You can either cut the lemon rind into vertical strips (as above), or you can revolve the lemon against the knife and remove the entire skin in one spiral peel. [2] X Research source Try to cut as close to the flesh as possible. This means that along with the rind, you will also want to remove the pith (the spongy white layer between the flesh and rind). If you miss any of the pith on the initial peel, go back in with your paring knife to remove the rest.
Ensure that the fruit is well-dried, so that your peeler doesn’t slide over the surface of the skin.
Ensure that your strokes move from the bottom of the lemon up to the top, so that the blade of the peeler is motioning away from you. If you’re working with an organic or home-grown lemon, the surface of the fruit may be more knobby and thus harder to peel. [3] X Research source Take extra care when dealing with lemons that have uneven skin.
Some lemons have skins which are tougher than others, or which are more strongly fused to the pith than normal. The finger-peel method may be less successful when dealing with fruit like this.
Using this method will most likely leave most of the pith on the lemon. Remove the pith with a paring knife after zesting, if you need.
