Limes seem particularly stubborn to us, though lemons are no field day either. We've bruised our fingers plenty of times trying to get just one more teaspoon, please!, out of these stubborn little fruits. Short of investing in a special citrus squeezing tool, we've discovered a few tricks that help.
Even if you use a wooden reamer or other citrus squeezer, some of these tips can help get even more juice:
• Stick It In the Microwave - A good 20-30 seconds on high helps the citrus juice to flow more easily, especially if you're taking it straight from the fridge. Let it sit on the counter for a minute before juicing.
• Roll It Against the Counter - Rolling helps to burst open some of the individual segments inside limes and lemons so we can get at the juice. It's like pre-juicing!
• Cut It in Quarters Along the Length - It feels natural to cut a lime or lemon in half along its equator. If you cut from stem-end to navel instead, the pieces are easier to grip and squeeze. Cutting a little off center also helps to cut through some of the section membranes.
• Use a Fork - If all else fails and you're convinced there's still juice to be had, try twisting the citrus segment around a fork. The tines will help to break open any remaining bits of pulp.
What other tricks do you have?
Related: 5 Good Uses for Your Citrus Peels
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Although I own a Mexican citrus press and a hand-juicer, I keep going back to my faithful wooden citrus reamer. If you don't mind a bit of pulp, crank that baby around with some purpose and you'll end up with nearly-nude citrus shells. Best of all, I think mine cost $4.
The fork trick has always worked best for me
I find that a combo of rolling the lime against the counter and using a wooden hand-juicer like this one http://sprng.me/13ll2 works best for me.
My new trick is courtesy of the wonderful Patricia Wells:
http://www.patriciawells.com/blog/1836
"Stand the lime on a cutting board, 'belly-button' side up. Cutting vertically, slice off three generous sections, leaving the fruit in the center as a triangular wedge. With your hands, squeeze the trio of sections, and be amazed at the quantity of juice extracted! The juice will also be less bitter than liquid squeezed in the traditional manner."
I use a pretty yellow hand juicer like the one mentioned in the comments above (but plastic, not wood). It works wonders. And I get a little bit of juice on my hands which smells wonderful.
I have a juicer that I use, but I have also found if you choose limes with a smoother peel it tends to have more juice.
I usually use a fork with good success but will have to try Patricial Wells' method noted above.
I agree, that Patricia Well's tip looks great.
I roll on the counter and usually give my citrus a few pokes with the knife before juicing it with a reamer or citrus. press
Regular Oxo 9" metal tongs, locked together, make a GREAT lime reamer. You will get a little bit of pulp but it really wrecks the lime and gets out all the juice. I think I got this from America's Test Kitchen.
My brother told me that his favorite method is to "go barbarian". When he's gotten all he can by hand squeezing the halved lime, he bites down on the end to get the remaining juice!
Limes seem really dry this year for some reason - I'll have to try some of these tips when my Mexican juicer doesn't work well enough.
I do the biting trick sometimes too! It really does work and it makes it easier to use a reamer afterwards.
RoxiGirl... YES! Absolutely! I heard that years ago from a woman in New Mexico and I have blessed her ever since.
I have a little too much fun when getting the last bits of juice out of citrus. I cut them in half, squeeze, stick my fingers inside, squeeze again, and then invert the little sucker, squeeze once more. I haven't tried bitting them yet, but I believe I abuse my poor lemons and limes enough... for now. :-)
I find the older the limes are, the more juice comes out of them.
Agree with Roxigirl. Choosing limes is half the battle. I look for ones that are heavy for their size, smooth, and thin-skinned. They're juicier.