whats better use for me?

am I better off using fresh orange, lemon, lime, etc. zests rather then dryed orange and lemon peel? what is a good use for dried? silly question right, but I just keep wandering if its kind of a worthless thing to have around. Im thinking of marinades, brines, cures, pretty much anything for the flavors, but I don't do to much special cooking really, just kind of regular things mostly, if that makes sense. just kind of a question and wandering what you guys use the dry for and thought I could get more use out of them after hearing your thoughts. I just keep thinking after every use, "why did I bother with that, not as much flavor as fresh". also depending on use (grilling or whatever high heat use) it seems to darken and harden faster.. maybe its just the cook though I don't know. thanks. recent experience was a game hen and lemon and orange peel.

Not a silly question.

I don't use peels --fresh or dried-- for anything. I do use both fresh and dried zests though.

I use dried when a) fresh is unavailable, b) when texture might be a concern*, c) in items that start dry and will remain dry (finishing spice blend sprinkles like, say, zatar or lemon pepper).


* If using dry in this case (say to mix with butter to go under the skin of a chicken), it needs to be powder. Fresh zest, though one can make it quite fine, is often still too 'textured' for an application like this. Dry powder is perfect.

If you are using dried (or fresh, for that matter) and it's 'harden[ing]' faster it is likely too coarse. Use a dry powder (make your own and store tightly sealed in the fridge or freezer or the quality will suffer dramatically) or grate the zest very finely.