You want to talk citrus? Bring up the subject with a veteran bartender! They squeeze more limes and lemons in one evening that we do in a whole season of making lemon bars and key lime pie. A bartender friend of ours recently gave us the inside scoop on his favorite tool for getting the most juice out of our citrus!
They're simply called citrus juicers, and you can see them pictured above. You put the citrus half in the well of the juicer cut-side down (counter-intuitive, we know!). The dome part of the juicer flips the citrus inside out and squeezes every last drop of juice. Holes in the well let the juice out while trapping seeds and larger segments of fruit.
Our friend says that he gets way more juice using this tool than anything else he's tried. It also directs the flow of the juice really well so it goes into the shaker instead of dripping all over his hands or the counter. Plus, it's easy to use so our friend doesn't get tired when that order for a third round of cosmos comes in.
The juicers come in three sizes intended for oranges, lemons, and limes, though the lemon juicer works well for both lemons and limes. They're coated with enamel and are dishwasher safe. You can find them at many kitchen supply stores.
Find It! Citrus Juicers, $13-$16 at Sur La Table
Related: Five Good Uses for Your Citrus Peels
(Image: Sur La Table)
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Just a warning - it seems some are better than others.
I have one from the mexican market for limes that has lasted ages but then recently bought a yellow enameled version that broke after three uses. One handle cracked right off plus the juicer basket didn't seem to close tightly enough to juice properly. I thought they were all the same but I guess not.
These are AMAZING! I have one that I use regularly - and it is one of the tools that I cannot live without. I make a lot of homemade lemon and limeade from scratch each summer and these are better than anything else I have ever tried.
I don't have particularly strong hands, and the lever action really helps me get juice out of even the most stubborn limes!
Lemons and oranges I never have a problem with but I need to get one of these for limes because I have such trouble getting more than few drips out of my limes; no matter how many other tricks (nuking, rolling on the counter) I employ.
I have the aluminum one from oxo. It works pretty good too.
We have a metal one that we use for squeezing limes - everyone in Peru uses them, because they use limes in just about everything.
I like it so much, I bought a larger one for oranges, but I just don't feel like it works as well for oranges - maybe it's because I'm not strong enough, but it seems to leave a lot of juice in the orange.
if you have a lot of citrus juicing to do, like for this amazing lemon cake (http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/10/lemony-persnick/), or if you like to make a lot of juice for breakfast or cocktails (ahem, greyhound anyone?), i HIGHLY recommend investing in this appliance: http://www.amazon.com/Breville-800CPXL-Die-Cast-Stainless-Steel-Motorized/dp/B000A76VCY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1276098464&sr=8-4-spell
no muscles necessary, everything is dishwasher safe, and you get more juice than you would with any manual press.
just sayin.
it seems Slow Loris and i have had the same issue. we have the yellow one pictured, and it broke at the same point.
I generally avoid single-purpose kitchen gadgets, but these are amazing and I use them regularly. Don't get the one for limes, it's too small to use with healthy-size lemons!
I have one of these, which does both lemons and limes with one gadget:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VB6M3W/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?ie=UTF8&cloe_id=d962cbdd-525e-4727-98d7-00cfbc9c3b29&attrMsgId=LPWidget-A1&pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00007AKEZ&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1SJDQN0TGQZ28XMKR5S2
Same idea, but the little piece in the middle can be flipped up or down depending on the size.
I have one of these I bought in Mexico and I use it several times a week. This is a life saver for margaritas.
My best tip is to cut the citrus down the middle, not end to end. Squeeze each half, then put both squeezed "shells" into the juicer and squeeze again. Don't forget to rotate the juicer into your bowl to get the juice that squeezes up and to the sides but doesn't come down through the holes.
Try it!
I use a wooden reamer - it's so much more effective than a juicer, in my experience. If you have limited strength in your hands, juicers are extremely difficult to use without pain, because you have to squeeze them so hard.
My partner and good friend Sarah have had a running argument for months over the correct way to use this juicer- cut side down or up? FINALLY! A definitive answer that will end their debate. Cut side down! Thank you!
I have a combo lemon-lime juicer like this from Williams-Sonoma, and I love it. I also think my old-school reamer works really, really well.
I'm with kathleen3641 on this: wooden reamer. Inexpensive, durable and works great!
I have one of the yellow lemon squeezers from Williams Sonoma, which I also use for limes, but for small jobs, I usually just do it with my hands. For bigger jobs, I got a hand-crank, old school citrus juicer that is awesome:
http://thesweetest3.com/?p=1397
I've been looking for something like this a couple of weeks ago when I was making my own sour mix for whiskey sours.
There is a relatively new version of this tool made by Chef'n, which I have and love. It's designed slightly differently and made from different materials than the enameled ones which I think improved it's function and durability.
http://www.amazon.com/Chefn-FreshForce-Citrus-Juicer-Lime/dp/B002XOG4B0
I also love a plain old wood reamer but they do make a mess.
I have one for lemons that's really nice, but isn't really big enough. I always have to cut the lemons into thirds or quarters. Other than that it's great.