I have no problem reaching for the bottle of store-bought lemon juice in my fridge when that’s all I have on hand, but generally I try to use fresh juice from citrus fruits whenever I can. (Or whenever I actually remember to buy it, more like!) In cooking, baking, and even cleaning, using the “real thing” can make a big difference!
However, up until recently, I had all but accepted that I lack the hand strength to really get the maximum amount of juice from citrus like lemons and limes. So when I came across the ingenious citrus hack that I’ll be sharing with you today, I couldn’t wait to give it a try while making Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas, a Nystul family favorite!
The Secret To Getting The Most Juice? It’s All In The Cut
The trick to getting the most juice from citrus turned out to be much simpler than I’d imagined. The secret is in how you cut the fruit, rather than how you juice it!
This is one of those tricks that proves how powerful “thinking outside the box” can really be! The smarty-pants who discovered this brilliant juicing hack managed to create a method that’s more effective than any juicing gadget I’ve tried so far, and for that, they have my never-ending gratitude! :-)
Here’s how this simple trick works, so you can use it at home too!
Related: 9 Time-Tested Kitchen Hacks That Will Always Be Useful
How To Get The Most Juice From Citrus Fruit
Step 1 – Give It Some Heat
Before you even get your knife out, take an extra 20 seconds to zap it in the microwave. This will allow the juices to flow more freely, especially if your citrus is coming straight from the refrigerator.
After microwaving it, let your lemon or lime cool for about a minute.
Step 2 – Give It A Roll
Next, roll your citrus fruit back and forth on the counter a few times. This will help to burst the individual segments within the fruit, making it easier to get more juice out after you cut into it. (It’s like “pre-juicing” your fruit!) :-)
Step 3 – Cut It Like An Apple
Instead of cutting your lemon, lime, or orange directly in half, stand it up on its end on your cutting board. (Cutting off a bit of the skin off of one end will help stabilize it.)
Using a sharp knife, remove the four sides or “cheeks” of the fruit, much like you would cut around the core of an apple. Try to cut close to the “core” of the citrus without actually cutting through it.
Step 4 – Squeeze It Like You Mean It
All that’s left to do is squeeze the juice out of the citrus segments! This should be much easier to do now and yield almost double the amount of juice you would have managed to squeeze out of it using a different method.
To make sure you get every last drop of juice out of your fruit, don’t forget to squeeze the core too! And while you can use these tips individually, I suggest using all four tips in order to really get the most out of your citrus.
What are some of your favorite things to make with citrus juice?
