Freshly squeezed lemon juice is used in many recipes, but is also a popular drink when you have a cold – in the form of hot tea. The vitamin C it contains strengthens the immune system, and the fruit is said to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. In order to enjoy the acidic inner workings of the lemon, it must be juiced. This is definitely possible by hand, but it requires a lot of strength. It is much easier and faster to get the juice if you use a lemon squeezer. In the following we present the common models.
1. Classic lemon squeezer with press cone Even in grandmother’s day, a lemon squeezer was part of every household. The design has not changed to this day, only the material is different: while the classic was previously made of pressed glass, most models of this type are made of stainless steel or plastic (both are also dishwasher-safe). However, the way it works is still the same: Take half a lemon, place the cut side of it on the ribbed cone and press on the fruit with rotating movements to the left or right until the juice lands in the drip tray. The seeds and the pulp, in turn, end up in the grid above the channel.
2. Manual lemon squeezer with lever In principle, a manual lemon squeezer works in a similar way to a garlic press: you place half of the citrus fruit in the indentation provided and press the two handles firmly together. In contrast to a classic lemon squeezer, the variant made of robust stainless steel does not have an integrated drip tray, so the juice runs straight down through the holes in the tray. This means you should always hold the model over a bowl or other vessel before you start juicing. The manual lemon squeezer is therefore particularly suitable for making a salad dressing, cocktails or a fruity marinade.
3. Electric Lemon Squeezer Unlike the first two models, the electric lemon squeezer is powered by a motor. This has the great advantage that you don’t have to do anything other than hold the halved fruit on the cone and switch on the device at the touch of a button. Then the cone rotates automatically as long as you want. And another plus point: This model from Braun, for example, not only has an automatic start-and-stop function – you can also decide in advance how high the pulp content should be. For people who particularly like (and also regularly) drink freshly squeezed orange juice, this is definitely a big plus.
Some might wonder if or why they should get a lemon squeezer. After all, the fruit can also be squeezed by hand. That’s true, of course, but the effort is significantly higher – and that’s not the only disadvantage:
Cons (juicing by hand):
Advantages (Juicer):
Juicing takes more time
You save time (and get more juice)
Squeezing the fruit is laborious
The devices are easy to use
Seeds and pulp end up in the juice
The pulp and seeds are collected
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