what is the zest of a lemon

The zest of a lemon is the thin outermost layer of the lemon peel, which is the colorful part that sits right on top of the white rind. It is often used with or without lemon juice to add tangy flavor to recipes, and it can taste even stronger than the juice. To zest a lemon, you can use a microplane grater or a vegetable peeler. With a microplane grater, hold the grater in one hand and the lemon in the other, and draw the lemon away from you along the grater, rotating the lemon after each stroke until the entire lemon has been zested. With a vegetable peeler, carefully peel off large pieces of the yellow part of the skin only, avoiding the pith, and use a chef’s knife to mince the peel into very small pieces. One medium lemon will yield about 2 tablespoons of lemon zest.