Favorite Tool: Simple Wooden Reamer

There are plenty of posh lemon and lime-juicing gadgets on the market these days. And there are times — about 15 minutes into squeezing limes for margaritas — when we would welcome an electric juicer with open arms.

But for the simple task of squeezing a half or two of citrus for a recipe, we love our cheap (in price only!) wooden reamer.

There are silicone versions out there, but just like we love our wooden spoons, this basic reamer just feels nice in our hand. And the wooden peaks seem to grab onto the fruit flesh so tenaciously, we can’t imagine anything being more effective.

We used to use a fork, jammed into a lemon and twisted. But, one, we’ve stabbed our hand more than once with fork tines, and two, that method rarely cleans out a lemon like a bulb-shaped reamer. You can also use the end as a muddler if you’re making mojitos.

Plus, the best part… This is one kitchen gadget that can be yours for less than $5. We’ll admit the one above, from Williams-Sonoma, is $8.50 — overpriced, in our opinion, but we succumbed to the reamer-in-action photo.

You can buy less expensive, no-name wooden reamers from any number of kitchen supply stores. Or try Sur La Table, which sells a Wood Citrus Reamer for $3.95.

Related: Caring for Wooden Utensils

(Image: Williams-Sonoma)