Definition

A tool used in the kitchen to scrape off the outer skin of citrus fruits, like lemons or oranges, to get the flavorful zest.

Example

She used a zester to add lemon zest to the cake batter for extra flavor.

Conversation

Do you have a zester I can borrow for the recipe?

Sure! I always use mine when I'm baking with lemons.

Great! I love how it adds so much flavor.

Exactly! Just be careful not to get the bitter white part.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Zester originates from the word 'zest' (from French *zeste*, meaning a piece of citrus peel used for flavor) combined with the suffix '-er' (meaning a person who). A zester is a person or tool that adds zest, particularly in cooking, by scraping the outer peel of citrus fruits.

Memory Tip

Think of 'zest' as adding flavor, and the '-er' means a person or tool that does this. A zester is someone or something that brings extra flavor to your dishes.

Visually Confused Words