OXO Good Grips Lemon Zester with Channel Knife Product Review: Easiest way to zest and garnish with citrus

A few years ago, I received the OXO Good Grips Lemon Zester with Channel Knife as a gift. Before that, I used the smallest side of a cheese grater to zest citrus. This product eradicated all the angst I felt about zesting — making it fun, too — and I never looked back.

Just in case you don’t know what zest or zesting is, zest is the outer, colored part of a citrus (lemon, lime, orange, etc.) peel. Zesting is the act of removing that layer. And the trick is to only get that colored layer and not get the white pith, which can be bitter-tasting. Zest is used for flavoring — it adds an oomph to your citrus-themed recipe. I’ve used it to intensify Orange Chicken, give more zip to a Lemom Bundt Cake and even add aroma to a cup of tea.

If you don’t have the right tool, zesting can be messy and, frankly, a pain in the ass. But the OXO Good Grips Lemon Zester with Channel Knife is a brilliantly designed right tool.

The OXO Good Grips Lemon Zester with Channel Knife makes zesting a lemon as easy as … lemon pie!
Photo from Amazon.com.

Features & Benefits

• Large, oval and soft, non-slip handle not only fits securely in your hand, but is secure even if your hand is greasy. The size of the handle makes it really comfortable to hold, too, giving you more control over your zesting.
• The stainless steel head lasts longer — I’ve had mine for over 10 years and it is still rust-free.
• In addition to the zesting head, it also has a channel knife for creating thicker peels you can use for flavoring, texture and garnish.
• The whole thing is dishwasher safe, so it can be convenient to clean if you use a dishwasher.
• Both the zester and channel knife are sharp, so zesting is easy and smooth (unlike a few potato peelers I’ve had!)

The channel knife feature makes great garnishes, as well as solid zest for heavier recipes such as Orange Chicken.
Photo from Amazon.com

Other Data

• Dimensions: 5″ x 1.38″ x 1″
• Price: Between $7 and $8 new, depending on where you shop

Durability

As I’ve mentioned earlier, this product is durable. It is solidly made and easy to maintain. I’ve had mine for over a decade and it still looks new. I’ve used it on lemons, limes, tangerines and grape fruit, and it has traveled around the country with me. I’ve dropped it on the floor and all that happens is that it bounces and rolls — no damage to the zester or my linoleum floor.

Who This Product is Suitable For

If you zest only once a year, I’d still recommend this product for you. It is reasonably priced, so I can’t think of a reason not to have it — especially if you read this blog! Having this gadget handy has increased my kitchen creativity because now I’ll add zest to things I might not have before, because it used to be too much work. Whether you’re an experienced cook or just getting started, you’ll love the ease of using this product.

Where to Buy

The OXO Good Grips Lemon Zester with Channel Knife can be found anywhere they sell OXO brand kitchen gadgets. I’ve seen them at Bed, Bath & Beyond, as well as Target. You can also order one online from Amazon.com.

Kitchen Creativity Ideas

Because this product makes zesting so easy, I know add zest to more things that cook. Here are some suggestions I’ve tried and loved.

• Take an orange and use the channel knife to create long strips of zest. When preparing a frozen bag of orange chicken in a skillet, add the strips to pump up the orange flavor. I used this with Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken and just loved it.
• Add zest to your next box of lemon cake to pump up the lemon flavor. If you want make it a bit more fun, use the zest of a lime instead.
• Garnish a serving of fruit or ambrosia salad with large curls of orange, grapefruit or tangerine zest using the channel knife.