How to Store that Extra Zest
Whenever a recipe calls for zest, I inevitably zest the whole orange or lemon. Usually I need only a couple teaspoons but I don't want to waste that lovely, fragrant little mound sitting on the wax paper. I wondered what others do to store it. I know you can freeze it but is it "like fresh" when you thaw it? I wondered about rubbing it into some sugar and storing it in the fridge. Any ideas?
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Replies to This Discussion
- Reply by mrscindy on February 06, 2012 at 11:16 am
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I store mine in a small zippy bag in the freezer, usually attached with a paper clip to the larger zippy bag with the frozen ice cubes of lemon/orange/lime juice. Then the two are right there together. I have never had a problem with them not being 'like new' when thawed. One time, in the beginning, I thought they looked dry, so sprinkled a little of the thawed juice cube over it and it was fine. Probably would have been fine anyway, but I wasn't sure.
~Cindy
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- Reply by omaria on February 06, 2012 at 11:54 am
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Yes, I freeze my zest also. No problems. I also freeze the whole peel in case I want to make some marmalade. I even have a bag with frozen seeds, pith and cut off pieces of membrane to boil for pectin. Have not used that yet, but it should work just fine.
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- Reply by ZenSojourner on February 06, 2012 at 6:14 pm
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Or... make extract!
The strongest clear liquor you can find - Everclear if you can get it, or at least really strong vodka (not the 80 proof stuff, 150 proof and up) plus zest = extract!
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- Reply by dachshundlady on February 06, 2012 at 6:36 pm
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All good ideas. This time I threw the extra in the icing. Mmmmm, Italian Christmas cookies in February.
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- Reply by dachshundlady on February 12, 2012 at 3:09 am
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Years ago I tried to infuse oil w/something and it spoiled. Never tried again.
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- Reply by GinaG on February 12, 2012 at 4:34 am
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Vinegar doesn't go bad, so if you wanted to play it safe try that route.
With oil, you do have to make sure it's super fresh and you don't add anything that's unwashed or sprayed. Use organic everything. And if you don't use it that often,just make small amounts. Mine gets used up fast, but I've never had a problem.
In a book called Small Batch Canning, written by two Canadian ladies, their process of infusing oils is quite arduous and based on Canadian food and health safety codes. I found that interesting, but never practiced what they propose and it's really been fine. So go figure!
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- Reply by ZenSojourner on February 12, 2012 at 7:09 pm
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Home infused "oils" are not really infused at all, they're just flavored. To actually infuse you have to go through the "arduous" process based on food and health safety codes.
Otherwise, the supposedly infused but actually just flavored oils are prone to botulism and other anaerobic nasties.
I don't know if somebody else already noted this, but lemon oil is actually oil cold-pressed from the lemon rind, so it's the pure stuff. You can't get anything even close by putting zest in vegetable oil.
The only way for the home baker to get some lemon oil out of lemon rind (without investing in 10s of 1000s of dollars of equipment) is to make lemon extract - high alcohol content liquor dissolves a good bit of the lemon oil out of the peel and keeps it in suspension in the alcohol.
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- Reply by GinaG on February 12, 2012 at 7:54 pm
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I don't know the terminology for what I'm doing and I don't plan on opening a factory, but don't blow my cover to the food-feds, I'm begging you.
I buy flavored oils (blood orange, lemon and another favorite, valencia or mandarin orange) and they come from local olive oil producers here in CA. I also make my own "whatever-you-call-it."
I do just let zest strips sit in the oil and whatever its doing, it does both color and flavor the oil nicely. I'm still here, so maybe I have a gene that fights botulism!
All kidding aside, I am not promoting harm in any way, so proceed with caution if you have reservations.
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- Reply by swirth on February 12, 2012 at 7:55 pm
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I always liked this 'recipe' for making lemon extract with zest and it is from
lemon extract Notes: This is often used in cakes, muffins, frostings, and pies. To make your own: Chop the zest from one or two lemons and put it into a small, clean jar until the jar is 1/3 full. Fill the jar with vodka, making sure that the zest is completely immersed. Seal it with a tight-fitting lid, allow the mixture to steep for two weeks, then strain out the zest using cheesecloth or a coffee filter. The result won't be as strong as commercial extracts. Substitutes: lemon zest (1 teaspoon extract = 2 teaspoons zest) OR oil of lemon (One part flavoring oil is roughly equivalent to four parts extract, but this may vary according to the products used. To be safe, begin by substituting 1/8 teaspoon of oil per teaspoon of extract, then add more drops of oil until you're satisfied with the flavor.) OR orange extract OR vanilla extract OR lemon-flavored liqueur (Substitute 1 or 2 tablespoons liqueur for each teaspoon of extract)
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- Reply by mrscindy on February 12, 2012 at 9:41 pm
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Swirth, this is the 'recipe' I have been using ever since I had some lemon oil go bad.
