Lemons are a good source of vitamin C.
Lemon juice is used in many recipes for the intense flavor and refreshing citrus taste. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice is often preferred over artificial tasting bottled lemon juice, and juicing a lemon with the rind has the added benefit of providing the highest level of nutrients. You can juice a lemon with rind easily at home.
Instructions
Prep
1. When juicing a lemon with the rind, use organic lemons as the outer skin has not been exposed to harmful pesticides.
Thoroughly wash each lemon, removing dirt and bacteria. Place lemons that have been stored in the refrigerator in a bowl of warm water for approximately 15 minutes. To yield the most juice, lemons should be juiced at room temperature.
2. Rolling the lemon loosens the membranes that contain the juice.
Place the lemon between your palm and a clean, flat surface. Gently, roll the lemon under your palm without pressing too firmly. Rolling the lemon will loosen the membrane so the lemon will yield more juice.
3. Only remove the yellow, outer-most portion of the lemon rind.
Position your zester against the outer part of the lemon's skin. Gently pull the zester toward you, shaving off the yellow rind and leaving the white skin, also known as the pith. The pith is very bitter to taste.
4. Cut lemon rind shaving down as small as possible.
Using a knife, finely chop your lemon rind shavings into tiny pieces. The shavings should be as small and fine as possible so your lemon juice does not appear chunky.
Juicing the Lemon
5. Only remove seeds at the surface so you don't loose lemon juice in the process.
Slice the lemon in half. Using your knife, remove any excess seeds at the surface of each lemon half.
6. Some reamers come with a built in saucer to catch the lemon juice.
Position the reamer at the center of one of the lemon halves. Hold the lemon and reamer over a small mixing bowl, unless your reamer comes with a built in saucer to catch the lemon juice.
7. Press the lemon onto the reamer and twist to extract the juice.
Press the lemon half onto the reamer and twist, allowing the juice to flow into the bowl or saucer below. Once you've gotten as much juice as you can out of the first half, repeat with second lemon half.
8. Remove any stray seeds from your lemon juice. Add the shredded lemon rind to the lemon juice. Lemon juice containing the rind has the most nutrition and flavor.
9. You can store lemon juice in the freezer using ice trays to portion the juice.
Use lemon juice in recipes as needed. You can store lemon juice by pouring it into ice cube trays and putting it in the freezer. Once frozen, put the lemon cubes into a plastic bag in the freezer, thawing or using in drinks as needed.
Tags: lemon juice, lemon half, lemon rind, lemon juice, your lemon, built saucer