wrote:
> Hello Fkoe:
>
> When I need lemon zest, I wash the lemon with a few drops of
> dishwashing detergent and water, using a soft brush:
>
> http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page...59&cat=2,42551
>
> (If you buy the brushes, buy a dozen, you won't regret it.)
>
> In theory, it's all but impossible to rinse off *all* the detergent.
> In practice, one or two good rinses with rubbing seems to remove any
> flavor and odor of detergent (well....of perfume, which is what's in
> most detergents). So I rinse three times.
>
> BTW I teach chemistry at university and do a lot of washing and rinsing
> in the lab, where cleanliness is way ahead of godliness.... :-)
>
> Best -- Terry

When I worked in an organic chemistry lab (washing glassware), they
really needed well-rinsed glassware or it'd ruin the experiments.
So, 12 rinses in tap water, 6 rinses in de-ionized water, 3 rinses in
distilled water. And those rinses were thorough, too. They used the
Shaklee Basic H product for washing (are they still around?), said it
came off better. Of course, I had to know some chemistry to clean
glassware that needed something other than soap. Anyway, when people
see me rinse my dishes at home, they are amazed at my rinsing routine,
but then I never taste any soap, either. However, I just use tap water
now. I have washed lemons in soapy water, but I try to use home-grown
lemons for zesting if possible. When I get a big batch of lemons from
someone's tree, I zest, then juice, and freeze it all for later use.
Here in California, lots of people have lemon trees and they don't use
many lemons, and I have a big freezer.
Cheers,
betsy