Lime is a tiny green fruit with a huge amount of vitamins and nutrients in it and lime squeeze is used in cooking because of its strong, fresh flavor. Lime is a popular ingredient for making sweets or sour drinks. Lime squeeze can be used to make an easy punch cocktail, a variety of summer margaritas, or tropical drinks such as mojitos and caipirinha.
The only problem is that they have an incredibly short shelf life, which means you can’t always get your hands on them whenever you want. This is why it’s important to learn how to create the most out of your limes, both in terms of preserving them and maximizing their flavor. You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to make the most out of your limes. In this article, we have listed the best ways that will help you get the most out of lime juices.
HOW TO GET MORE LIME JUICE:
1. Heating lime:
There are a few methods to heat a lime. Hot water or a microwave oven works great for this purpose. For one, hot water can cause the peel of the lime to soften as water and steam open the pores of the lime. If limes are in the fridge, it makes the skin hard. So we can put the lime in hot water or microwave for 20-30 seconds.
2. Lime Squeeze using a juicer or reamer:
Using a citrus juicer is not only the fastest way to get lime juice, but will also give you more juice than using the other methods. We can also use a citrus reamer, it does more than just lime squeeze. It gets every last drop out of the lime, reducing waste and saving you time. This tool lets you remove the citrus skin while lime squeezing out the refreshing juices. You can also use these on lemons, limes, and small oranges. To ensure the freshest lime-squeezed juice possible, make sure to wash fruits and vegetables before you put them in a juicer.
3. Rolling lime:
Rolling lime is a new and improved way of squeezing a lime. Simply cut a lime in half, insert it into the rolling lime, roll it back and forth over a table, squeeze the handles and get the most juice from your limes! Hold the lime in one hand. Using your thumb and index finger, grasp the lime firmly from the top, being careful not to tear the skin, and gently roll it back and forth. The purpose is to cause small breaks in the fruit’s fibers so that the juice starts to flow.
4. Equal cutting of lime:
A lime will yield more juice if sliced by its length rather than its width. Cut the lime into fourths, then pierce the skin of each piece to begin extracting the juice. Once pierced, you can twist and turn the fruit into cut-off pieces for lime squeezing.
This will ensure you get all the juice from every segment, and help increase your yield over time. The reason for this is that the white membranes of the lime are located toward the skin. These are filled with juices. When you cut the lime across the length, not only does it halve its diameter, but also doubles its possible juice content.
5. Freezing lime:
Freezing whole limes is a great way to make sure this often overlooked citrus fruit doesn’t go to waste. Your freezer will preserve its fresh flavor and aroma for months, and the frozen slices can be used whenever you need a lime zest or garnish, or as an ingredient in recipes such as hot drinks or curries. The citric acid in lime juice is optimized when the lime is frozen for 5 to 7 days. This makes your lime juice stronger, subtly changing its flavor.
Freezing can also enhance lime juice. You can freeze your limes if you don’t plan to make the juice right away. Just remember to allow time for them to thaw before juicing them. Place the lime in a plastic bag and freeze. When they thaw, their juice will be stronger and taste fresher than a lime that has never been frozen.
6. Use of zest:
Use the zest (grated peel), because it contains essential oils that give the juice its limey flavor without the strong bitterness. The zest of lime is used to add flavor and sometimes to give color. You can make delicious lime juice without all of the bitterness. Just grate the peel and add the juice to your recipe, and you’ll be able to enjoy a drink like a daiquiri or a margarita without all of the heavy bits and pieces.
7. Forking lime:
When cooking with limes, one way to squeeze out every drop is to cut the lime in half, then using a fork poke holes in the lime flesh. An easy way to do this is by first cutting the lime into four segments, then inserting the tines holding each segment together through two holes at once later rolling them back and forth on the countertop before lime squeezing. This trick helps the juice to pass through the pith (membrane) of the lime more easily. Instead of squeezing fresh limes for margaritas, use this handy fork to make the job easier!
8. Spooning lime:
To squeeze more juice out from the lime we can take the help of a spoon. After lime squeezing, use a spoon to scratch the lime and rotate the spoon in the pulp which will help release more juice. Repeat till there is less pulp remaining. It will also release juice and oil from the skin of a lime.
WAYS TO USE LIME, LIME JUICE, AND ZEST:
Lime juice, lime zest, and whole fruit are all versatile ingredients you can include in foods both sweet and savory. From marinades for grilled fish to margaritas, from dressing to dips, etc.
- Zest can be used for and in dressing, garnishing, sauces, seafood, etc.
- Lime can be used for garnishing drinks, pickles, desserts, pies, preservation purposes, etc.
- Lime juice can be included in non-alcoholic as well as alcoholic drinks, marination, dressing, etc.
FINAL WORDS….
Limes are a great addition to any food, and they’re extremely versatile. They’re perfect for zesting and for squeezing into juice – or even cocktails. Some like its tangy flavor, and while I’m personally not that crazy about the lime squeeze itself, but love its zest. Hope you find this article useful for extracting more juice and getting to know how whole lime can be used.
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