L-R Microplane flat zester, Cuisinart zester, Microplane curved zester. Photo: The Skinny Chef

I'm a zesting queen and I've tried every gadget on the market. But kitchen space is tight in my small apartment so I've donated extras to friends and kids I'm teaching to cook and have narrowed it down to three essentials.

I use Microplanes the most and maintain that the flat zester, one of the cheapest, is an absolute must for any kitchen. Both that and the rounded model work equally well for grating whole spices like nutmeg and cinnamon sticks or for making fluffy mounds of shredded Parmesan cheese as soft as eyelashes.

Get more of Jennifer's zesting secrets after the jump.

So do you believe we're in a recession? Retailers sure seem to, especially specialty retailers. In the kitchenware store, the season's usual large bundles of roasting pans and pie plates, while still available, are being supplemented by smaller displays of beckoning trinkets for inexpensive shopping fixes. If one is a classic movie fan, one remembers Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard in Breakfast at Tiffanys -- wherein, broke but shopping, they consider a platinum dream from a CrackerJack box as well as a silver telephone dialer. More practical (and, at around thirteen bucks, more economical) is the Microplane Multi-Citrus Tool, and I have to admit that I have succumbed.

As most slashfoodies know, zest is the outer skin of a citrus fruit, used as a flavoring agent in everything from sauces to baked goods, as well as a garnish. The zest contains a high concentration of the oil of the citrus fruit, which contributes a highly concentrated burst of both flavor and aroma. As experienced eaters know, there is no substitute for fresh zest -- a lemon pound cake, for example, will simply taste better if you add fresh zest. As experienced zesters know, the challenge while zesting is to get just that outer layer of skin without getting any of the white pith that separates the flesh of the fruit from the skin.

I use my microplane to zest, grind and grate nearly every day (it would appear that I cook a lot). I started out with the basic one that came with no handle, just a flat strip of razer sharp teeth that take a nutmeg and turn it into aromatic pile of shavings. Then I moved up to the flexible set which I love because you can swap out different levels of grater blades quickly and easily (if you're tempted by that prospect, you need to act fast as this set has been discontinued).

Now there's a new microplane that I've got my eye on, and it's a cutie. Designed for spices, it catches the shavings in its little case, which makes it deadly easy to accurately measure your amounts (instead of eyeballing it or trying to scrape it off the cutting board and into a measuring spoon). Best of all is that if you buy it from the Spice House, they'll throw in a whole nutmeg, cinnamon stick, ginger and turmeric root. Go forth and grate!

Thanks K.F.!

Recently, someone asked me if there was a difference between the "zest" of a citrus fruit and the "peel." In short, the answer is yes. The peel is the name for the whole skin of the fruit, which is comprised of two layers: the zest and the pith. The zest is the colored, outer surface of the fruit while the pith is the soft, white inner layer. The vast majority of recipes will call for the zest of a fruit only. The pith is actually bitter and gives an unpleasant aftertaste if eaten, but the zest contains the very flavorful oils/essence of the fruit.

Once you know what the zest is, the question is how to get it off. The layer is very thin compared to the fruit as a whole, but it can be cut off with a knife and then chopped into fine pieces. A more efficient way is to use either a zester (pictured) or a microplane, both of which are tools that slice off only the zest from a fruit. A zester produces long, thin strips that need to be finely chopped, while a microplane naturally creates a very fine chop that needs no further alteration before being added to a recipe.