Hey everyone! I tend to be an impulse baker, it's not unusual for me to decide to make muffins in the morning to take to work that day and I love to add citrus zest... I just don't always have it handy. So, while we're all still being healthy here in January (you are still eating healthy,
right?:@), may I suggest zesting the skin of your orange before you peel it, then pop the zest into the freezer.
And of course this works with lemons, limes and grapefruit too.
- Wash the orange well in warm water, dry it.
- Zest it, measure and place on plastic wrap.
- One naval orange gave me approx 1 1/2 tsp of peel.
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it.
- Only takes minutes to thaw and use.
Never thought to freeze the zest before! Great idea, Lynn! :-)
ReplyDeleteLovely Lynn. I do use citrus zest all the time.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! Thanks for sharing! And no, we're not eating healthy... we have company. But, we'll be right back at it in a week or so!
ReplyDeleteNow that's a great tip!!! I eat about 3-4 cuties a day and I should start doing this.
ReplyDeletewell... duh! That makes a ton of sense! Thanks for the idea.
ReplyDeleteOOOh! Im a virgin mimosa kind of gal on Sunday mornings...now i can do all sorts of things to those oranges :D!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Great tip.
ReplyDeleteI have frozen the zest and it keeps really well. Wow, baking muffins at 5 am, that is a labor of love! xo
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, now that we have moved to an area where grocery stores are 30 miles away, I try to freeze those hard to come by ingredients. Never thought of using citrus zest as a freezer item. Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I got a cute little grater by Betty Crocker in the $ Tree. I have others, but for a dollar I had to get it. It falls right into a little container. I'll let you know if it is a piece of cwap and falls apart! :)
ReplyDeleteI had a banana today and an apple smeared with Laughing Cow light. Love that little 30 calorie cheese, or whatever it is!
Now that is some good practical information and I just happen to have a bowl of oranges on the counter : )
ReplyDeleteWhat a great tip! Thanks for sharing this idea, Lynn.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great tip, why had I never thought of that? I have heard too that it might be best to buy organic if you are eating the peal.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know all this stuff???!!!!
ReplyDeleteI just frozen ice cube trays full of lemon juice & zest for later use... I did some orange too ;)
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I also freeze an entire lemon,the Meyers, so I'll have them in summer when they are out of season.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea and I have lots of oranges left that were gifts from the holidays. I should do the lemons and limes too and freeze those. I can just smell the orange in the muffins. Hopefully those are chocolate orange muffins! Oh, that is going to make me want to bake again tomorrow. Cold weather just makes me want to bake something warm and we finally got cold and snow.
ReplyDeleteGreat tip, that is firmly put away in my brain for next time I use an orange just for juice. I always though what a waste it was throwing the orange skin away. Diane
ReplyDeleteI am apt to bake at 5am too. I love zest in muffins or scones so I shall have to remember to freeze some. Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteCarol
Great idea! Thanks for sharing. I've never thought of that.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great idea, Lynn! I also cut up limes & lemons & freeze them for when I need a squeeze or two of juice.
ReplyDeleteWow, great idea! You are so clever, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. I recently discovered that frozen zest taste just fine out of necessity. My husband cuts up oranges or grapefruit for us almost every morning and then freezes the peels to throw out on trash day. I needed some orange zest for a recipe so I went into the freezer, got some of the frozen orange peels and zested them. Tasted great!
ReplyDeleteOrange you Zesty! Great Tip! Who knew?
ReplyDeleteWhen I don't have the zip to zest I use a bit of orange juice or lemon or lime! Probably not as effective as the Zest...but it does add that zesty flavor!
Great minds....... I have done that for years and also have frozen the whole lemon, lime, or orange. I freeze ripe bananas by putting the banana in a plastic bag or peeled and then freeze them in a container or bag. They are good that way only for baked goods. You always have nifty ideas so I'm glad I knew about this one , too. ---- Shannon
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea!. Yes, holding steady on the healthy eating…I love anything with orange, especially muffins, healthy of course. I have a frig full of oranges I keep to snack on. Now I know what to do before I cut them. I'll have fresh zest right in the freezer.
ReplyDelete~Emily
The French Hutch
Wow, I never thought of doing this before. I do put my orange peels down the disposal since it helps to freshen and clean it. It might be getting less peels now though. Great tip Lynn!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea - thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI've gone through tons of those Cuties oranges in the past month and still have several in the kitchen and NEVER thought about this..Thank You!
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant idea!! I had to make a special trip to the grocery store just to buy ONE lemon, so I could make those lemon pull-aparts I saw online. Having the zest in the freezer could have saved me that trip. I could CRY when I think of how many lemons & limes I've tossed in the garbage without saving the zest. No more!!
ReplyDeleteTHANKS A BILLION, Lynn!!
Great idea! Joni
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic idea, Lynn (or is this EARL'S idea?) hahhaa...
ReplyDeleteI sure will do that with my fruits from now on...especially the orange. I LUV orange zest added to just about anything.:)
What a great idea! I'm always without oranges and/or lemons when I need zest. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Bonnie
Eureka! I never even thought about doing this. I shall be zesting and freezing now. THANKS!
ReplyDeleteWish I had part of your get and go energy. I do not cook much, but enjoy what others prepare.
ReplyDeleteOne of my absolute favorite kitchen tools is the zester like I see you have. Do you know how many bloody knuckles I had before discovering it! I'm like you when it comes to compulsive baking.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous suggestions. I'll put this one to good use. I hope you have a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! Thanks for this tip, Lynn!..Christine
ReplyDeleteThis is the very best thing you've ever taught me! I love using zest in cakes and breads but don't always have fresh lemons or oranges on hand. Love it.
ReplyDelete~~Debbie
Great idea as I don't always have citrus fruit in the house when I need it. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteMaura :)
Thanks for reminding me of this tip. I used to do this all the time but stopped for a while. I love using zest - it's so ZESTY! Haha.
ReplyDeleteGood tip!
ReplyDeleteSuch a great idea! Just to think of all those years I have been tossing the peelings when I could have been harvesting and saving the zest. Hmm...sounds like a metaphor for life, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea! sandie
ReplyDeleteThat's a very clever and very useful idea. I will be doing that since we are well into our citrus season. Thanks, sweet lady, for sharing.
ReplyDeleteCAS
We had a couple of big ole navel oranges yesterday and I remembered what you said about freezing zest...and I did it...Yay.
ReplyDeleteFabulous idea, Lynn!
ReplyDelete