Like Zen said, if you're not careful, bad things grow. And I had what I thought was a wonderful lemon oil going, until I realized it wasn't so good.
In looking around, I found this one from foodsubs.com and have been using it ever since. It works great.
~Cindy
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- Reply by ZenSojourner on February 13, 2012 at 12:04 am
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I'm not trying to jerk your chain or anything, really, but keep in mind - commercial packers would have pasteurized/sterilized and otherwise safe-ified any flavored oils you buy from them.
There really is a serious risk of food poisoning up to and including full blown botulism from making flavored oils of any type at home, especially if you don't refrigerate them right away and use them up in a few days.
This article spells out the risks, and how commercial manufacturers avoid them. Any flavored oil made at home is a risk, not only from botulism, but from a host of other aerobic and anaerobic organisms. Botulism is just the big scary one that gets all the good press.
It's like boiling water bath canning green beans - sure, there are people who still do it, but people get sick from eating those every year. The only reason there aren't more cases of food poisoning from green beans canned that way is because hardly anybody ever does it anymore. I started canning home produce almost 50 years ago, and even then we knew a boiling water bath for green beans wasn't safe - but people still did it, and people died every year because of it.
Seriously. I tell you this because I care. Kinda like you were worried about the New Stove From Hell - I'm that kind of worried for you.
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- Reply by ZenSojourner on February 13, 2012 at 12:19 am
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I sterilize the jar and lid before making lemon extract, just to be on the safe side - old canning instincts die hard. I also use way more rind - basically I fill with rind to an inch or 2 below the shoulder of the jar, then fill with THE STRONGEST vodka I can find. Seriously, Everclear if you can get it - the STRONG Everclear, as apparently they make a watered down version now as well. 150 proof minimum! Original Full Strength Everclear or 180 proof Vodka preferred, clear rum if you can't get a vodka strong enough. The cheap stuff is fine. AVOID the 80 proof stuff, it's totally worthless for this purpose.
Actually, if you have an actual zester - until recently I never have had such a tool - you can probably use less because the finer zest will pack together more than rind peeled away with a potato peeler, so how much rind/zest you use is probably dependent on how you prepared it.
When I make it this way, it's every bit as strong as any extract I've ever paid for. Probably a bit stronger than the McCormicks stuff, which is pretty wimpy these days even given the godawful price ($6 for a teensy bottle last time I bought it).
I NEEDS ME SOME VODKA so I can make lemon extract! I had to toss the last batch of lemons I bought for the making of extract.
I swear, my son is an axe away from being Carrie Nations reborn, LOL!
*grump grump grump*
BTW, this is the same way I make vanilla extract, basically, except I use the tallest thinnest jar I can find for that (because of the beans). And I don't throw the beans out (you should throw the rind out after you've let it steep a few weeks in a cool dark place). For vanilla, I let it steep for a few weeks and pour off about half of the liquid, then top it up again with 180 proof. You can keep reusing those beans for a very very long time before the extract starts getting weaker. In fact I think the only reason I've ever started a new batch is when I've had to move and start over.
You can also make lime and orange extract the same way as the lemon.
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- Reply by GinaG on February 13, 2012 at 2:25 am
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No, no, no, you're not jerking my chain:
I should have made myself clearer about what I do. I do not store and keep it for any length of time, it's used-up inside of a week and kept in the fridge. Thank you for caring.
I also intend to pick your brain on canning because I have been reading books on it and studying and I'm almost ready:
I was thrilled to find an old, heavy-duty pressure canner at the antiques store: A former Sears brand, complete with the manual. The pictures and graphics are from the '30's, 40's maybe?...I don't like the light-weight, tinny ones in canning supply. And SO expensive! My big guy cost me 15.00 and I can use it just like my other stock pots!
I really want to put up sauce from my tomato harvests and also jams and jellies. I'm looking forward to that!
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- Reply by ZenSojourner on February 13, 2012 at 3:18 am
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Well, that's a relief! I was hoping you were taking the high road on that but I was scared you might not know you needed to!
Buuuut ... not to burst your bubble ... but there could be problems trying to use a very old pressure canner.
Firstly, you will need to inspect the canner carefully for any pitting, dents, or damage to the sealing surfaces - ESPECIALLY THE LEAST SIGN OF WARPING, which can be very difficult to see by eye. Most of the good old pressure canners were aluminum and sadly aluminum doesn't last, especially when it's something that actually gets USED and hence banged around even if you're being careful. Aluminum - even the heavy duty aluminum of an old pressure canner - is particularly susceptible to warping, and it can be very difficult to see that.
Secondly, assuming the canner is pristine, you will need to replace the plug, the pressure gauge, and the gasket - assuming they are still made. Many are not. It will not be safe to use the canner even in the absence of any damage if you can't replace all these parts, especially one that old.
