A Trick for Juicing Citrus

Inspired by conversations on the Food52 Hotline, we're sharing tips and tricks that make navigating all of our kitchens easier and more fun.

Today: Associate Editor Kenzi Wilbur shows us a simple trick for juicing any kind of citrus. Step one: open your utensil drawer. 

No matter how big your kitchen, I firmly believe that we should all play by the small-kitchen rule. If you don’t need a certain tool or appliance -- or if you don’t use it regularly use it -- it should go. (To a friend, to a neighbor, to a future Yankee swap.) 

That goes for that egg slicer you got in your stocking three Christmases ago, or the new-fangled garlic peeler you inherited from an event gift bag -- and if you want it to, that also goes for citrus reamers. (Exception: the beautiful vintage version you just found at the flea market. That stays.) Lovely as they are, they’re not necessary to juicing citrus for your vinaigrettes or your curds. You can, in fact, make lemonade without them. And often, this way will be faster, simpler.

The only thing you need is hiding in your utensil drawer. 

To juice any citrus without a fancy tool, just grab a fork -- long-tined is best, for leverage -- and insert it into the cut side of a lemon or a lime or whatever you’re wanting juice from. (Make sure you roll the citrus first on a hard surface to loosen up its juices. This will make your job easier.) 

Gently move the fork up and down with one hand while squeezing the fruit with the other. If you’re really on your game, you’ll do this over a strainer (a multi-purpose one, of course) to catch any errant seeds. 

You deserve 10 citrus desserts for being so efficient.