2 Find the smallest set of slots on the grater. Most box graters have multiple sets of holes in various sizes. To zest an orange, you’ll want to identify which face of the grater has the narrowest holes and use it as your grating surface. That way, you can ensure that the peel pieces come out the correct size.^[2]
- On a typical box grater, the smallest holes tend to be on one of the sides rather than the broad front or back faces.
- Even with the smallest set of holes, your zest may turn out slightly larger than if you had used a microplane or zester. However, this shouldn’t affect its flavor or usefulness in your favorite recipes.
3 Set out a shallow bowl to collect the zest as you grate. A mixing bowl with a wide opening will work best, but you can also use an ordinary serving bowl. Putting a bowl down will make the grating process more efficient and leave you with less of a mess to clean up when you’re done.
- If you don’t have a suitable bowl handy, your next best bet is a small plate with upturned sides that will help catch the zest as it falls.^[3]
Tip: To simplify your prep and cleanup, try grating your orange over a flexible cutting mat or piece of aluminum foil. You can then fold the mat or foil in half and use it to funnel the zest directly where you need it.
4 Hold the orange in your dominant hand and the grater in the other. If your bowl is big enough, you can set the grater on the bottom and grate right inside the bowl to keep pieces of peel from getting everywhere. Otherwise, you’ll need to hold the grater over the top of the bowl and do your best to keep it centered while you work.^[4]
- When using a grater, the grating action comes almost entirely from the hand holding the food. Your other hand is just there to keep the grater steady.
5 Run the orange back and forth lightly over the face of the…