How many times has it happened that we only need one slice of lemon or a bit of the rind for lemon zest – and the rest of the lemon gets left in the fridge… To eventually be thrown away. But good news! We’ve got a solution: You can freeze it! Did you know that? The same goes for all citrus fruits as well! Below, a few tips.
Storing citrus
From the peel to the juice, citrus fruit can be used in just about any recipe – from sweets to pasta and meat! But throwing leftover bits away? No way! There are a few ways to preserve them, and we prefer using the freezer above all. First, wash and dry the citrus fruit well and then slice thinly. Transfer to a freezer bag and store. Now you’ve got fresh citrus at your disposal for any recipe or cocktail. A longer (and more laborious) method is to first peel the orange and freeze them slice by slice. Even if it takes longer, the result is really lovely!
You can also freeze only the peel. Using a potato peeler to remove it, avoid as much of the bitter white skin of the fruit as possible. Then close in plastic bags and freeze. Add it to herbals teas or broth later.
Finally, to freeze the juice: First, squeeze the juice from the oranges or lemons (or whichever citrus fruit you have) and filter it. Then place in containers and freeze. This way, you’ve got fresh fruit juice to use whenever you need it! To add some flavor to a broth, a fish fillet, or simply lemon escalope!
Another method for preserving citrus – specifically the peel – is via dehydration. In this case, wash and dry the lemon or orange peel, spread it on a sheet of baking parchment, and cook it for two hours at 212°F (100°C). Once crunchy, transfer to a blender and blend for a powder. You can store the powder in hermetically sealed jars that last quite a long time.
In our photo tutorial, we’ve got a few more tips for storing citrus!