How much zest does one lemon make?
In this brief guide, we are going to answer the question “how much zest does one lemon make” with an in-depth analysis of how much zest a lemon makes. Moreover, we are going to discuss the possible substitutes for lemon zest and the easy way to zest a lemon.
So without much ado, let’s dive in and figure out more about it.
How much zest does one lemon make?
One medium-sized lemon makes about 1 tablespoon of zest.
You can read about how much zest citrus fruits make here.
What is lemon zest?
Lemon zest is the scrapes that are collected by scraping or cutting the rind or peel of the lemon. It is rich in vitamin C and is not only used for culinary purposes but can also be used in skincare owing to its bleaching properties and high vitamin C content.
What can be the substitutes for lemon zest?
If you are out of lemon zest, you can try to use any other citrus fruit zest like that of orange, lime, etc. Moreover, you can also use lemon juice, lemon extract, or dried lemon peel.
Citrus fruits zest
You can substitute the lemon peel in your recipes with a little orange or lime zest. They will also impart a slightly tangy flavor to your dishes but it is worth mentioning here that the color and the flavor of the recipe in which this citrusy zest would be used will be different than that of the lemon zest.
Lemon juice
You can substitute the lemon zest with lemon juice. It is recommended to opt for fresh lemon juice rather than the bottled one. Moreover, always remember that to substitute for 1 tsp of lemon zest, you have to use 2 tbsp of lemon juice.
Lemon is rich in many vitamins especially vitamin C. Moreover it also contains vitamin A, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. One raw lemon provides 29 calories, 9 grams of carbohydrates, 2.8 grams of dietary fiber, and 0.3 grams of fats. Moreover, it also contains 1.1 grams of protein.
Lemon extract
The equation is pretty simple here. As the lemon extract is the concentrated form of the lemon juice therefore to substitute for 1 tsp of lemon zest, you have to add ½ tsp of lemon extract.
Dried lemon peel
You can also substitute lemon zest with dried lemon peel but dried lemon peel has a more intense and strong flavor as compared to the lemon zest, therefore, to substitute for 1 tsp of lemon zest, you have to use ⅓ tsp of dried lemon peel.
Other FAQs about Lemon which you may be interested in.
When you should not substitute lemon zest?
You can substitute lemon zest in recipes that require a small amount of lemon zest to be added to them. But if your recipes call for a lot of lemon zest then you should not substitute it with any other thing, because by doing so you will compromise the flavor and consistency of the food.
For instance, if you use lemon juice in a recipe that calls for a lot of lemon zest then by adding a lot of lemon juice in its place you will change the consistency of the liquid. Moreover, if the recipe has added baking soda in it. Then the presence of a large amount of lemon juice will also intensify the reaction between itself and baking soda that can result in the formation of excess air bubbles.
Moreover, if you substitute lime or orange zest in place of lemon zest in a recipe that calls for a large amount of lemon zest, then you will end up with a dish having a different taste profile.
So it is better not to substitute lemon zest in such recipes. Moreover what you can try is to buy a lot of lemons and store them in a plastic zipper bag in the fridge. They can last for about a month or even more in the fridge. So you can easily use them to get zest whenever you need it.
How to zest lemons?
Firstly wash the lemons thoroughly and dry them by using a paper towel. Now scrap the lemon with the help of a lemon grater. It is worth mentioning that you have to scrap the rind (outermost yellow part) of the lemon. You should not grate the white part of the lemon as it is quite bitter in taste. Therefore care should be taken while zesting the lemon. You can use a lemon zester, lemon grater, or even a vegetable peeler for zesting lemon.
You can store lemon zest in an airtight plastic zipper bag and can be kept in the freezer for a long time. On the other hand, it is better to use the zested lemon immediately in cooking or you can make lemonade out of it, but if you want to store the zested lemons, it is better to wrap them in plastic wrap (individually) before storing them in the fridge as the oils present in the lemon peel saves lemon from drying out, so zested lemons do not have this protection, therefore, they are more prone to drying out.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we answered the question “how much zest does one lemon make” with an in-depth analysis of how much zest a lemon makes. Moreover, we discussed the possible substitutes for lemon zest and the easy way to zest a lemon.
