Tips, Techniques and Tools to Use with Citrus
The following information was provided courtesy of local cookbook author and chef, Carla Snyder.
The crisper bins in my fridge often overflow with citrus because, as a chef, I know that it’s perfect for snacking, cooking and baking. It’s amazing what a little fresh citrus zest and juice can do to a dish. I’m not one to keep my secrets close to the chest, so here are some of my favorite tips, techniques and tools for working with citrus in the kitchen.
The Power of Zesting
I never squeeze a lemon, orange or lime without zesting it first, transferring all that citrus flavor to sauces, dressings, desserts, salads and vegetable dishes. While the juice adds acidity and tang, the zest holds oils from the fruit that are as fragrant as perfume. Adding the zest to recipes provides complexity without overwhelming tartness. It makes a lemon, orange or lime-flavored dish more complete.
Since you will be zesting and juicing like crazy when making recipes and enjoying citrus, here are a few tried and true tips to help you out.
- Keep citrus in a cool place. At times, I will place citrus in a bowl to look at for a few days because it’s so beautiful, but then relent and place it in the crisper drawer where it will keep for a longer period of time.
- For the most juice, choose fruit that feels heavy in your hand.
- For the best zest, pick thick-skinned fruit. For the most juice, pick thin-skinned fruit. You can judge this by feel. Thick-skinned citrus is firmer and not as heavy. Their skin is usually more dimpled. Feel around in the pile and choose citrus that are not too hard. They should be squeezable.
- Always zest before squeezing. It’s so much easier.
- When zesting, use organic citrus, or wash it really well to remove pesticides and wax.
- Room temperature citrus yields the most juice. You can microwave fruit for 30 seconds to warm as well.
- An average lemon will yield about 3-4 tablespoons of juice and about 1 tablespoon of zest. A lime will yield 1-2 tablespoons of juice and 1-2 teaspoons of zest. An orange will yield 1/3 cup-1/2 cup of juice and 1 1/2 tablespoons of zest. Of course these are averages, so always buy a few extra to make sure you have enough.
- A microplane will be the best tool you ever buy. It effortlessly takes just the peel and not the bitter pith that lies underneath. I promise you will never be sorry to give it space in your kitchen gadget drawer.
- A citrus squeezer is a wonderful tool because it helps squeeze juice efficiently while trapping the seeds, which inevitably saves you time.
- Another useful tool is a wooden reamer. Or try a low-tech fork. Stick the tines into the cut citrus and squeeze while twisting the fork.
- Fine and medium mesh strainers are handy to separate the seeds and pulp from citrus juice.
I love to eat citrus out-of-hand. There’s nothing like a chilled clementine orange as a snack or part of lunch or breakfast, but citrus has many roles in my kitchen. Here are a few of my favorites.
- Add a squeeze of lemon or lime to soups. It’s amazing how the acid ramps up the flavor.
- Winter baking wouldn’t be nearly as exciting without citrus-tinged scones, muffins, breads and cakes.
- Salads come alive with the addition of orange and grapefruit segments.
- Try roasting a chicken with thinly sliced lemon. It perfumes the bird like no other ingredient.
- Toss thinly sliced orange with sweet potato or hard squash and roast for a simple, but elegant side dish.
- Use citrus juice in salad dressings for a livelier take on vinaigrette.
