Is lemon/orange peel the same as "zest"? Would rather use something off the spice rack.?

Answer 1

Basically yes, though zest is strictly the very top, color-only part of the citrus. Peel can contain some of the white pith.

Answer 2

fruit skin has two parts: Zest and pith.

Zest is the colour on the outside of the fruit, like an orange. Commercial fruit with a zest sometimes lacks taste, because it gets washed, treated with pesticides and so on. But some can have a very fresh, subtle taste.

Pith is the white that is between the zest and the fruit. It is often very bitter and it is never really used to cooking or eating. Using a grater on a fruit gets you the zest, but you need to stop before you hit the pith.

Try to see if you can but ready made zest, perhaps dried and concentrated, or else use a juice.

Answer 3

Zest is the outer part of the peel, it has the oils that you need to give whatever recipe it's call for a "punch", From the spice rack the product is dehydrated and the oils are not active so you're getting a diluted essences of the lemon/orange i.e. soda pop without the fizz

Answer 4

Orange and/or lemon peel is zest, but only use the outer layer of the peel and not the white layer right underneath which is called the pith.

Answer 5

Zest is fresh peel of a citrus fruit Orange, lemon or lime.

Answer 6

Yes but make sure you only get the top of the peel (as in the color off only) do not use any of the white stuff underneath the top layer of color of the orange/lemon.

Or you could use some lemon extract instead.

Answer 7

Unless it's absolutely necessary, please don't use "off the spice rack"! It's far too bitter and ugly a flavour.

Zest, as everyone else has told you, is only the coloured skin on the outside of citrus fruits. Any deeper into the white pith and you get the bitter which is what most of the dried stuff contains.

Cheers

Answer 8

yes they are. but using the fresh gives more flavor than using the "off the spice rack".