When Life Gives You Lemons, Get Cooking!

Lemons are one of the most common ingredients used to add flavor while cooking. Their powerful flavors blend beautifully and pamper the palate, enhancing the other flavors in your dish. Besides adding a unique zest to your food, lemons also serve as useful tools in the kitchen. So whether you love to cook or are just curious to learn some tips, keeping a couple lemons in your fruit basket will prove to be handy. These are just a few tips on how you can utilize lemons to spice up your food:

Tenderize Meats

Lemons are fairly acidic and the juices will have different effects on different kinds of foods.
The acid can break apart the muscle fibers in meats, making it a popular choice to add to marinades as it can tenderize the meat. Too much lemon juice, though, can have the opposite effect, so you will want to use it in moderation.

Short-Term Preservative

Lemon juice can be used as a short-lived preservative for foods such as apples and avocados to prevent browning. The acid in the lemon’s juice slows the oxidation process caused by enzymes in these foods. So, if you cut up an apple for your lunch, add a few drops of lemon juice to the slices and store them in a container or a plastic bag to prevent them from oxidizing while you’re waiting to eat them. The lemon juice will add a flavorful kick to the apples as well. But, if you would prefer your apples tasting like apples, you can simply wash the slices before consuming them to get rid of most of the lemony taste.

Color Preservation

When boiling an artichoke, adding a bit of lemon juice to the water can help the artichoke keep its color. The same goes for potatoes, turnips, and various other vegetables. The bright colors of peaches or apricots can be preserved in pies by adding lemon juice as well. Lemon juice can even be added to rice to increase its fluffiness and help maintain its white color. (You will want to add one teaspoon of lemon juice per quart of water used to boil the rice.)

Flavor Enhancement

And don’t forget that including a bit of lemon juice to your dishes is not only for aesthetics; you will be adding a spark of flavor in the process. Add a flavorful kick to your orange juice by squeezing the juices from a fresh lemon into your glass, or dash a bit of lemon juice in your tuna to add a zesty twist to a familiar meal. Aside from juices, the yellow exterior of a lemon posesses powerful flavors as well. Lemon zest can be added to enhance the flavor of a variety of dishes. The white layer of the peel is more bitter and is therefore not usually recommended for consumption.

Squeezing Lemons

To retrieve the maximum amount of juice possible from your lemon, store it in a sealed container of water. When you are ready to use the lemon, microwave it for about 15 seconds and roll it on the counter or another flat surface. The slightly warmer temperature and light pressure will weaken or break apart the pockets of juice inside the lemon, making squeezing less of a chore.

To add a little spice to your life, be sure to pick up some lemons next time you go grocery shopping. If you’re feeling creative, experiment with the flavor of lemons. With all their possibilities in the kitchen, they will surely not go to waste!