make your own dried orange zest????

Hi everybody, I wonder if I can make my own dried orange/lemon zest because store-bought is only available in small ,expensive packages and I mostly don't have time to do the grating-job each time I need a cake.I don't have a food drier but maybe there's a possibility to make this stuff ahead?!Thank you a lot!

[cape chef]

Candy them,they last for a couple of weeks
cc

[cookM]

You have heard of the zesters from Micron, haven't you? Yeah, I agree zesting is a pain, and it was a real pain before this little baby came along. (When I worked at China Moon, we had to make chili-orange oil. I remember needing like 1/2 cup of zest. A royal pain.) There's been lots of dancing in the streets with this thing...

[Isa]

I don't know about drying zest, I think it would loose its flavour but I could be wrong. Freezing zest might be a alternative. You could zest a few lemons and oranges and freeze the zest, separatly of course.


Sisi

[Katherine]

Try preserving your zest in a little vodka. The vodka makes a great extract afterwards, and you can make a liqueur from it, too.

[Isa]

Great idea Katherine. I already make my own vanilla extract and never tought of doing the same for orange and lemon. Now I am thinking of coffee extract or raspberry. The possibilities are endless.


Sisi

[Mezzaluna]

I have dried orange zest to use in tea. I removed as much of the white pith as possible, cut it in narrow strips, and set it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. I put it in a very low oven (below 200) and let it dry out for several hours. I turned it every so often. It wasn't pretty, but it was delicious in tea. Now that I have a convection oven, I'd put it in with the fan on and see what happens.

[Chef David Simpson]

Mezzaluna is right, you can put any fruit or vegge in the oven at 100-200 degrees and dry them out. Or you can make beef jerky this way, as well.

[m brown]

you could try drying in the oven at very low and storing the zest in granulated sugar.

[mudbug]

I made my own a couple of weeks ago, just used a vegetable peeler and sliced lengths of zest. I let it air try on a paper towel. It was perfectly dry within 24 hours easy.

As said above, you could always put it in an oven or food dehydrator. I think the most important thing is not getting pulp when you peel.

Once dried you can use pieces or grind them in a coffee grinder for orange powder for use in rubs, seasonings, etc.

Another method also mentioned above of preserving is making candied orange.

Candied Orange Peel

6 oranges
1 1/2 cups sugar


Scrub oranges.
Cut peel away in 1/4 inch strips; remove white membrane. Cover with cold water.

Bring to a boil, drain. Repeat twice, reserving 1 1/2 cup liquid from last draining.

Combine peel with sugar;add reserved liquid. Cook for about 45 minutes or until almost dry, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Roll in additional sugar.

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Candied Orange Peel

Makes about 3-4 lbs of candy.
8 oranges water
1 c boiling water
4 c sugar

Wash the oranges. Cut into halves and squeeze out the juice. Place the oranges into a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Place over high heat and heat to a boil.

Add cold water to cover again. Heat to a boil and drain. Repeat this process five times in all. Drain well and scoop out the pulp. Cut the oranges into 1/4 inch wide strips.

Combine 1 cup of boiling water with 2 cups of the sugar. Heat until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the orange strips. Place over medium heat and boil for about 30 minutes, until all the liquid is evaporated. Watch carefully so the peels don't scorch. Cool. Roll the strips in the remaining 2 cups of sugar. Place on waxed paper to dry. Package and store in airtight containers.

--------------------

Trim 1/2-inch off ends of 3 navel oranges, then make a slit in rinds and scoop out flesh. Slice peels into 1/3-inch wide strips, put in bowl, cover with water, and refrigerate overnight. Transfer strips to a medium pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Drain strips and set aside. In same pot bring 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil until sugar dissolves. Add strips. Simmer until soft and glazed, about 30 minutes. Dry strips on a rack until tacky. Roll in sugar and dip ends in melted chocolate, if you like. Makes 40-50 strips.

I usually peel a whole orange and then I hang it overnight to dry.
By the next day you have all the zest you want.
I usually put a small piece in hot water and cut it very fine and make marinades with dark soysauce for all kinds of meats.
danielle

[mudbug]

I zest with my microplane zester (or regular grater) as usual and let dry on a paper towel. It's dry within 24-48 hours. If I need powder, I'll put it through my coffee grinder.