Every now and again I find a kitchen tool that I just can’t live without, and I want to recommend it to everyone I know. Such is the case with my Microplane Zester. First, a caveat - if you don’t like citrus flavors or use fresh ginger, then perhaps you won’t need this. But for me, who loves to cook with lemon zest, this tool is a lifesaver. I tried at least three other citrus zesters before I got this wonderful tool. Each one was a disappointment. Either they took forever, or the zest was too thick, or they weren’t sharp enough and would tear at the lemon peel. I was losing hope of finding something that could quickly and easily produce a fine, fluffy lemon zest. And then I discovered Microplane.
The Microplane company originally made wood working tools. According to their website, the breakthrough to kitchen devices occurred as follows… “The big moment came in 1994, when Lorraine Lee, a homemaker in Ottawa, Canada, was making an Armenian orange cake. Out of frustration with her old grater, she picked up a new tool her husband, Leonard, had brought home from their hardware store, Lee Valley Tools. She slid the orange across its blades and was amazed. Lacy shards of zest fell from its surface like snowflakes. The Lees marveled at the tool, ate the cake, then promptly changed the product description in their catalogue. The Microplane grater had earned permanent space in the kitchen.”
The particular model I use is the Microplane Classic Series Zester/Grater. It is widely available in kitchen goods stores for about $13. Well worth it, in my opinion. You can zest a whole lemon in a minute, producing uniform tiny shreds of zest without cutting your fingers or piercing the lemon by accident. It also works for fresh ginger (another tough one to grate) and hard cheeses. It has a plastic cover which protects the surface when you store it in a drawer and it’s remarkably easy to clean - just rinse it off.
To find out more about Microplane, you can visit their site - http://us.microplane.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=2
