This Miracle Gadget Will Transform the Way You Juice Lemons

Until a month ago, I was a person who would vehemently proclaim the only tools I needed to juice a lemon were a fork and my bare hands. Yes, it was messy. And yes, I had to painstakingly fish out seeds. Yes, I’m always brightening up salads, soups, and such with a splash of fresh juice. But why add a citrus squeezer or juicer to my already packed kitchen?

But then, at an event celebrating the launch of Julia Turshen’s Now & Again, I received this OXO Good Grips Small Citrus Juicer with Built-In Measuring Cup and Strainer. She mentioned how it was great to measure exact amounts of juice when testing recipes, and, later, I saw she mentioned it again when speaking to The Cut:

This is one of the exceptions to my rule about not liking any tool in the kitchen that only does one thing. This definitely does just one thing—you use it to juice citrus—but I use it all the time. I think it’s such an ingenious little thing, because normally, I’m not juicing a ton of lemons or limes, I’m just doing a couple for whatever I’m cooking, and this just removes all of the seeds and captures the juice below.

So, I gave it a try when making margaritas. And this pasta. And then these muffins. And now I (humbly) stand before you, a changed woman.

Because Julia (and a whole host of ecstatic Amazon reviewers) was right. It does one job, but it does it so well. The sharp fluting helps you squeeze as much juice as possible out of your lemons and limes, while the plastic strainer traps pulp and seeds. The 2.5-ounce cup has convenient measurement markings in tablespoons, cups, ounces, and milliliters, which I find helpful for making both cocktails and cookies, and the spout makes pouring a breeze. I also really like how easy it is to clean: Simply detach the strainer from the cup and throw away the pulp and seeds.

And maybe the best part of all? It’s small enough to fit in my hand. Admittedly, it does take up more room in my kitchen drawer than a fork. But I’m not going back. I’ll find a way to squeeze it in there.

What's your favorite kitchen tool? Share your go-tos in the comments below!