How to zest a lemon three different ways - and the tools you need to do it

Lemon zesters have a palm-length handle and a slightly angled metal head with small holes that lift away thin, curly ribbons of citrus rind without penetrating into the pith. This is the perfect zest for decorating the tops of baked goods, as well as garnishing cocktails, soups, and salads. This is also the tool to use if you want to candy your lemon zest by cooking it in sugar water.

A lemon zester is definitely a one-trick pony — this handheld kitchen tool is good only for zesting citrus. But zesters are inexpensive — the OXO Good Grips Lemon Zester costs less than $10 — and the tool won't take up much room in your kitchen drawer.

Using the zester is easy: Just run the sharp end of the tool along the rind of your citrus, taking care not to use too much pressure. You'll quickly get a feel for how hard you need to press to produce perfect ribbons of lemon, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, or lime zest. Circle the citrus fruit while you work, and don't go over the same area more than once, or you risk hitting the pith.

Once you're finished, pop the zester into the dishwasher, or clean it by hand.

Every kitchen needs a good vegetable peeler, and it's hard to beat the comfortable-to-hold OXO Good Grips Swivel Peeler. This basic tool is the perfect way to peel potatoes, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes.

When it comes to using a vegetable peeler on citrus, you'll end up with large slices that are excellent for use as garnishes on drinks and desserts, candying, or infusing lemon flavor into vinegar, oil, or sugar syrups. Of course, you can always chop the zest into finer bits if you want to use it in a baked dessert, meat dish, or to sprinkle on a salad.

To use your vegetable peeler as a zester, start at one pointed end of the lemon and carefully peel down to the other end. It's much easier to hit the pith with a vegetable peeler than with a lemon zester, so work slowly and don't apply excessive pressure. Work your way around the lemon, and don't peel over the same spot twice. Once finished zesting, juice the remainder of the lemon, or slice it for use as a garnish or to flavor water.

No, not the grater you use for onions or potatoes, but a zester grater — often called a microplane, which is actually a brand name — has a handle at one end, and a long, skinny metal body covered with small, sharp raised edges that produce very fine pieces of zest.

Another handy and inexpensive tool that belongs in every kitchen, you can use a zester grater not only to zest your lemons and other citrus, but also to finely grate cheese, ginger, garlic, coconut, and chocolate. We recommend the Microplane Premium Zester Grater if you don't have one yet.

When using a zester grater, you don't drag the tool across the citrus. Instead, you hold the grater steady in your dominant hand and rub the lemon over the sharp edges of the grater, dragging the fruit in a downwards motion over the grater's blade. Like other zesters, you'll want to position a plate or bowl to catch the zest. As with the other tools, take care not to zest too enthusiastically, or you'll end up with bitter pith mixed into your zest.

Zester graters are very sharp, so watch your fingers as you work.