Recipe of the Week: Orange Zest — The 21st Century Matriarch

orange zest.png — I enjoy eating oranges more than orange juice so I almost always have a few in the refrigerator. After noticing how expensive orange peel was in the spice section of the grocery (and thinking of reducing food waste) - I decided to always collect the zest off the orange before I ate the inside. After trying several different techniques, this is the one that works best for me.

Wash the orange with soap and water and let it dry before starting.
With a sharp knife peel off the outermost layer of the peel (the orange part). I always play a game with myself on how long a ribbon a peel I can get.
Place in a small food processor and process it until the bits are the size you want. Sometimes I leave it with variable sized pieces. Other times I continue until it is all relatively small bits.
Let the peeling air dry on a plate, breaking up occasionally if the bits are clumped.

Oftentimes the orange will be thin skinned enough that what is left of the 'skin' after the zest is removed can be eaten along with the pulp so only the thickened ends of the skin is left as trash.

So far I have not had to worry about storage of the orange zest because I use it for cooking pretty quickly. As long as it is thoroughly dry, it could be stored in a the cabinent with other spices. Here are my favorite ways to use orange peel: