If you consume a lot of lemons, limes, grapefruits or other members of the citrus family, you have probably noticed how much of the fruit you waste by through away its rind. However, before opening that lid to the kitchen trash bin, read on to find out about ten amazing ways to use citrus peels in the kitchen and around the home.
Make Zest
Zest – the finely grated peel of citrus fruits – can be a great way to both use up your rind or peeling and can be stored for later or even frozen and will keep for a while your fridge.
Try Homemade Lemon-Pepper Seasoning.
If you have tried lemon-pepper seasoning that you bought in the store and were not fond of it, trying again with this amazing blend of citrus peel and spices. It works on a variety of dishes and can store for a long time in your pantry
Candy the Peels
Candying orange or lemon peels or the like is easy to do and these peels are called for in many recipes around the holiday time. It will also save you money, since commercial candied peels can be pricey.
Infuse Olive Oil
Infusing olive oil with lemon peels by putting it in a glass jar for two weeks and adding the peels will give the oil a wonder, citrusy tang.
Create Extracts
Making your own citrus extracts for cooking a great way to save money, as these can be fairly expensive if store bought.
Make Citrus Liqueurs
One delicious way to use leftover citrus peels is to infuse them with a combination of grain alcohol and syrups to create your own homemade citrus-flavored liqueurs.
Infuse Tea
Infusing your favorite teas with citrus peels is easy to do and can give them a delicious added tang.
Deodorize the Garbage Disposal
If your garbage disposal smells foul, freshen it up instantly by throwing in your lemon, lime or grapefruit peels and running the disposal for a moment. The odor will be gone immediately.
Polish Things Up
Sea salt added to half a lemon peels can be a wonderful natural scrubber for stainless steel or copper surfaces, especially for things like pots and pans.
Stain Remover
If you notice your coffee cup has stains, soak it in a combination of warm water infused with lemon peels for half an hour or so before scrubbing them; the stains should come off easily.
So don’t throw away those citrus peels! As you can see from above, they can serve a number of useful purposes in the kitchen and around the home and trying some of these out can save on the amount of waste you create, which is also good for the environment.
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