When you bring home citrus—lemons, limes, or oranges—many people store them in the refrigerator and later find they don’t yield much juice. With a few simple steps you can get far more juice and make the most of each fruit.
For the best yield, juice citrus at room temperature. If your fruit has been chilled, warm it briefly in the microwave for about 15 seconds before squeezing. Warming loosens the juice inside the segments, making extraction easier. Be careful not to overheat and boil the juice, which will negatively affect flavor.
Before cutting or squeezing, roll the fruit firmly on the countertop while pressing with the palm of your hand. This breaks down the membranes and helps release more juice when you squeeze.
If you only need a small amount, avoid wasting the whole fruit: use a toothpick to make a small puncture in the skin and squeeze out the amount required. Reinsert the toothpick to plug the hole, wrap the fruit in plastic, and refrigerate until next use.
Fresh-squeezed citrus juice keeps in the refrigerator for about a week. For longer storage, pour the juice into ice cube trays and freeze; frozen cubes make it easy to use small portions later.
If you need help estimating how many fruits to buy for a recipe, use these general guidelines:
1 medium lemon =
approximately 2–3 tablespoons of lemon juice
approximately 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
1 medium lime =
approximately 2 tablespoons of lime juice
approximately 1 teaspoon of lime zest
1 medium orange =
approximately 1/3 – 1/2 cup orange juice
approximately 2 tablespoons of orange zest
For easier juicing, a handheld citrus reamer or a simple press can speed the process and help extract more juice with less effort. Using the right tool can also reduce mess and make zesting simpler.