There are other things to consider before putting a vintage canner into use. I'll let Miss Vickie, the famed Pressure Cooking Maven of the Intertubes, tell you more about it. But using a Pressure Canner THAT old - you're talking something in the neighborhood of 70 or 80 years old - is VERY risky. I agree, in many ways they were more sturdily built back then - the one I used was probably post WWII but no newer than a 50's vintage - but the newer ones are hands-down SAFER. They're nowhere near as likely to blow a gasket - or pop the safety valve and spew super-heated turkey barley soup all over your 11' ceilings, as happened to me once when I was just a little slow to get to the stove and turn it down once the rocker started knocking. Let me tell you, you haven't lived until you've had to brave the rain of boiling barley soup with nothing between you and it but a ratty old umbrella while trying to get to the stove to turn it off. *imagines WHO'LL STOP THE RAAAAAAIN playing in the background*
Not to mention trying to clean that mess off every flat surface and teetering at the top of a ladder trying to clean it off those 11' ceilings, the top of the fridge, and all up and down the walls... *still cringeworthy after all these years*
Dropping a pressure canner can cause damage not visible to the naked eye, and think about it - how likely is it that a 70+ year old canner that's been languishing in a junk shop or antiques store has NEVER BEEN DROPPED?
Just read what Miss Vickie has to say and do your best to evaluate the safety of what you have, but definitely, even if you decide there's no structural damage, you need to replace all the pressure parts - the safety plug, the pressure gauge, and the gasket. If it's an old Kenmore you might have a better chance of still finding the parts, but there are no guarantees. Also, check with your local extension agent - they used to routinely do safety checks of pressure canners for folks. They may be down to just checking the gauges these days, and probably not every extension office does it any more, but extension agents used to be THE place to go for canning info - it's worth a shot to see what they can help you with there in your neck of the woods.
Dang, I feel like the crow that croaked "DOOM! DOOOOOOM!" today!
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- Reply by GinaG on February 13, 2012 at 5:48 am
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I'm not worried: Like I said, even if I don't use it as a pressure canner, it has other uses: It's like a stock-pot but with a much wider mass.
Also, I used to watch my grandmother make apricot jam in the summer, she had a tree. She didn't have a pressure canner, she used a giant stock-pot.
I come from a long line of caterers who used the commercial grade pressure cookers to cook potato for potato salad. This looks just like an older, smaller version: VERY heavy. Sears told me that replacement parts aren't an issue, but I of course will investigate.
Someone took very good care of it. It doesn't even appear to have been used except for the taped-up little box containing the pressure valve. It was sold to me in the box, with all the parts including two gasket rings, a rack and the manual. The lid locks and opens without ordeal.
According to the link you shared, the only thing I need to do is test it. She confirms at the bottom of the page "Maid of Honor" still has replacement parts, which is the former Sears Roebuck brand. She kept emphasizing the importance of having the owners manual, so I feel fortunate.
So what's the worst thing that can happen? The whole thing will blow up, decapitate me and then...I won't have to do the dishes ever again!
Thank you for the link to that site, I plan to use more of it!
GinaG
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- Reply by dachshundlady on February 13, 2012 at 6:38 am
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Years ago I had a huge old pressure canner. Before I used it, I took it to Cornell Cooperative Extension and they inspected it to be sure it was safe. All I had to do was buy a new gasket. I think extension services will still help you like that. Nowadays I no longer can but I have a Presto Pressure cooker I bought a few years ago. I used it just last week to make beef vegetable soup to take to my Mom who was recovering from pneumonia. She always used the cooker to cook the meat and onions which made such a tender, dark "liquor" to start the soup. Then the rest is done with the top off. When I bought the pressure cooker I even bought 2 extra tops; one of clear glass and one with a strainer in half. Much easier to use than that awkward pressure top, once you are just simmering things.
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- Reply by GinaG on February 13, 2012 at 7:32 am
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I have my mother's many presto's, she was the pressure cooker queen. They kind of scare me, haven't used them.
What I do use is a Cuisinart electric pressure cooker and I just loooove that thing: Bone-in short ribs in 8 minutes, beans in 20 minutes, rice has 3 minutes cooking time with slow pressure release: It's pressure cooking for dummies, but it isn't big enough for canning, darn it.
It sounds like the Cooperative Extension is the place to go to have "Maid of Honor" checked out!
I hope your mother enjoyed her treat and that she's feeling better. Did she get her Pneumo-vax last year? I hope she recovers quickly!
We'll pray for her!
GinaG.
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- Reply by dachshundlady on February 13, 2012 at 10:01 am
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Mom us much better, thank you. She enjoyed the soup but LOVED the hoagie roll of Pete's Italian Bakery Bread that I had made that morning. They were having trouble getting her to drink enuf liquids so I left, of all things, cup a soup chicken noodle. She ate it right down every afternoon as she loves salty stuff. Then the sodium must have made her drink more ginger ale that I had also left for her That did the trick and her cough resolved w/in a week.
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