Few who use lemon in cooking know how good the lemon peel is. That this is not only a pleasant taste and aroma, but also a storehouse of vitamins, not everyone knows. Lemon zest can be used in baking and desserts, as well as in salads or hot dishes. The main thing is to know how to make lemon zest. Some useful tips and tricks we will consider in the article.
Lemon zest
What it is? This question can be asked by many inexperienced young housewives. In fact, the zest is a thin layer of citrus peel. The white pulp that is under the skin is no longer considered zest and is not used in cooking, as it is bitter. Ready-made zest of lemon can be found in grocery stores, but it is better to cook it yourself, especially since this is absolutely nothing complicated.
How to cook zest?
For those who have no idea what lemon peel is, photographs will help you understand how to cook it. To do this, you just need a fine grater or coffee grinder and lemons. Rinse the fruit thoroughly, remove the stickers, if any, and then scald with boiling water. This is necessary so that the zest departs better. Then the skin is cut off with a thin layer and left to dry. When it dries and becomes brittle, you need to grind it into powder (the easiest way to do this is with a blender or coffee grinder). Such a zest can be stored for a rather long time in a jar and used as necessary. However, fresh zest is also added to the baked goods. To do this, using a grater, carefully remove the top layer from the lemon and add the resulting chips to the dough. To make the zest easier to remove, you can hold the lemon a little in the freezer. But you also need to understand when using lemon zest that it is not only an amazing aroma and exquisite taste, but also an undoubted benefit to the body.
Beneficial features
Lemon zest has a whole range of beneficial properties and has a beneficial effect on the human body. It helps keep the skeletal system healthy because it contains high amounts of calcium and vitamin C. In addition, the zest helps prevent diseases such as arthritis or rheumatism. Being a source of bioflavonoids, lemon peel helps to remove various toxic substances from the body that are extremely harmful, as they increase the likelihood of alcohol dependence and overeating. No less interesting, but not particularly well-known fact about lemon peel is the possibility of its use for the prevention of cancer. Zest also lowers cholesterol, improves heart function, normalizes blood pressure, and prevents the development of diabetes.
Lemon zest can be used as an additional tool to maintain oral hygiene and health, as it helps to combat bleeding gums. And this is far from all the amazing properties of lemon peel. It helps to lose weight, helps cleanse the liver and fight swelling. Therefore, to the question: "Lemon zest - what is it?" we can safely answer that this is not only an indispensable ingredient for many dishes, but also an excellent tool that can be used to improve and strengthen the body.