Sometimes, even at your best grip and grunt, you can only get a measly amount of juice from a lemon to a certain degree. Here’s a little secret: it’s just not all about the effort of squeezing, really. There are more ways to hack your lemons to get them to spill their sweet-tangy juices out for your next recipes.
Prepped and pressured
Queen and David Bowie said it best—“Pressure, pushing down on me!” Your lemons are no diamonds, but adding some pressure to them can work in your favor. Before cutting your fruit into two, slowly press it down using your palm. Then, roll it back and forth for a few times while maintaining that added amount of slight pressure. This can definitely prep the juice sacs by breaking down the intercellular pectin networks or the “glue” of the juices slowly but surely, allowing the lemon’s goodness to flow with faster and better ease.
Microwave that lemon
This one’s a tricky hack, but popping your lemon into the microwave for 20 seconds at most can soften the fruit’s membrane without reducing its Vitamin C goodness. As the pectin membrane softens through some slight heat, the inner pulp of your frigid lemons is loosening up and is ready now to release more juice.
Helping tool in action
If you need to yield more juice from your lemons for a shorter amount of time, there’s no shame in asking help from the reliable hand hinged-press. First, slice your lemon in the middle, crosswise. Then, place the halved fruit into the slot of the press facing down. Let the round bottom do the squeezing effort for you without actually doing it! Continue to press it down until the fruit has slightly flattened. Shake the remaining juices into the bowl then release. Simple and easy as that!
Wondering if you can use all three steps in just one citrus fruit? The answer is yes, please! You’ll definitely be able to squeeze almost all the fruit’s juices, wasting no drop if you follow these hacks. Now that you’ve learned some tricks into squeezing more juice out of your lemon, you are definitely saving your time and energy from juicing too little or too much. Indeed, the advice to “squeeze” the day has never been truer till you follow these hacks.
Frequently Asked Questions
To get more juice from a lemon, roll it on a hard surface while applying pressure, then microwave it for 10–15 seconds. This softens the fruit and helps release more juice when squeezed.
Yes, microwaving a lemon for a short time helps break down the inner membranes, making it easier to extract more juice. Just be careful not to overheat it, as it can become too hot to handle.
Yes, you can apply the same technique to calamansi. Rolling it gently before squeezing can help release more juice, which is especially useful since calamansi is smaller than lemons.
Yes, lemons at room temperature yield more juice than cold ones. If your lemons are refrigerated, let them sit out for a few minutes or microwave briefly before squeezing.
If your lemon is still hard, it may be underripe or too cold. Let it come to room temperature and try rolling it more firmly before cutting and squeezing.
