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Citrus Oils

How do these bottled oils taste compared to using fresh citrus?

Published Jan. 15, 2005

What You Need To Know

Pure citrus oils are not extracts or flavorings—citrus fruit rinds are squeezed to remove the oil, which is then bottled. The question is, how do these oils taste when used as substitutes for fresh zest and juice?

To find out, we bought lemon, lime, and orange oils and tested them in our recipes for pound cake, sugar cookies, and biscotti. While some tasters enjoyed the oils' strong ...