Kitchen Hacks
The Secret to Storing Lemons to Keep Them Fresher, Longer
Here's how to store all your citrus so it doesn't shrivel up or grow weird moldy bits.
At all times of year—be it in the balmy heat of summer or the brutal slog of winter—citrus provides an electric, refreshing respite. Behind a thick peel, sharp and vibrant wedges are seasonal starbursts.
I, for one, never pause to order an orange from an outdoor fruit vendor, its insides made cold and unexpectedly refreshing by icebox temperatures. I always have spare oranges for snacking and lemons/limes for squeezing into salad dressings or bringing light to avocados in my kitchen. They roll around my crisper drawer or across my countertop, and sometimes get lost behind the jars at the top of my fridge. I forget about them and, as if in response to my negligence, they spite me by shriveling up.
A withered lemon is not only quite sad to behold, but pretty much useless. So imagine my delight when I happened upon this hack to keep citrus fresher, for longer. Like any good hack it’s simple, efficient, and proven to work. The hack comes from the folks at Food.com, now Genius Kitchen.
As you might be able to guess, keeping citrus at its peak is all about moisture. So how do you keep that moisture inside the porous fruit before it seeps into the air? To prevent this process, citrus should be kept in an environment with high humidity. Keep citrus in a bowl of water in your fridge, sayeth the hack. This means of storage, they claim, can keep your fruits feeling—and tasting—fresh for up to three months.
This isn’t the only citrus-preserving recommendation the internet has got up its sleeve, however. Other resources suggest keeping your fruits in the fridge in tightly sealed zip-top or silicone bags. This creates a small-scale humid environment and prevents that lemon from losing too much liquid.
If you do choose to leave the fruit out of the refrigerator, make sure you leave them in a cool room without direct sunlight. You'll also want to wash and dry them thoroughly, and take care not to pile them on top of each other, as this causes too much moisture to collect. Combined with the air temperature that's likely warmer than the refrigerator (though I certainly don't know where you live!), the moisture and heat will eventually encourage mold growth all over the lemons. This is perhaps worse than the dried-out specimens!
As none other than Martha Stewart explains, "a lemon's nubby rind is as good a place as any for humidity to collect." To make sure that doesn't happen, she recommends the following: "If you keep your lemons exposed, dry them with a cloth every day or so. It may also be wise to rotate and restack them so each fruit has a chance to get some air."
So there you have it—a few tried and true methods to make all your lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, pomelos, and so much more last a lot longer. All the better to try them in a few recipes: this pantry-friendly, couldn't-be-simpler lemon pasta; the orangiest cake out there; and this foolproof margarita that's never failed us. They're all calling your name.
How do you store your citrus? Let us know your tricks in the comments below.
It's here: Our game-changing guide to everyone's favorite room in the house. Your Do-Anything Kitchen gathers the smartest ideas and savviest tricks—from our community, test kitchen, and cooks we love—to help transform your space into its best self.
Grab your copy
Written by: Valerio Farris
Popular on Food52
60 Comments
Perhaps squeezing and freezing, and peeling or grating and freezing, for cooking. And just go get some more if you need fresh ones. What could be so difficult?
Then, you can put the whole lemon back in the freezer until next time, or allow to thaw for the most complete juicing ever.
My microwave heats from the bottom, and I flip the fruit after 30 seconds. (one at a time from frozen- do not defrost at room temp) My micro is 1000 watts, so you may want to adjust your micro to a lower speed if you have a more powerful micro or decrease the time. (or fruit could explode) They keep for nearly a year in the freezer. The peels protect them. I just throw the bag they came in into the freezer. No fuss! Super economical and very handy.
as soon as a piece begins to look sad I zest & juice
then freeze in ice cube trays, 1 tablespoon zest and fill with juice then it's easy when you need a couple of tablespoons for a recipe (I also free larger qty for drinks...)
I've been known to just thrown the whole piece of fruit it freezer & zested it later
i'm still around at almost 70!
Join The Conversation