Can I Use Regular Lemons Instead Of Unwaxed For The Slow Roasted Chicken?

Our answer

Nigella's SLow Roasted Garlic And Lemon Chicken (from NIGELLA SUMMER) cooks chicken pieces with chunks of lemon and whole cloves of garlic. The long, slow cooking tempers the flavours of the garlic and lemon, making them sweet and caramelized. As the lemon chunks may be eaten, the recipe suggests using unwaxed lemons.

Lemons are often given a light coating of edible wax shortly after harvesting, to help to preserve their freshness. The wax is considered edible, but many people prefer not to ingest it so unwaxed lemons are often suggested when the zest is likely to be eaten. If you can't find unwaxed lemons then you can remove most of the wax from regular lemons by putting the lemons in a colander and pouring over hot water from a freshly boiled kettle. Or rinse the lemons under a hot running tap for a minute. Scrub the lemons with a vegetable brush (or a similar slightly stiff brush suitable for food use) and rinse with fresh cold water, then dry before using in the dish.