Tested: squeezing a lemon without cutting it
You cut a lemon for some lemon juice, put the leftover part in the fridge and find it days later as a dried-out little scrap. Sound familiar? Food52 claims to have the solution.
Food52’s trick: squeezing a lemon without cutting it. At first, that sounds impossible, and then (when you see it) completely logical. But is it really? We tested it for you.
How does this hack work?
First, roll the lemon across a countertop or cutting board so that the inside loosens up a little. Then pierce the bottom of the lemon, where there is no stem, with something thin and sharp: a toothpick, satay skewer or (clean) needle, for example. This allows you to squeeze out the juice in controlled amounts, without cutting the lemon. Afterwards, don’t put it back in the fruit bowl, but store it in an airtight bag or container in the fridge.
Does this trick really work?
So I tested it, and it works, but with some difficulty. The juice came out in thick drops for me, but only after I started squeezing really hard. Perhaps I should have kneaded and rolled the lemon a little more, but I don’t think that would really have made much difference.
I would therefore only use it if you’re sure you need a small amount of lemon juice. For over a piece of fish, in pasta or on a salad, for example. The next time I need more than a splash of lemon juice, I’d still rather use my old, trusted citrus press.
