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zester

British  
/ ˈzɛstə /

noun

  1. a kitchen utensil used to scrape fine shreds of peel from citrus fruits

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Explanation

A zester is a kitchen tool that you use to take the outer part of a citrus fruit's rind off so that it can be used to flavor a dish. The zest of a citrus fruit is the very outer, colored part of its skin, which holds a lot of flavor. But it's hard to just get the very top layer off the fruit, which is why there is a zester. This utensil usually has a handle and a head with small, sharp holes or teeth. By dragging the tool across the surface of a lemon, lime, or orange, the zest is shaved off in fine strands or tiny curls, leaving behind the bitter white pith.

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Vocabulary lists containing zester

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

Chances are, they'd appreciate a zester more anyway.

From Salon ● Dec. 11, 2022

Cooks can use the conveniently narrow measuring spoons, a snazzy garlic rocker, and a premium zester grater.

From The Verge ● Nov. 16, 2020

To serve family-style, spoon the finished fool into a pretty glass bowl, and use a rasp-style zester to grate the chocolate over the top.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2019

Using a Microplane zester, finely grate the garlic, ginger and the lime’s zest directly on top.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2019

Use a Microplane zester to grate the cheese over the pasta.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 16, 2018

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