# Replacing lemon zest with lemon oil



## lotuscakestudio (Jun 28, 2001)

I am sick of zesting lemons for my cake. Not to mention having them get moldy on me when I can't go through a 5# bag fast enough. I considered buying frozen lemon zest, but I would like to avoid having to make room for one more thing in my freezer. I figure since it's the lemon oil in the zest that I'm after, maybe I'll just use straight up oil. Is there a difference in taste? And about how much oil per zest of 1 lemon? I just through out some moldy ones so I can't remember the size # of the lemons, but they're on the small side.

If I stop using fresh lemons, I won't be squeezing lemons for the juice either and will switch to bottled juice. In your personal opinion, can you tell the difference when it comes to cake? I definitely notice it if I'm making lemonade or as a condiment, but I don't detect much of a different in cakes. That just might be my taste buds and I wonder if others notice this or not.


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## anna w. (Nov 27, 2001)

Interesting that you should bring this up. I tried the lemon oil in place of the zest for the first time this week. I did use fresh juice, however. I did not find that it affected the taste. I did it to save me some pain (carpal tunnel) but it saved a ton of time, too, especially when you are doing a cake for 250 people. I have used frozen juice on occasion (minute maid sells it in the grocery store in small quanities) for other things and it has worked pretty well. The bottled stuff always seems to have a "dull" taste.


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

Don't get mad at me but.......

You can take a case of fresh, beautiful lemons and: Zest them, place zest on sheet pan, cover with plastic and freeze, once frozen put in plastic quart containers or whatever container suitable for freezing you like.
Juice the zested lemons and freeze juice in containers suitable for freezing, whatever size you like. 

(one case can be done in 2 hours)

This has saved my bottom line several times when I get a last min order for lemon butter cream, sponge, cheese cake, brulee etc....

No, you do not have to do a case at a time, but that 5# bag will go far when stored properly and at your fingertips frozen and ready to go!!!

This goes for oranges too.
:bounce:


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

This gets me thinking of beautiful berries left over from the season. do you freeze them for muffins and fillings? 
I have been doing this for several years, you take the best of the season, clean them, freeze on sheet pans, once frozen put in plastic containers and keep frozen until needed. 
Yummy muffins in the dead of winter when berry prices go skyward.
also good for drunken raspberries and blackberries.

:lips:


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## momoreg (Mar 4, 2000)

In a pinch, the packaged zest by Perfect Puree is very good. It is frozen in a sweetened syrup. Same concept as mbrown's, with a bit more moisture to compensate for freezing.

I don't recommend the lemon or orange 'rape' sold by Paris Gourmet (or is it Uster?). It has a chemical taste and texture to it.


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## lotuscakestudio (Jun 28, 2001)

Anna, how much oil did you use per zest of 1 lemon? A friend of mine said according to Boyajian, it's 1/4 teaspoon oil per zest. Is this about what you used?


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## lotuscakestudio (Jun 28, 2001)

m-
Hmmm... really? Two hours? You must be a fast zester!

Even if I had the drive, I have no freezer space. A half sheet won't even fit in my freezer what to speak of store lemon juice in there or in-season berries or taking advantage of sales at the supermarket and stocking up. It's so cramped in there; it's not even funny. A shelf in my fridge is a little larger than a half sheet pan and it's not very tall or deep. Cramped, I tells ya! Our lease is up in May and we will NOT be renewing. We're looking for a place with a bigger kitchen with a bigger fridge or at least enough room to buy a second refrigerator and freezer. Then I will be a freezing fool!

momoreg- thanks for the advice! I had seen lemon rape on the Paris Gourmet site and was considering buying some to check out. Eeek!
---

I think I am going to try my cake with lemon oil, no zest, and see if my local farmer's market or something has 100% bottled lemon juice.


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

I can dig it!

When using oils, get an eyedropper! They are far more potent than extracts and fresh.


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## anna w. (Nov 27, 2001)

I used Boyajian and did use the 1/4 teaspoon per directions.


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## spoons (Nov 10, 2000)

I use the McNess Lemon and Orange Oils from Williams Sonoma.
1/4 tsp. equals 1 tbs. zest or to taste.

I just picked up some Melon Oil on a recent trip to Japan.


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## missyjean (Nov 5, 2009)

m brown said:


> I can dig it!
> 
> When using oils, get an eyedropper! They are far more potent than extracts and fresh.


I spent the entire day looking for that in my area..to no avail. Is there something I can us in it's place? My cake recipe calls for 3/8 tsp of lemon oil as well as 12 gm lemon zest


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Lemon oil tastes like lemon oil, and bottled lemon juice tastes like bottled lemon juice--very acidic with little to no flavour. 

If using these as flavorings, your products will have a "institutional" taste to them.

I use the perfect purees lemon zest, and I also use a microplane--takes me 20 seconds to do a lemon:  Hold the lemon by the top and bottom, and run one "side" of the lemon down the microplane, then rotate and do all the way down a lemon.  Kinda like turning a potato.


