The Ingenious Lemon-Squeezing Hack I’d Completely Overlooked

Lemons are such a versatile ingredient in the kitchen. Whether you’re making something sweet or savory, lemons often make any dish a tad bit better. And if you find yourself using fresh lemon juice for a recipe, you likely want to make sure you’re getting as much juice out of the lemons as you can.

While your hands work fine for squeezing lemons, you’re often left with sticky, lemon-scented palms. The fix? Reach for another useful cooking staple: kitchen shears. Yes, you can and should use your kitchen shears to squeeze juice from your lemons!

The trick was just one of a few different methods that food influencer Kelly Senyei (Just a Taste) demonstrated in a recent Instagram post. Senyei showcased a few unexpected ways to use kitchen shears.

Here’s how she did it: Senyei placed the lemon half in between the metal ridges in the middle of the shears and then used the handles to squeeze the juice over a bowl.

I tried this hack out for myself and it actually worked well! I was pleasantly surprised by the results. The kitchen shears got a good amount of juice out of the lemon, and I didn’t have any sticky, lemony residue left on my hands like I normally do after using my hands to do the task.

Kitchen shears are one of those tools that I didn’t realize I would use as much as I do. From cutting into food packaging to cutting salad greens, shears really are more versatile than you think! Plus, I use lemons and lemon juice a lot in the kitchen, so any and every tip and hack related to making the most of lemons is always a win!