How to Pick the Juiciest Lemon

Do you need a lot of lemon juice for a recipe, but often feel as if not enough juice comes out? Want to find out how you can tell if a lemon at the grocery store is at peak ripeness and, therefore, at its juiciest? We’ve got a few tips for you!

There are four things you need to look out for when selecting a lemon:

1. The colour

A perfectly ripe lemon is bright yellow in colour. Any green parts indicate that the fruit hasn’t yet ripened. Your lemon should also have a glossy shine.

2. The skin

Give the lemon a squeeze. Is there a lot of resistance to this pressure? Then the lemon isn’t ripe. A lemon should be very supple–but not too soft or squishy; you want some firmness–and the skin shouldn’t feel hard.

3. The scent

Don’t hesitate to bring the lemon to your nose and give it a good sniff! A ripe lemon should smell fruity and have a pleasant lemony scent.

4. The weight

This requires taking two lemons at a time and holding one in each hand to compare their weight. The heavier the lemon (particularly, if the lemon feels heavy for its size), the more juice content it will have.

The best way to juice your lemons

We recommend rolling the lemon firmly on the kitchen counter using your palm. Keep at it until you can actually feel the lemon get looser.

After that, simply cut it open and squeeze.

If your hands can’t exert enough pressure around the slippery lemon, use a citrus press.

Now that you’ve picked the juiciest, ripest lemons, be sure to use them in these recipes: