Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsIt Really IS All That!
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2015
For years, I've wondered why anyone bought a zester. I mean, I've got a box grater for zesting citrus, so why store another single-purpose utensil? So when I had to make a recipe that called for zest in terms of 1/2 a cup, and knowing how long it takes me to grate up 1 Tb on my box grater, I decided to take the plunge. And boy oh BOY, am I ever glad I did! Comparing a box grater to this is like comparing a golf cart to a Ferrari! This is super sharp, so no need to even apply pressure. Just rake it over the surface of the lemon/orange/lime/grapefruit and it removes fine, tiny strips. Knowing that, if you need finer zest, adding an additional few pulses in your food processor will do the trick. I have a small processor that I use exclusively for spices, and it worked perfectly. Since the recipe was sweet, I added a couple Tb of the sugar called for in the recipe in the processor, which kept the zest from sticking to the blades. Worked like a charm.
The cutters on this puppy are super sharp, and for that reason, it comes with a guard in which to store it in your gadget drawer to protect fingers from cuts. Clean up is a breeze if you keep an old, sanitized toothbrush by your sink.
I had a quarter of a lemon that I used for juice, and thought as I too often do, "Darn! I wish I had zested that lemon first before I cut it." Not wanting to let it go to waste, however, I took the zester to that puny, squeezed quarter. The microplane worked like magic! Try doing THAT with your box grater. I was able to retrieve the zest in a ziplock baggie, which I stored in the fridge for later use. Don't know what I've done for the last 50 years of cooking without this gadget. I've wasted a lot of time and incurred skinned knuckles, that's what.
