Best citrus juicers to use in the kitchen – a few tips

Anyone who likes drinking lemon or lime drinks, or likes to cook or bake using these juices needs a citrus juicer in their kitchen. Sure you can buy concentrated juices from the store, or use flavoring powders and compounds…but there is no substitute for the real thing! Fresh juice always tastes the best – and it’s actually very healthy as well.

Citrus juicers come in all shapes and sizes, and to suit all budgets. Large or small, they all do the same basic job – extract as much juice out of citrus fruits as possible.

If you are stuck you can always juice lemons and limes without a juicer: Give the fruits a good hard whack on the bench, and roll them around in your hands before you cut them (this loosens the fibers and more juice comes out). Just halve them with a sharp knife and squeeze over a bowl. This works, but it sure is hard work!

If you don’t want to spend a lot of dollars, and only need to juice a few fruits now and again, a hand held juicer is the way to go. These clever little gadgets look sort of like nut cracker – two handles, and a small cone in the middle where you put your halved fruits. The large leverage you get means that anyone can easily get lots of juice out of hard fruits.

These kinds of citrus juicers come in many different shapes and materials, but my suggestion is definitely to go for a stainless steel one. Not only are they better to use (they are stronger and don’t flex in your hand when you squeeze hard) they are more hygienic and easier to clean. They do cost more than plastic, but are worth it because they last virtually forever.

Fresh lemon and lime juice can be used to make wonderfully refreshing lemonade in summer, and has the advantage of not containing any sugars or artificial flavors, colors or other additives.