Pollyanna Ed Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 I've come up with some great tasting recipes using fresh zested (machine-peeled) lemons and oranges but need to scale up. Fresh frozen zest is crazy expensive, Does anyone have any recommendations for sourcing zest? I really love using fresh zest, so maybe there's a machine to speed up the process other than the tabletop semi-automatic peeler we use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kindred Spirits Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 Have you tried using commercially available orange and lemon peels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskeytango Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 Ravifruit has a fresh frozen zest option Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pollyanna Ed Posted May 30, 2023 Author Share Posted May 30, 2023 On 5/27/2023 at 2:49 PM, Kindred Spirits said: Have you tried using commercially available orange and lemon peels? I have not found any that aren't dried. My concern is that the drying process will change the character of the zest. Also, I'm also concerned that peels include the bitter pith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pollyanna Ed Posted May 30, 2023 Author Share Posted May 30, 2023 On 5/27/2023 at 7:36 PM, whiskeytango said: Ravifruit has a fresh frozen zest option I've tried Ravifruit but it's quite expensive. I'm hoping to find a more affordable option. Currently, it takes one person about 5 hours to peel enough citrus for one batch (25 gallons). If I double the batch size I'm not sure I will have enough labor available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kindred Spirits Posted May 30, 2023 Share Posted May 30, 2023 1 hour ago, Pollyanna Ed said: I have not found any that aren't dried. My concern is that the drying process will change the character of the zest. Also, I'm also concerned that peels include the bitter pith. Ok thats what I was going to suggest using, I would give them a try at least on a small scale, otherwise it will be a very time intensive process to make enough for a very large batch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskeytango Posted May 30, 2023 Share Posted May 30, 2023 1 hour ago, Pollyanna Ed said: I've tried Ravifruit but it's quite expensive. I'm hoping to find a more affordable option. Currently, it takes one person about 5 hours to peel enough citrus for one batch (25 gallons). If I double the batch size I'm not sure I will have enough labor available. How much do you use in one batch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pollyanna Ed Posted May 31, 2023 Author Share Posted May 31, 2023 On 5/30/2023 at 1:44 PM, Kindred Spirits said: Ok thats what I was going to suggest using, I would give them a try at least on a small scale, otherwise it will be a very time intensive process to make enough for a very large batch. That seems to be the direction I'll have to go. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pollyanna Ed Posted May 31, 2023 Author Share Posted May 31, 2023 On 5/30/2023 at 1:48 PM, whiskeytango said: How much do you use in one batch? Once peeled, the weight is 24 lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskeytango Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 Just now, Pollyanna Ed said: Once peeled, the weight is 24 lbs. Thats a bunch. I know the Ravi comes in 1.1 lb bricks and it cost us about $14 per so yeah that gets speedy but its not burnt man hours and its always consistent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pollyanna Ed Posted May 31, 2023 Author Share Posted May 31, 2023 16 minutes ago, whiskeytango said: Thats a bunch. I know the Ravi comes in 1.1 lb bricks and it cost us about $14 per so yeah that gets speedy but its not burnt man hours and its always consistent Your mention that Ravifruit costs about $14 per 1.1 lb made me go back and check my pricing. I was using the case price (6/cs) which made my calculations way off! My actual price per 1.1 lbs is 1/6 of what I had calculated. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Distillery Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 23 minutes ago, whiskeytango said: I know the Ravi comes in 1.1 lb bricks and it cost us about $14 per Where are you finding Ravi zest for $14/1.1 lb? That seems pretty cheap to me considering what a PITA zest is. A quick Google search was about 2x that price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskeytango Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 23 minutes ago, Bier Distillery said: Where are you finding Ravi zest for $14/1.1 lb? That seems pretty cheap to me considering what a PITA zest is. A quick Google search was about 2x that price. Contact your local food specialty store. Retail isn’t the way to go. Can’t really tell you what they will charge only what I’m paining. But it’s probably less than retail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskeytango Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 On 5/31/2023 at 1:43 PM, Bier Distillery said: Where are you finding Ravi zest for $14/1.1 lb? That seems pretty cheap to me considering what a PITA zest is. A quick Google search was about 2x that price. Ok I’m a big fat liar. I actually pay $17.50. Just bought a bunch today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowerylisa1 Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 San Francisco Herb Co has orange peel granules (which is orange zest) for $9.40 / lb https://www.sfherb.com/Orange-Peel-California-Granules--1-Lb_p_32.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Distillery Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 40 minutes ago, lowerylisa1 said: San Francisco Herb Co has orange peel granules (which is orange zest) for $9.40 / lb https://www.sfherb.com/Orange-Peel-California-Granules--1-Lb_p_32.html “Great for use in baking recipes that call for orange rind” I’m not sure how zest could be great for recipes that need rind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kindred Spirits Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 There typically is a bit of rind on the commercially available orange and lemon peels. Sometimes this can be a nice thing for Gin, but it doesn't necessarily reflect a pure zest recipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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