There’s nothing like an ice-cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer’s day. It’s a taste of sunshine in a glass. You’re living the good life if there’s a lemonade stand in your neighborhood. Most kids today though are more interested in playing video games than in setting up a lemonade stand to make a little extra money. So if you don’t want to go to the store and buy a bottle of lemonade full of preservatives and other chemicals you’ll need to buy lemons and make the juice yourself. And of course, you’ll need the best lemon juicer to get the job done.
A lemon juicer is a kitchen essential. Whether preparing fresh seafood dishes or attempting to complete a cleansing fast based on lemon juice, nothing tastes better than fruit juices that have been freshly squeezed. More importantly, fresh lemon juice and the juice of other citrus fruits are guaranteed to be rich in antioxidants and vitamins and will never contain any added preservatives. Choosing the right juicing unit for your home will allow you to get desirable quantities of juice with minimal effort, while effectively straining off the resulting pulp and seeds when necessary.
Manual Lemon Juicers
There are a variety of hand-held options for lemon juicers that can efficiently remove the juice of this tart, vibrant fruit without the use of a motor. Manual options tend to be cheaper, more lightweight and easier to clean than most automatic lemon juicer models. However, they do not always boast such features as seed and pulp removal.
Thus, the average manual lemon juicer is generally best suited for people who are not all that concerned with the texture and consistency of juice that these create. It is also possible to filter the juice that a manual unit produces through a secondary straining system, such as a small sieve that is fitted to the receiving container.
There are numerous benefits that a manual lemon juicer can offer, such as:
- They are very affordable. Most manual models can be purchased for under $30.
- Because of their low-cost, additional units in larger or smaller sizes can easily be purchased when necessary.
- Manual models that compress the lemon can actually remove a very substantial amount of juice, eliminating the waste that often occurs with automatic models that are poorly designed.
- You won’t use any electricity so there is no additional cost added to your electric bill.
- You can take them anywhere. There are no plugs to deal with so you can use your manual lemon juicer on picnics or tailgating out at the game.
Some of the downsides of many manual units include:
- Units that are shaped to fit the typical lemon will not sufficiently accommodate lemons of larger sizes and are not always effective tools for juicing other fruits. However, because manual units tend to be very cheap, it’s not too costly to own two juicers, one specifically for lemons and another juicer designed for other types of fruits and vegetables.
- A manual operation may prove difficult for people with arthritis or other issues that cause inflammation of the joints. You have to squeeze and twist to extract the juice which requires some force and muscle power.
- Hand-held models are rarely the ideal tools for producing large amounts of fresh juice and large quantities lemonade, other lemon-based beverages and handling major cooking projects. If you’re going to be making large quantities and using lots of lemons you may want to upgrade to an electric model to help speed the process along.
The Best Manual Lemon Juicers
The extra-long handles of the Norpro allow you to get additional leverage, making the juicing process easy and strain-free on your joints. The downside is that larger lemons may emit seeds through the straining process, which could slip between the two lips as the juice is expressed, regardless of the lemon’s positioning. This, however, is a possibility with all leverage-based models as there is generally no secondary containment unit to catch seeds or pulp that slip over the lip of the unit. The Norpro Stainless Steel Citrus Juice Press is one of the most efficient, durable models on the market and it is easy to use. It is perfect for juicing small-sized lemons and larger limes. The sleek design of this unit is intended to compress the lemon half until all juice is removed and the inner meat of the lemon is pulverized.
The unit does, however, feature a small straining cup at its base for filtering out both pulp and seeds when the lemon half is placed face down against the straining grate. This feature tends to be most effective when juicing small to medium-sized lemons. Pressing lemons out in this fashion will require more physical effort than if the lemon is placed face up and away from the stainless steel straining grate. Placing the lemon half with the rind against the straining grate, however, will let you extract more pure lemon essence.
This model gets very high ratings from other owners, with over 115 customers on Amazon.com rating it 4.2 out of 5 stars on average. Click here to check the latest prices and sales for the Norpro Stainless-Steel Citrus Juice Press.
This lemon squeezer is also very highly rated with an average score of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Users say it’s very durable and well made and they like how easy it is to clean. Its compact size makes it ideal to store in your cabinet. You’ll even be able to juice grapefruit with the Juicester, which is a big plus for me. Click here to get the best deal on the Chef’n Juicester Citrus Juicer. Another great manual unit is the Chef’n Juicester Citrus Juicer Reamer. This is designed to remove the lemon juice by use of pressure and twisting. To use it simply place your lemon half face down on the spiraled, plastic spike that is at the center, press down and twist the lemon back and forth until the juice is entirely removed. Using this machine may be easier for those with joint or other health issues that make using leverage-based technology difficult.
Electric Lemon Juicers
If you are willing to spend up a bit, you can get all of the most desirable features in your lemon juicer including fast, efficient seed and pulp removal, while avoiding the often laborious task of manual juicing. These units are perfect for people who routinely host dinner parties, operate in-home catering businesses, own restaurants or who regularly host spring and summertime outdoor events.
One of the more popular electric lemon juicer models is the Tribest Citristar Citrus juicer, given its generally affordable price, light-weight design, and versatility in juicing. This machine can easily extract the juice of lemons, limes, and oranges of nearly every size, as well as massive grapefruits. Easy to clean and easy to store, this model can often be purchased for the same price as many high-end, manual lemon juicers. You’ll also be able to juice larger citrus fruits like grapefruits and pomelos with ease. Electric lemon juicers are designed to rapidly extract substantial quantities of juice. This allows for the easy preparation of warm-weather favorites such as fresh lemonade, strawberry and raspberry lemonade, lemon sorbet, shrimp scampi, all-natural lemon bars, and lemon meringue pie among many others. Those who are planning on implementing the popular cleansing fast which includes fresh lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper will find that an electric lemon juicer is essential for keeping the preparation process easy and the ingredients natural and fresh.
A really nice feature of the Citristar is that you can put your glass right under the spout and have it collect your juice right as you are juicing. It also has a stainless steel screen that catches the extra pulp and seeds as they come out while you’re juicing. This highly rated juicer has over 115 customer reviews on Amazon.com with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Click here to get free shipping and a big discount on the Tribest Citristar Electric Citrus Juicer.