Orange Cranberry Muffins.

I made orange muffins a couple of months ago, but I was disappointed with the results. There wasn’t enough orange flavor in them. The problem was that I used orange juice. Now I am using orange zest, and these muffins are much better. Orange zest has more flavor in baked goods than orange juice.

ABOUT ZEST.

What is zest? Zest is the fine shavings or scrapings from the rind of oranges, lemons, and other citrus fruit.
Preparation. Always wash oranges for zesting thoroughly to remove both dirt and wax. Many growers spray wax on oranges to make them shinier.

What to zest. Only use the outermost skin of the orange. Never use the white pith beneath. It is bitter and should not be eaten. You can freeze zest for future use. Orange and lemon zest freeze very well because of the natural oil in it. Add zest to beverages, baked goods, pasta, and vegetable dishes for a flavor boost!

What tool do you use? I recommend a microplane zester. They sell for around $10 on Amazon.

What is the best kind of orange for zesting? In my opinion, the best oranges for zesting are the ones that you steal from a tenant’s orange tree, which is what I do. They are also the cheapest oranges! Likewise, the best lemons for zesting are the ones that you steal from a tenant’s lemon tree, which I also do. If you don’t have any tenants or if your tenants don’t have orange trees or if your tenants won’t let you steal their oranges, then navel oranges from the supermarket will do just fine.