Get More Juice out of a Lemon

Fresh-squeezed lemon juice makes the perfect, refreshing addition to many food and beverage recipes, but getting the most juice out of a lemon can be a tricky skill to master. In general, getting the lemon warm and applying pressure are the two key components in maximizing your juice output. Both actions go a long way in weakening the membranes that trap the juice inside the lemon’s flesh.

Steps

  1. Let the lemon sit out at room temperature. Lemons that sit out at room temperature are easier to work with than cold lemons, so you should be able to squeeze more juice out. Cold temperatures cause the membranes inside the lemon to constrict and solidify, making the fruit more rigid. A room temperature lemon, by contrast, has a softer texture that makes it easier to squeeze.
  2. Warm the lemon in a bowl of water. Warm lemons are even softer and produce more juice than room temperature lemons. Fill a small to medium bowl with warm water. The water should be warm enough for you to feel the warmth coming through the sides of the bowl, but it should not be boiling or steaming. Place the lemon inside the water and allow it to sit for 30 seconds up to several minutes. You should pull the lemon out once the skin feels warm to the touch and before the water cools off.
  3. Roll the lemon before cutting it. Take a whole lemon and roll it on a firm countertop. Apply enough force to squeeze down on the lemon, causing minor distortion to its shape, but do not smash the lemon so hard that it breaks. Rolling the lemon in this manner breaks the membranes in the flesh of the lemon, causing the juice to spill out more easily.
  4. Heat the lemon in the microwave. This method can produce up to 30 to 40 percent more juice. You can either leave the fruit whole or cut it in half to expose more of the flesh, but leaving it whole prevents any moisture from getting absorbed by the microwave. Heat the lemon in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds, pulling it out once the skin is warm to the touch. The lemon should not be made too hot to hold, though. The excited water molecules make the flesh softer and weaker, which makes the lemon easier to squeeze and the membranes holding the juice easier to burst.
  5. Freeze the lemon before microwaving it. Extremely cold temperatures cause water to expand and change into ice. This expansion can weaken and even break the membranes containing the lemon's juice. Since solid lemons are impossible to squeeze, though, they need to be warmed up afterward. Stick the frozen lemon into the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds until it is soft enough to cut. The molecules, now excited after being heated, can break out of the membranes almost effortlessly.
  6. Cut the lemon lengthwise instead of crosswise. Cutting your lemon from top to bottom or tip to tip can produce three times as much juice. When cutting a medium lemon crosswise or side to side, you can usually squeeze out 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 milliliters) of juice by hand. Cutting the lemon lengthwise can produce up to 1/3 cup (83 milliliters) of lemon juice. The larger amount of surface area exposes more of the pulp. Juice can get trapped inside a thick layer of pulp, but with more of the pulp exposed, the juice is less likely to get trapped.
  7. Juice the lemon with the assistance of a fork. After cutting the lemon in half, insert the tines of a fork into the pulp of one half and squeeze the lemon half as you usually do. Once the flow of juice starts to slow, rotate the fork to a new position and continue squeezing. Rotate and squeeze until no more juice comes out and repeat the process with the other half. The process uses the same principles applied by a lemon juicer. The pressure and sharp tines of the fork help pierce the membranes, allowing the liquid to flow freely out.
  8. Use a juicer. You do not need anything too fancy; a simple, hand-held press juicer should be enough to accomplish the task at hand. Slice the fruit in half and place one half onto the juicer with the cut side facing down. Use the handle to press down on the lemon half with as much force as you can apply. The pressure should be enough to burst most of the membranes and squeeze more juice out than you might expect to get when squeezing by hand.



Tips

  • If you're short on time and need a large quantity of lemon juice, you can also consider purchasing a bottle of pre-squeezed lemon juice from your local grocery store. Bottles of lemon juice can usually be found in the produce section or juice aisle.

Warnings

  • Lemon juice can sting if it gets in your eyes, so wash your hands after handling your lemons. You should also be aware that lemons can be a little unpredictable when squeezing, so there is some risk of getting a wayward spurt of lemon juice in your eye.

Things You'll Need

  • Bowl of warm water
  • Countertop
  • Microwave
  • Freezer
  • Knife
  • Fork
  • Hand-held press juicer

Sources and Citations

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