How to preserve whole hollowed-out lemon rinds

[tess31386]

Does anyone know the best method to preserve the shelf life of whole hollowed out lemons? I want them to be able to be used multiple times as a bowl for a predessert, yet still be able to keep their vibrant color and shape. My only thought was food grade lacquer spray...

[liuzhou]

As a paying customer, I don't think I'd be happy to be served anything in a pre-used vegetable bowl.

The lemon "bowl" is just another ingredient in a dish, albeit more for presentation than anything else. Do you re-use other uneaten bits of diners' meals?

Edited September 10, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

54 minutes ago, tess31386 said:

My only thought was food grade lacquer spray...

Try new lemons. Probably cheaper. And certainly more appealing.

Edited September 10, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[Lisa Shock]

Agreed. The health code is pretty clear on this sort of thing. You aren't even allowed to re-use a plate to give a customer seconds. Every buffet has signage asking people to use fresh clean plates for each trip. There's no way you could repeatedly wash real lemon peels at appropriate temperatures, then sanitize them, and have much of anything usable left.

 

Anything that food is served on or with which is going to be used more than once has to be able to run through the dish washing and sanitizing process. Here's just one quote from the US FDA 2009 Health Code on washing tableware:

"The surface temperature must reach at least 71ºC (160ºF) as measured by an irreversible registering temperature measuring device to affect sanitization. When the sanitizing rinse temperature exceeds 90ºC (194ºF) at the manifold, the water becomes volatile and begins to vaporize reducing its ability to convey sufficient heat to utensil surfaces. The lower temperature limits of 74ºC (165ºF) for a stationary rack, single temperature machine, and 82ºC (180ºF) for other machines are based on the sanitizing rinse contact time required to achieve the 71ºC (160ºF) utensil surface temperature."

 

And, lacquered items are generally not acceptable tableware, as the lacquer can chip and be accidentally consumed. They also don't like anything organic in general as tableware. Everything should be inert and resist breakage.

 

BTW, the lemons cups, if used just once, should be carefully washed before being cut with gloved hands and hollowed and stored in sanitized containers. Lemons for some reason are a food often mishandled in bars and restaurants. Check out THIS news report.

 

Have you seen the molds for making shot glasses from ice? The Chicago School of Mold Making can make you a hollow lemon half mold that you could then freeze with sorbet or some other ice cream product instead. El Bulli used to use custom molds made from real fruit.

[Shalmanese]

I would consider encasing it into some kind of transparent, food safe epoxy resin so that the lemon merely becomes a presentation item and never directly comes in contact with the food. 

[andiesenji]

When I was catering, I made candied orange and lemon cups but they were part of the dessert and were intended to be consumed, though many guests only ate a portion.

 

They are labor intensive and you need really large lemons - medium-sized oranges.  

 

As noted by Lisa, the health code anywhere in the U.S. would absolutely forbid the reuse of any food item.  Even the elaborate cast sugar decorations used on cakes, even if they are not sold, cannot be reused.  And in fact quite a few years ago an L.A. bakery was cited and fined from removing decorations from stale cakes and storing them for reuse. (a disgruntled former employee tattled) Not only did they have to discard all those "saved" roses and etc., they had to toss ones that had been newly made and stored in the freezer because the "new" ones were not separated from the "used" ones.