Hold the lemon in one hand and the microplane in the other. In a sweeping motion, drag the lemon across the sharp side of the grater, pushing down gently, removing the bright yellow peel, exposing the pith underneath.
Once you start to see white, rotate the lemon and continue zesting until you have all you need.
If the zest sticks to the underside of the grater, just give it a light tap on the counter or cutting board and it will dislodge and fall off. The zest is full of oils and moisture so it might stick to the grater.
Box Grater
For making zest, be sure to use the smallest holes on the grater.
Place the grater over a board or other flat work surface. Hold the box grater firmly with one hand, and with the lemon in the other, drag the lemon over the holes, pushing down gently to remove the yellow part of the peel.
Stop when you start to see white. Slightly rotate the lemon as you go and continue to zest until you remove all the yellow peel.
If the zest sticks to the inside of the grater, just tap the grater on the counter or use a spatula and scrape it out of the inside. Watch the sharp edges!
Citrus Zester
Start at the top of the lemon and press the holes down onto the peel and pull down. This zest will come in long thin strips, not like from the graters. Rotate as you zest to get all that you can.
The other part of the citrus zester is the channel knife. This is used to make long narrow strips of peel that you would use as a lemon twist for cocktails or swirls for topping desserts.
Dig the tip of the knife (looks like the end of a peeler) into the middle section of the lemon. You can continue to rotate the lemon and make one long strip of peel. I’m no that good but I can get them a few inches long.
Vegetable Peeler
Use this to peel the lemon like you would a potato. Peel long, wide strips of lemon peel, being sure not to get any white pith on it.
Once you get the strips, you can cut them into very thin strips with a knife or chop into small pieces like zest.