Ah lemons!
They do so much, but only last so long.
True story – one of my first forays into cooking included a recipe that called for this thing called “lemon zest”.
Hmmm
So i trot off to the store with my list, go to the spice section and read all the labels… again… and again… there is no thing that is lemon zest…
hmmmm
ok, i guess i’ll skip it.
Took me probably another 6 months to learn what this lemon zest thing was and why it was soooo hard to find in the store! (yes, it was before the time of the internet where everything could be looked up)
Anyway lemons!
You need them for zesting, lemon juice, and slices of lemon!
Luckily all of the portions are salvageable… So when you lemon starts to get a little squishy, not so hard and fabulous…. instead of throwing it out.
First zest it, put that result into a snack back and freeze it. I use the micro planer over a bowl… gosh i love that thing!
Next – what do you need more slices of lemon to make your water taste better or “fresh” lemon juice for another recipe.
Slice options – cut the lemon in half and then slice it. Place each slice on a cutting board. Put the whole thing in the freezer for at least 2 hours, then toss your frozen slices into a baggie, in the freezer for future use.
Juice option – juice the lemon – if you have a lot – i use ice cube trays to store it. Other wise those midgets i keep yammering about, they have lines for tablespoons… hello perfect measurement!
Another nicety – if lemons are on sale get a whole bunch and do this in a series. IT’s a cool feature to store this up when things are cheap. I tend to use extra zest when using frozen, just cause it needs a bit more. But per my tag line – better than wasting a bunch of items that are about to go bad.
For juicing lemons quickly i like my food processor attachment. So fast!
Mine doesn’t look exactly like the above, but it clides into my food processor, the top flips over to hold the citrus in place, turn it on and the “reamer” pulls out every last drop of goodness!
But my other old stand by, is truly my favorite. And sadly only recently did i realize one should squeeze each lemon side 2 times… oy….
Here are some other tricks on how to get the most juice out…
And finally – that worn out rind that is left… toss it into your disposal to give it a little freshen up!
(follow the normal process of water running and then turn on the disposal until it finished grinding – it makes a terrible sound!)
I have some great recipes for lemon cookies and lemon bars (made with cottage cheese) that i’ll be sharing soon!
