Lemons

Juicing Lemons
One lemon gives you between 3 and 4 Tablespoons of juice.

*Look for lemons that are thinner, smaller, and smooth as those seem to contain the most juice within.
*Use a reamer or a juicer to get the most juice out of your lemons
*No reamer or juicer? No problem. You can squeeze the lemon with your hands. Roll the lemon on the counter several times and then microwave it for 30 seconds. That’ll help you get more juice out of your lemon.
*Don’t toss out extra juice… it freezes well for up to 3 months.

Ways to use lemon juice:
*Throw it on veggies while they’re cooking (in place of salt.) It enhances the flavor without the addition of sodium.
*Add to stews just before serving.
*Use in place of vinegar in salad dressing for a wonderful summery flavor.
*Lemon juice is great in marinades for seafood: Mix olive oil, lemon juice and chopped dill/fennel/thyme. And if you’re grilling your seafood, throw a couple of halved lemons cut-side-down on the grill. Grilled lemons are wonderful squeezed onto grilled seafood.
*Make lemon butter… mix lemon juice, zest, and minced garlic into softened butter. Chill and then scoop out to top grilled meats, fish and veggies.

Zesting Lemons:
*Zesting with a rasp-style grater involves scraping the zester across the lemon’s skin to remove just the thin yellow layer of the lemon (leave the white pith below… it’s too bitter.) This type of grater will give you finely grated lemon zest.
*A channel zester gives you long, skinny strips of zest.
*A vegetable peeler can give you wide strips of zest to use in such things as slow cooked dishes.
*Before zesting a lemon, be sure to scrub the lemon’s skin well to remove any residue and germs.
*Thick skinned, textured lemons are the easiest to zest.
*Always zest a lemon before you juice it!
*Don’t throw out extra lemon zest… the good stuff can be placed in a sealed container and will freeze for up to 3 months.

What do you do with lemon zest?
*Add grated zest to breadcrumbs and use to coat cutlets and top gratins.
*Add strips of zest to cocktails.
*Make lemon sugar! Use a rasp-style grater to zest your lemon and press into granulated sugar. Use it in baked goods and tea.
*Grate zest into ground meats for zesty-flavored meatballs and hamburgers.

Ideas influenced by Fine Cooking Magazine.

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