Fruits
Oranges
Zest before you juice. The oil in the peel carries more flavour than the juice does.
Ingredient reference image: AI-generated. Recipe photography is my own.
In the kitchen
Under heat
Heat drives off the volatile oils in the zest almost instantly, which is why zest goes in at the end of cooking, not the start.
Against air
Cut oranges dry out at the flesh within an hour; the membrane holds juice in far longer than an exposed cut face does.
In storage
They keep for weeks in the fridge, unlike most fruit — the thick peel is doing the work.
At the shop
Weight matters more than color. A heavy orange for its size has more juice, regardless of how bright the skin is.
Which variety, for what
- Navel
- Seedless and easy to segment — the default eating orange.
- Blood orange
- More acidic with a berry note plain juice doesn't have — good where you want color and edge together.
- Valencia
- Thin-skinned and juicy, the standard for fresh-squeezed juice.