One of our New Year's resolutions is to find more ways to use kitchen scraps, and with all the Cara Cara oranges, Kishu mandarins, and other citrus fruits we've been eating, we now have plenty of dried peels saved. Here are some of the ways we use them. Let us know if you have any tips, too.
Last winter, we made a list of 5 Good Uses for Your Citrus Peels, which included both fresh and dried peels. This time, we're focusing on more ways to use the peels we have dried in the oven or air dried on a drying/cooling rack. We keep them stored in air-tight containers in the pantry. (Note: we recommend using pesticide-free fruit only.)
• Grains: Infuse rice or quinoa with citrus flavor by adding dried peels to the water during boiling/steaming. Peels may be eaten or removed before serving.
• Powder: Grind peels with a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle and sprinkle over baked goods (combine with sugar for sweetness), use in marinades and rubs, or anything else you can think of.
• Roasted vegetables: Although it isn't a substitute for fresh zest, dried lemon or even orange peel does work well in roasted dishes. Try tossing large pieces or ground-up peels with roasting beets and other root vegetables.
• Sweet bean soup: In Chinese cooking, Mandarin orange peels are added to sweet dessert soups. For recipes, check out A Table For Two's Red Bean Soup and Diana's Desserts' Sweet Red Bean Soup.
• Tea: Mix orange or lemon peels into homemade tea blends or just add to green or black tea as it's steeping.
Do you have any other ideas?
Related: 5 Good Uses for Your Citrus Peels
(Image: Emily Ho)
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Your photo reminded me that my dad used to put orange peels on top of the wood stove--as they burned they'd infuse the air with orange scent, mmmm... I wonder what would happen if I actually burned them *in* my fireplace? Would they make the apt. smokey?
Make sure the peels aren't from fruit that's been waxed for transport.
I've been wanting to make bitters for the longest time, and it seems like most of the basic recipes involve immense amounts of dried citrus peel. For example:
http://www.chow.com/recipes/12038
Did anyone else catch the reference to homemade buddha's hand bitters in the NYTimes a few weeks ago? But no recipe! Heart breaking. My buddha's hand tree is full of ripe fruit at the moment so I was thinking of trying to wing a version using the basic recipe in the link above. Anyone have any words of wisdom for me?
I also put my orange peels (dried or not) on the stovetop to freshen my apartment. I simmer them in a pot of water along with a few sprinkles of cinnamon for at least 2 or 3 hours, and the smell is wonderful.
Hi all, it's Maya again. Just wanted to let anyone else who has been bitten by the buddha's hand bitters bug to know that there's a fuller description of the ingredients in the bitters referenced in the Times here:
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/now-pouring-why-is-buddha-bitter/
Now I just need to find a source of quassia amara wood chips. Easy!
Sorry for the bitters monomania...now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Buddha's hand. I used it with some lemons and lots of salt for Morrocan preserved lemons with excellent results.
I slide citrus peels under chicken or turkey skin with fresh herbs before baking. They add a nice citrus note to the meat. In the garden I spread orange peels where I do not want the cats or squirrels to dig. For some reason, the cats won't do their toilet duties around orange peels.
Why add it to Provencal beef stew, also known as Daube, of course. I did a post last year on this strange subject. I agree, let's use what we have around us. Its all about looking at things differently.
www.lemontart.ca
am i the only one who likes to eat the peel?
My parents airdry orange peels all the time. They would submerge the dried peels into tea. They add wonderful citrisy smell without overpowering the tea flavor.
If you have a garbage disposal that starts to smell, throw some orange, grapefruit and lemon peels down it and run hot water. Makes the whole kitchen smell delightful!
I also always use my orange peels in the garbage disposal... but now I might have to split it up and do the simmering orange peel and cinnamon... sounds good!
My mother-in-law makes these fantastic Cantonese-style orange braised short ribs for special occasions that use dried Mandarin peels.
I'm late to the party as usual, but I'm with bibliovore on the candying. We used the leftover candying syrup as a citrus-infused simple syrup.