Lemon and Limes are beautiful ingredients given to us by nature. Besides salt, there is hardly an ingredient we use in the kitchen more than lemon juice.
We can get much more from lemons and limes if we squeeze the juice. However, selecting the right citrus fruit and choosing the best ways of squeezing citrus juice from them can be a significant challenge to some of us.
If you are not careful, the squeezing process can be tedious and cumbersome, as your hands can get sore and stingy and having the wrong choice of your fruits can bring more dissatisfactions and disappointments in the kitchen.
Before going into details, let’s look at some of the most effective ways to choose and use lemons.
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Effective Ways and Tips to Choose and Use Lemons
Since lemons are naturally available, they can be quickly picked from lemon trees. Like in the US, where Lemons are abundantly available, you find that people often buy them from the store.
So, whether buying them from the store or picking them from trees, we have guidelines that will help you to end up with the right gadget in your kitchen to avoid dissatisfactions and disappointments.
Below are kitchen tips to choose and use lemons.
How to Choose Lemons
Skin Appearance
What we want from a lemon is beneath its skin. However, the skin plays a prominent role when it comes to determining the best pick.
To have ultimately unharmed juice, be sure to pick lemons whose skins are not wrinkled or blackened. Look for a shining skin with little stains.
Skin Color
A good lemon has a bright yellow sunshine color. It’s vital to remember that lemons ripe slowly so it will be the best choice to pick ready to use Lemons.
Size and Weight of the Lemon
It is advisable to buy smaller lemons, which can save you labor. When picking, use your hands to weigh and compare several lemons. Prefer to pick large lemons as they are arguable to be carrying lots of lemon juice.
Type of Lemon
If you want to use your lemon for zest, it’s worth to pay extra cash on Meyer or Organic Lemons. They are a bit expensive, but they are more flavorsome and juicy meaning you will need just a few for your task.
On top of this, be careful when choosing organic lemons as they are much more vulnerable to mold since they are not treated with fungicide wax. Avoid lemons with soft sports.
Texture
- Pick lemons that have a smooth and shining texture.
- The thickness of the Peel
- Pick lemons that have a thin and smooth peel so that you find it easy when squeezing the juice.
How to Use Lemons
Add a Tasty Recipe
Lemons have myriad ways of uses in the kitchen. As a natural ingredient, their uses include flavoring pastry creams to ensure a tasty recipe.
As a Medicinal
It can also be used as a medicinal tool. The anti-inflammatory formula of lemon fruits acts as natural remedies. Diluted lemon juice can serve as a disinfectant when applied to wounds.
As a Cleaning Detergent
Lemon fruits can also be used as a naturally effective and less expensive household cleaner. It contains a strong acidity which has antibacterial properties and powerful cleaning elements. It is ideal for cleaning and disinfecting kitchen or bathroom.
Tips for Squeezing the Most Juice from Limes and Lemons
After picking your right bucket of citrus fruits, you will want to squeeze out every last drop of juice. These tips will help you to get the most juice out of your limes and lemons.
Warm Up Lemons and Limes
Warming up helps citrus juice flow more easily hence making you have more juice. This can be done by 15 to 20 seconds on high in a microwave, especially when you are taking the fruit directly from the fridge.
Alternatively, you can also place them in a bowl containing warm water until the peel soften. After warming, let them cool for a minute before juicing.
Roll Limes and Lemons Against a Hard Counter
Rolling helps to soften the flesh and make it easier for the lemon and lime to release the juice when you squeeze them.
Use a Reamer
One of the most efficient ways to get the juice out of your limes and lemons is by use of hand reamer. The sharp edges of the reamer help in breaking the membranes and release more juice.
Cutting Lengthwise
If you opt to use a reamer, cutting your fruit lengthwise makes it easier to hold and squeeze. Cutting also helps to cut through some of the section membranes hence extracting more juice.
Perfect Ways to Juice a Lemon
The most common method used to juice a lemon is squeezing by use of hands, but this task can be messy and sometimes tiresome especially if you need to deal with a vast amount of lemons.
The following are perfect and economical ways to juice a lemon.
Use of Citrus Squeezer
Citrus squeezers such as juicers provide favorite ways of juicing a lemon. The juicer works like a garlic press. It is featured by small holes in the wall which allows only juice to come out while trap pulp and seeds inside.
How it Works
Put your lemon half in the wall of the citrus squeezer, cut-side facing downwards, and squeeze its two levers together.
This method ensures that you obtained unharmed juice as opposed to using hands, since its clean and tidy process.
Be careful when choosing your citrus squeezer as they are designed for specific citrus fruits like lemons and limes.
Use of Handheld Lemon Reamer
Handheld lemon reamers are designed with a cylindrical handle on one end and sharp blade on the other.
How it Works
Hold your half cut lemon on the one hand and the reamer in the other, twist with your wrist to pierce the lemon flesh until all the juice is extracted.
This method is ideal if you have a small budget. However, if you are targeting to extract plenty of juice, this method may not work well for you as it involves a lot of twisting and pressing which can be tedious.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: 1. How long does lemon and lime fruits last?
Ans: Fresh lemon and lime fruits have a relatively long shelf life. Although, after purchasing them, there are a variety of factors that determine their lifespan.
When properly stored, fresh lemon fruits can last up to 4 weeks on the counter. Alternatively, when you store them in a refrigerator, they can last to one to two months.
Cut lemons and limes can also last up to four days on the counter and can take a maximum of three days if stored in a refrigerator.
Q: 2. How long does lemon and lime juice last?
Ans: Lemon and lime juice in resealable bottle or plastic squeeze last for up to six months when stored in a refrigerator.
Q: 3. What is the best effective way to keep my lemon fresh for a long period?
Ans: To ensure fresh lemon for a long period, seal your lemons in an air-tight plastic bag and store your them in a fridge. Alternatively, you can put them in a bowl of water and pop it in the refrigerator.
Q: 4. What are the most common recipes that go well with lemon?
Ans: Recipe with lemons include:
- Elderflower lemon cake
- Roasted chicken thighs with fennel and lemon
- Garden potatoes with fresh spinach and lemon
- Braised coconut spinach and chickpeas with lemon
Q: 5. How often should I use lemon juice?
Ans: As long as you use it with the right recipe, you can use at least once per day. Be careful since excess lemon can accelerate body detoxification.
Final Verdict
Other than salt, citrus juice is one of the necessary kitchen essentials one can have. From adding flavor to recipes and dishes to garnishing drinks and cleaning, citrus juice plays a significant role in the house. Its medicinal values are also exceptional.
As a result of these benefits, we believe that having the right selection and obtaining an ultimate juice most effectively will largely determine the magnitude of these benefits.
This tips will guide you to achieve your desired goals. They will help you to enjoy the adventure of having citrus juice as part of your ingredients.
Hey Admin,
Thanks a lot for this helpful How to Guide. This article is a real gem. Hope, you will publish more how to guide like this.
Happy Writing!
Hi Connie,
Thanks for your great comment. I am glad that it helps.