The One Thing You Should Always Do With Lemon Peels, According To Duff Goldman

Whether you're mixing them into a pitcher of homemade lemonade, slicing them up to garnish a glass of sangria, or squeezing them over a plate of fresh-caught salmon, lemons serve a lot of purposes in your day-to-day cooking (and eating and drinking). The sunny citrus fruits also have their fair share of health benefits — Healthline explains that lemons contain high amounts of vitamin C, fiber, and other good-for-you antioxidants and plant compounds, including citric acid, which can protect against different diseases.

Regardless of what you're using them for, whenever you handle lemons, you likely are left with the discarded rinds after you're finished (after all, no one actually eats that part of the fruit). Rather than toss them into the trash or stick them in your compost, you can use your leftover lemon rinds for something a little more useful, according to Food Network's Duff Goldman. Here's what the Ace of Cakes suggests doing with your peels.

You might think lemon peels are useless, but Duff Goldman would argue otherwise. Leave it to him to find a way to turn the leftover rinds into something worthy of a fancy dessert. When he was tagged in a picture of mini key lime pies on Twitter, Duff's response wasn't about the cakes themselves, but rather the toppings. "Did you candy those lemon peels?" he tweeted back. "I don't think you candied those lemon peels. Next time, candy those lemon peels."

Candying lemon rinds turns them from something sour and unappetizing to a sweet and sugary treat. There are plenty of easy recipes for candied lemon peels — including this one from Epicurious — and you can use them to top cakes, bars, pies, and anything else your heart desires. The process involves boiling the rinds in sugar on the stovetop. One important tip, however? Be sure to wash your rinds first because you'll be eating them!