Zest NOT Mince

It is rare that I actually use a knife for mincing garlic. Unless its a dish I want garlic chunks or whole cloves. I use a MICROPLANE. This will save you a lot of time. The Black skinny one to the far right I have had since I received my original Chef's kit in culinary school. Yup it's over 12 years old! I love that tool.

Use a microplane to zest not just citrus! I use it for ginger, turmeric root, hard spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. The best part is you can zest it directly into the bowl or pan. When making vegan aioli's and sauces I love it because you get those strong flavors keeping sauces smooth. Make sure you give the microplane a good WHACK (towards the plastic part) against the bowl or pan to release it's contents.

Be careful of your nails and fingers when you get to the end of your food that you are zesting.