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I’ll never stop being surprised when I stumble upon yet another tactic for juicing a lemon. Don’t misunderstand: This is no disrespect to the many citrus-loving folk out there. Like peeling a hard boiled egg, doing it well is a pervasive problem. If you don’t want to have to store an electric juicer or clumsy gadget just to make your favorite muffin recipe once in a while, I can relate. This is how I juice a lemon without a fancy juicer.
How to get the most juice from a lemon
The most effective juicing techniques involve rupturing the tiny juice pockets that make up the fruity flesh of the lemon. Find the best and fastest way to do that, and you’ll get all the juice there is to be had. That’s why electric juicers and those heavy elbow juicers can be helpful for folks that need to have orange juice on a daily basis—they grind, press, and break open most of those little pockets. If you’re starting with a small lemon, one that’s mostly pith or one that’s dry and has seen better days, then it may not have a lot to offer.
This is how I juice a lemon
For people like me, the once-a-month tea drinker, or sometimes lemon poppy seed cake baker, you don’t really need a cumbersome contraption to juice your lemons. That said, it doesn’t hurt to have some sort of an implement to burst those hard to reach juice bubbles. Before I set out to juice anything, I give it a roll on the counter top with a fair amount of pressure. Again, the goal is to burst some juice pockets by crushing them against the countertop. Some people will microwave their lemon to weaken the structure, others will bake the lemon for the same reason. Those take an extra step so I just stick with the countertop. Then I do one of these two things, depending on where I am.
When I’m home
For a relatively small Brooklyn apartment, I manage to squeeze in quite a few cooking implements and gadgets, but when it comes to citrus, I essentially use a caveman’s tool. I use a wooden reamer, which is much less intimidating than it sounds. The reamer is a lightweight wooden handle with a ridged, spiky top. I’ve had the same one since culinary school, and it’s probably the best $8 you can spend. It’s fast to use, and easy to clean.
To use it, slice open your pre-rolled lemon widthwise. Poke the reamer into the cut side and squeeze the fruit while twisting the reamer. The shape of the pointed end will easily release all of the available juice.
When I travel
You betcha I’m juicing lemons while I traverse the globe. I’m actually referring more so to when I go to New Jersey to stay with my family (not as glamorous as international travel). I stay at my mom’s house for longer stints during the winter holidays, and that’s when I’m making the most cheesecake or other lemon desserts. My mom’s kitchen is absolutely lacking in gadgetry, which I love and hate.
There is no fancy juicer, there’s not even a wooden reamer, so when I need at least a quarter cup of lemon juice, I use a fork. It’s as effective as the wooden reamer. I cut the lemon in half widthwise and jam the fork into the cut side. Squeeze the lemon over the bowl or cup and the fork’s tines will help burst the juice capsules. Take the fork out and jam it in a different direction to squeeze out some more juice. This will also work with a small knife, but be careful. Forks generally stay put in the lemon, knives have a habit of poking through the rind.
Another no-juicer juicing method you can take or leave
I love when my friends send me TikToks or reels of food hacks. Some are great. Some are highly questionable. Recently, I’ve become aware of the poking-a-hole-in-a-lemon method and squeezing it. In the videos, the juice comes out like a water fountain. I don’t know if I’m the only person in the world that’s doing it wrong but I can’t get it to work. But maybe you can and you’ll love it forever.
Allegedly, (after rolling it on the counter) you take a skewer or toothpick and poke it straight into the blossom end of the fruit. That’s the end that’s usually pointed, not the side where the stem was. Then you squeeze and juice erupts out. Good luck.
