Lemons
Look for a lemon that:
- Is firm and feels heavy in your hand for its size
- Has a finely-grained skin
- Has no cuts or bruises
- Is yellow all over
- Has no hard spots and is not wrinkled, soft, or dull
A lemon that feels firm and heavy in your hand indicates that it probably has lots of juice. A finely-grained skin indicates that the peel is thin and the lemon contains more fruit than one with a thick peel. Cuts or bruises may allow rot and mold to set in. Green on the skin may mean that the lemon is unripe and too acidic. Lemons that are wrinkled, dull, or have hard spots may be overripe and less flavorful.
As long as it doesn’t have mold or other evidence of spoilage, a lemon does not need to perfectly meet all the criteria above to be edible or usable in a recipe. The closer it is to meeting these guidelines, however, the higher its quality should be.
Notes
Most recipes that call for the “juice from one lemon” are really calling for between two and three tablespoons of lemon juice, which should be the approximate yield for lemons that meet the criteria above. The amount of juice you can get out of a lemon depends upon its size, age, and condition. For example, a hard and shriveled lemon is probably old and won’t have a lot of juice. A lemon that feels light in your hand will probably have less juice than one that feels heavy, and so forth.
Storing lemons
An uncut lemon should stay fresh for up to one week at room temperature. Do not expose it to direct sunlight. Slices and pieces should be wrapped in plastic, stored in the refrigerator, and used as quickly as possible. Refrigerated lemons can last up to four weeks when placed in a ziplock bag and stored in the crisper.
Lemon juice and zest can be frozen for later use.
- Freeze lemon juice in ice cube trays. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to resealable freezer bags and return to the freezer.
- To freeze zest, wrap it tightly in a piece of plastic or put it in a freezer bag with as much air removed from it as possible.
Whole lemons and lemon pieces can be frozen, too, but will be mushy when defrosted.
- Freeze lemon slices and wedges on a cookie sheet first, then transfer them to freezer-safe containers and return to the freezer.
Use frozen lemon items within three to four months for best quality.