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## missyjean (Nov 5, 2009)

So you feel the zest is more flavorful than the lemon oil?

That's good to know

Thank you very much /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

To my taste,  lemon oil taste artificial in cakes, pies or puddings. Like in all cooking ,'' you can't beat the real thing.;;


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## missyjean (Nov 5, 2009)

Thank you Ed...I will take your advice.  I appreciate your in-put


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## jamesparkerz (Aug 18, 2010)

Hi

I tried the lemon oil in place of the zest for the first time this week. I did use fresh juice, however. I did not find that it affected the taste. I appreciate your in-put..I will take your advice. thanks.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Fresh Juice is good. I only find that the oil of lemon imparts an artificial medicine like taste. We made a dozen cupcakes 3 real zest., 3 juice only, 3 w with lemon oil , 3 with lemon chips(artificial flavor) Zest tasted best.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

The most flavourfull part of any citrus fruit is the zest--oranges, limes, lemons, even grapefruit and certainly kumquats.  I believe it is the natural volatile oils in the zest that give all the flavour.

If you look at certain foods and thier ingredients, you will find that the zest is very important.  Lemon curd, for example relies on zest for it's flavour--juice fior acidity, but zest for flavour, key lime as well, orange and grapefruit marmalade.....  Candied citrus peel has been used for centuries in baking too.


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## missyjean (Nov 5, 2009)

In pure lemon oil, isn't the simply pressed to extrude the oil?


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Nope, not pressed, destilled.  Many of the other oils are destilled too, like peppermint, bitter almond, rose, etc..  Lemon oil tastes like, well, lemon oil, your mind thinks furniture polish, not lemon curd. A good destilled oil is not cheap, just paid CDN$60 for a half-liter bottle of pure peppermint oil; by simply unscrewing the cap, I can blow the top of my head off.....

Many of the "aroma therapy" oils are derived from natural sources, but are "not intended for consumption" Translation:  Lousy destilling processes. Do not consume  .

Cheaper edible variatities are "cut" with neutral oils, many are "tinted" with colouring.  Caveat emporium and all that.

Like I said, "perfect purees" (google them, US based) puts out 1 qt tubs of frozen lemon zest and orange zest, think I paid somewhere around CDN$18 for a tub---mind you about half is sugar, but an excellent product.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Truffle Oil???  Has anyone ever tried to squeeze oil out of a truffle?? There is no such thing. Is made by man with the help of a laboratory and some truffle peelings, usually white cause they are stronger flavored


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## missyjean (Nov 5, 2009)

foodpump said:


> Nope, not pressed, destilled. Many of the other oils are destilled too, like peppermint, bitter almond, rose, etc.. Lemon oil tastes like, well, lemon oil, your mind thinks furniture polish, not lemon curd. A good destilled oil is not cheap, just paid CDN$60 for a half-liter bottle of pure peppermint oil; by simply unscrewing the cap, I can blow the top of my head off.....
> 
> Many of the "aroma therapy" oils are derived from natural sources, but are "not intended for consumption" Translation: Lousy destilling processes. Do not consume .
> 
> ...


That sounds like a reasonable cost to me. Today I zested 6 lemons for my cake, for a total of $3 and this was for a one-time use


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## gypsy2727 (Mar 9, 2010)

Zest is the Best! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif


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## eater181 (Dec 27, 2014)

A couple of years ago I was looking for a shortcut way to make Lemoncello without having to wash the wax and chemicals off lemons and then have them soak in spirit alcohol for 4 weeks. I was aware that pure citrus oils could be purchased and that this could be the key to my answer.

At Adelaide Central Markets (South Australia) I saw three tiny bottles of citrus oils (orange, lemon and lime) for $AUD30.00. Each bottle was probably only 20ml. Ouch! After some web research I found a company Boyajian Fine Oils in USA which produces a great range of culinary oils (website: www.boyajianinc.com). Fantastic. I then found a company (website: www.famousfoods.com) that distributes their oils . A 5oz bottle of Pure Lemon Oil costs $USD16.75 or a mini 3 pack 1oz each (lemon, lime & orange) costs $USD9.99.

*I contacted Boyajian, their guide for using the oil was that 1 teaspoon of oil was equivalent to the zest of 10 lemons*.

The Lemoncello I made was better than the comercial product. The flavour was like natural lemon. The winner though was the Limecello, I found the Orangecello lacked flavour so next time I will add extra oil.

OK, from making Lemoncello I began using the lemon, lime and orange oils in my baking; again with great results in regards to flavour. I followed the recipes on the bottles to make shortbread cookies in each flavour. I used the oil as directed in the recipe in regards to quantity where I am sure you would not use the rind of 10 lemons. I also made a Polish Cheesecake and added the oil to the quark. Yummo!

So, in conclusion I know from experience that lemon and other citrus oils can be used very successfully to replace zest. It does come down to experimentation with quantities which can be tweeked to your individual tastes.


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