How to Dry Lemon Peel

1. Wash the lemons in warm water and dry well.
2. Use a microplane grater, a small hole grater, or cocktail zester to produce thin pieces of lemon zest. Or, for thicker strips, use a vegetable peeler or pairing knife. Make sure you only grate the yellow part of the lemon. The white part, called pith, is bitter.
3. Keep turning the lemon around until you have removed as much of the peel as possible.

To dry your zest in the oven

1. Set your oven as low as it will go, there is no need to pre-heat the oven. (See note 2)
2. Spread the lemon peel on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place it in the oven.
3. Depending on the size of your zest, how much zest you have on the baking sheet, and the low temperature of your oven, the zest will take between 25-45 minutes to dry completely. (or around 2 hours for large strips)

To air-dry your zest

1. Spread the lemon peel out onto a sheet of kitchen paper and place the sheet on a plate or in a small casserole dish.
2. Leave the dish on the counter in your kitchen or near a bright window. Avoid anywhere that will get dusty or with too much breeze.
3. Every day give the lemon zest a move about to ensure it dries evenly.
4. Depending on the time of year, the heat in your house, and the humidity. The lemon zest will take between 2-3 days to dry completely.

How to store your dried lemon peel

1. When the lemon peel is completely dry, allow it to cool and then store it in an airtight container.