I've got the OXO zester, but don't like how my zest turns out. I get long strings of zest the length of the lemon, which are tough and obtrusive in my food. I've started cutting the zest once it's off the lemon, but now a lot of flavour is getting lost in the many steps.
Am I using the zester wrong?

The zester/rasp with holder from Lee Valley is one of my favourite kitchen tools

It's actually a Microplane and also comes with protective sheath which is handy when you've got it stashed in a drawer.

I received the Microplane Fine Grater for a gift over a year ago. It was the first zester-type grater I ever owned, and loved it. However, after less than a year the clear plastic casing that holds the metal part cracked and gradually broke off completely. The plastic, in my opinion, is too thin and delicate to hold up to the force used for grating and zesting. I plan to replace it with a Microplane Grater-Zester.

The strip cutter thingies make me crazy because I'm a lefty and until now, I've never seen one that's not righties-exclusive. That zyliss one looks like it might actually work for me.

Citrus-rind garnished cocktails for everyone!!

I never knew how much I needed a citrus zester until reading this post...and now I do!! Crate&Barrel, here I come :)

As someone who has zested at least a thousand citrus fruits... the microplane zester-grater is my favorite for strictly zesting. The microplane fine grater is okay, too. However, I find that's it's very sharp and you can over-zest (getting the pith) if you don't pay attention. That said, it's a better all around kitchen tool as it's very useful for garlic, ginger, etc. (better than the other one). The small zesters are worthless, except for creating decorations.

like eightisenough i had the 5th one down (Microplane Fine Grater, $13.27 at Amazon) and same thing the plastic broke. I actually still use it, the grating part still works. just harder to use. maybe go for one of the other ones.

Microplane, all the way. I prefer the fine grater - it's easier to clean, and the shorter, wider length works for me. The longer zester tends to get whatever I'm grating all over the counter, even if I concentrate the zesting in one area of the zester.

(The word zest has lost all meaning after typing it so many times.)

I own the Microplane Zester purely because of this website. I don't regret it!

I finally broke down a few months ago and purchased a Microplane Grater-Zester. It is superb. However, I often prefer a bolder taste, especially when baking with orange zest. In that case, I revert to my old habit: remove the zest with a regular vegetable peeler (OXO), then chop it up. The vegetable peeler works surprisingly well at removing the zest without the bitter pith.

The Zyliss and Oxo zesters in this list are really just for producing zest that you use for cocktail garnishes, or for cake decorations if your particularly anal and don't like the roughness of normal zest. If you want a zester that doesn't need to produce anything particularly fancy or super-perfect, but zests super efficiently, get one of the microplane-style ones.

*if you're... duh

I <3 my skinny Microplane.

Just wanted to add that the Professional series of what you've got up there as the "Microplane Fine Grater" rates insanely well on Amazon. I guess they've gone through a few revisions, and people rave about t hem.

Microplane.

One was given to me because I stubbornly refused to purchase any variety of zester and went to endless lengths to avoid zesting.

My microplane and I are devoted to one another. It does not get used for positively every meal, but damned close.

No citrus is safe in my vicinity. Ginger also cowers in awe.

i also have the lee valley microplane and i adore it. it zests citrus perfectly, it is fantastic for grating ginger (which i keep frozen whole so it doesn't dry out), mincing garlic, and grating nutmeg and hard cheeses. it's one of the best things i ever bought.

I have one from crate and barrel i picked up a few years ago that is similar to the OXO one but smaller. I don't mine the longer strands and usually mince them afterwards. i like it takes up almost no space in my tool drawer and is super fast and easy to use... same with clean up.

I got into an argument with my mother over zesters. We were cooking together, and I had to grate ginger. She wanted me to use her ceramic grater, and I thought the Microplane zester would work better. Mom insisted that I use the ceramic one (because that is what has been used for hundreds of years) and I voted technology.

I used the zester and Mom was astonished at how quickly and easily the ginger was grated.

Thank you, Microplane, for letting me have the greatest victory a child can have over a parent -- BEING RIGHT.

That fat OXO zester needs to be destroyed forever. Its awful. I got one a year or so ago as a wedding gift. The smaller zest holes are too dull even brand new to zest any citrus and the wide zester hole for martinis and tihngs is THICK metal and not at all sharp, so you tear into a lemon before youll ever get a clean strip of zest. I saw Microplane's citrus tool and want it now- does all the above with actual sharp holes!

Microplane all the way! My favorite and the least expensive one is the handle-less one. Not usually in stores, available from Amazon.

They get a little dull after a couple of years - throw it away and get a new one.