How to Peel a Lemon

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For professional chefs and amateur cooks alike, lemons are a favourite citrus fruit. Many recipes, however, will call for just the flesh or juice, or perhaps just the zest. That's why it pays to be a dab hand at peeling lemons! So what are the best methods for getting that stubborn lemon skin off? Whether you remove the rind with the help of a paring knife, a grater, or your own two hands, peeling this tangy fruit is easy once you know how.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Rind Removal

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  1. It's a good idea to wash the lemon under cold water prior to peeling it, especially if you intend on using the peel later. [1] You'll also want to remove any remaining stickers at this point.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Peel a Lemon
    Lay the lemon length-wise on a chopping board, and holding it secure with one hand, top-and-tail the fruit. Aim to chop no more than a centimetre width round from either end, so that you’re not catching too much flesh along with the peel.
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Peel a Lemon
    This will ensure that the lemon stays upright whilst you cut the peel from its sides. Use your non-dominant hand to keep the lemon in position for the next step.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Peel a Lemon
    Holding your paring knife horizontal, bring the blade down the sides of the lemon, cutting the rind from top to bottom in strips. You want to follow the natural curve of the lemon, so that you’re not cutting straight up and down with your knife. To do this, you will have to slowly turn the fruit with your holding hand.
    • You can either cut the lemon rind into vertical strips (as above), or you can revolve the lemon against the knife and remove the entire skin in one spiral peel. [2]
    • Try to cut as close to the flesh as possible. This means that along with the rind, you will also want to remove the pith (the spongy white layer between the flesh and rind). If you miss any of the pith on the initial peel, go back in with your paring knife to remove the rest.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Using a Peeler

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Peel a Lemon
    After removing any stickers, give the fruit a scrub under cold water. Then, set yourself up over a chopping board or near the waste disposal ready to peel. Make sure your potato-peeler is close to hand.
    • Ensure that the fruit is well-dried, so that your peeler doesn't slide over the surface of the skin.
  2. Hold the lemon in your non-dominant hand, and grasp the potato peeler with your other hand, thumb firmly pressing into the handle so that it won't slip in the course of peeling. You may want to hover the lemon just over the waste disposal: alternatively, you might rest the backside of your lemon-holding hand on your chopping board. Either way, the knuckle-side of your hand should be facing toward the floor.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Peel a Lemon
    Bring the blade-side of your peeler down firmly on the lemon's rind, digging in until you break the skin. Drag the peeler from one end of the fruit to the other.The skin should come off in clean strips, like when you peel a potato.
    • Ensure that your strokes move from the bottom of the lemon up to the top, so that the blade of the peeler is motioning away from you.
    • If you’re working with an organic or home-grown lemon, the surface of the fruit may be more knobby and thus harder to peel. [3] Take extra care when dealing with lemons that have uneven skin.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Finger-Peeling

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Peel a Lemon
    Do this by laying the fruit lengthways on your chopping board, and using a paring knife to chop one narrowed end off first, and then the other. You should be left with a barrel-shaped fruit.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Peel a Lemon
    You should start at one of the just-cut ends, where the skin will be lifting slightly from the flesh. You should be able to break through the skin easily, leaving flaps of rind to the left and right of the line you’ve dug.
    • Some lemons have skins which are tougher than others, or which are more strongly fused to the pith than normal. The finger-peel method may be less successful when dealing with fruit like this.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Peel a Lemon
    Keeping your thumb under the skin, wrap the rest of your fingers on top of the skin and around the fruit. The lemon should be placed in the pit of your non-dominant hand, so that you are using your dominant thumb to do the pulling.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Peel a Lemon
    With an uplift motion, pull the peel away from you whilst revolving the fruit inwards toward you with your unoccupied hand. Continue pulling until the rind comes off in one big strip.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Zesting

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Peel a Lemon
    Wash the lemon well under cold water, and rub it dry. Ensure in advance that you've got a cutting board beneath your workspace in order to catch the little mountains of zest which will collect beneath the grater.
  2. Hold the lemon firmly in the palm of your dominant hand, and hold the grater or zester firm with your other hand.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Peel a Lemon
    You will need to revolve the lemon around after every 4-5 rubs until you have zested it clean. You will know when you have removed all the zest from the fruit when your lemon is no longer bright yellow in hue (a lemon's pigment is found in its rind). [4]
    • Using this method will most likely leave most of the pith on the lemon. Remove the pith with a paring knife after zesting, if you need.
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      Tips

      • Not only is it safe to eat lemon peels, but these yellow rinds can contain many vitamins and minerals (many more, in fact, than lemon juice). [5] Many food-waste warriors make use of lemon peel by dipping it into hot tea to give a tangy citrus taste, or by frying to add to salads. [6]
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      Warnings

      • Always take care when using sharp objects like knives and graters.
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      • Don’t eat the peel if you’ve purchased non-organic lemons. Many supermarket-sourced lemons are sprayed with nasties or covered with wax for preservation purposes. [7]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.kitchenstewardship.com/lemon-wedge-toxins/
      2. ↑ https://www.bonappetit.com/drinks/cocktails/article/lemon-twists-cocktail-garnish
      3. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jul/07/lemon-peel-waste-not-tom-hunt-caper-salad-recipe
      4. ↑ https://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/LemonZest.htm
      5. ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1658077X16300960
      6. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jul/07/lemon-peel-waste-not-tom-hunt-caper-salad-recipe
      7. ↑ https://www.kitchenstewardship.com/lemon-wedge-toxins/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To zest a lemon, start by cleaning it thoroughly with water and soap. Then, hold a grater over a cutting board at a 45° angle and gently run the lemon down it. If you don't have a grater, you can use a knife or vegetable peeler to cut off the outer yellow peel from the fruit. If needed, dice up the peel into smaller pieces before adding it to your recipe.

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