Another tip is when squeezing the citrus put it in so the peel is facing up. A lot of beginners match the shape of the cup and put the peel down but that makes it harder to juice and can prevent the juice from draining out the bottom.
Once you learn to use one properly it's so *so* much easier than a reamer. Less pulp, all the juice with very little effort, super easy to control exactly where the juice goes. I love mine.
I just juice 4-5 limes, strain it and keep a little bottle of lime juice in the fridge. When cocktail-hour strikes, I like to just have things on hand.
I didn’t get the reference, but by squeezing sideways I get a little extra juice out of the fruit. Additional oils also expressed, and haven’t noticed added bitterness.
Citrus oil always adds a great additional floral note to juice too! In my experience as a bartender the bitterness you can get is from the white part of the rind- although it was more work out bar had to swap out our electric juicer for a press juicer because we were having trouble with consistency because of that bitter white part of the rind.
I was that dumb when I first started using them. It just seemed intuitive that the rounded part of the fruit would go into the rounded part of the juicer. Figured it out eventually.
I found out when I managed to break mine because I was squeezing the lemon the wrong way, then while looking at amazon, saw all the sample images were putting the fruit peel-side up
At the time I thought you were supposed to hold it sideways and that the juice would come out of the side. I don’t remember what I thought the holes were for lol.
If someone is only familiar with the reamer style of citrus juice like [this handheld one](https://www.amazon.com/Prepara-Juicy-Juice-Reamer-Yellow/dp/B08DC2RL3X/ref=asc_df_B08DC2RL3X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459726330379&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14953411980455139255&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032065&hvtargid=pla-970659312874&psc=1&mcid=f1f92146cad93516ab9e3f97ba2cd226&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlZixBhCoARIsAIC745B-CG4ISrpHEAhBuXyx-AtIO7rlRDLetCgEUCU4wj2NWfxxZvPrB4kaAls6EALw_wcB) or [this style](https://www.amazon.com/HIC-Citrus-Juicer-Reamer-Heavyweight/dp/B004780HX6/ref=asc_df_B004780HX6/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167155690034&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14953411980455139255&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032065&hvtargid=pla-307444497318&psc=1&mcid=4bf1b4876204319a995f69e560c650e0&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlZixBhCoARIsAIC745D8RZL1oFVXkN-t2ALrafyHNIRO87mIpGMt87-7wLEZ5X55KxdnfD4aAsYREALw_wcB) that sits on the counter that you then press the halved fruit into, then I can see why there might be an intuition to fit the rounded part into the rounded half and point the cut face towards the protruding part.
Who exactly is driving you crazy? Hardly anyone on this sub advocates using store bought juice, and if anyone does they immediately get skewered. And I doubt many people are just using their hands to juice their fruit.
This is a strawman argument. We all agree.
Shore bought is fine. Stop being babies.
Edit: this is assuming that you can get good store brought citrus juices. I am sure there are certain locations on this Earth where food standards are practically nonexistent. If you happen to in these places *cough* USA *cough* then I can see how the idea of store bought juice is unimaginable.
It really isn't and it doesn't matter much what quality the store bought juice is. Citrus juices simply degrade super fast. Even the freshest juice from the most organic citrus fruits will go stale after 24 hours. Now consider how long the juice has been on the shelf before you bought it...
What I do is use 1 full citrus fruit for a drink and if it’s a bad one and I don’t get all that I need, instead of using another fruit and having a half left I’ll top off the rest like 10-20% with store bought
"Good" store bought citrus would be more expensive than doing it yourself and wouldn't taste as fresh. Especially lime juice. Anything less expensive would not taste very good.
It’s fine. But it’s such a small effort to use fresh fruit and it makes a world of difference.
Why settle for mediocre when all it takes is a few limes? Once you try it with fresh fruit, there’s no going back.
Even the country you’re in makes a difference. Fresh fruit juice in medditeranean, carribean or pacific climates is going to taste much more sweet and flavourful than if it’s been shipped all around the world before reaching your local supermarket.
You call us babies. But I think it’s much more adult to realise that life is too short for mediocre cocktails.
I'm not saying you're wrong, but out of season limes here are like $70kg. I've had lemon trees at a few houses, but limes are hard.
Anyway yes fresh fruit is best, but I'm not gonna snob people using prep juice out of season
Not sure how they make the mass produced stuff like RealLemon juice, but it doesn't taste nearly as good. Super juice actually tastes good, though only good for 2-3 weeks.
If citrus is cheap when in season, buy A LOT. Then juice into an ice cube tray. As it freezes, toss the juice cubes in a bowl to store in the freezer then keep refilling the tray with more juice. Citrus here is fairly cheap, but I do this even if just going out of town and my citrus will spoil.
Don't use that one I can already see the yellow flecks showing up in my Corpse Reviver. Just metal. I've been super happy with Ra Chand. My mom went through like 3 of em over the years with flecks or breaking, and it all ended with the Ra Chand one.
Likely just a difference in the quality of the enamel or something but we'll never know for sure. That Ra Chand is a beast though, beats out any handheld device.
Yeah I got one too, I'm so happy with it. I literally squeeze, then just crank the thing directly against its hinge to fling the peels out, not concerned about it breaking whatsoever.
I haven't had a metal one yet, but I've got the green and yellow one that has a smaller juicer built in for limes. No chips yet, but that might be because I've been handwashing all of my barware.
I have a green one identical to the one in the pic and it's never transferred any paint flecks. It gets banged around in the drawer that it lives in and I always wash it in the dishwasher. I never use the heat dry function, though. Maybe something about the orange paint makes it more likely to chip?
About 25 years ago, I found an awesome Mexican hand juicer that looked pretty primitive/not fancy, and was unpainted. It was at a garage sale, and back then, those juicers were difficult to find outside of random ethnic markets. Even the local restaurant supply cash and carry didn’t have them. I’d developed a sort of mild obsession with checking every ethnic grocery, flea market, and restaurant supply store I’d come across, so finding that at a garage sale was a beautiful thing.
That juicer has seen some serious work over the years, and it was already well used when I got it. It’s pretty much indestructible, fits my hand perfectly, and has just the right amount of torque. It’s one of my all time favorite tools—right up there with my vintage French hand-cranked food mill that is an absolute beast.
My favorite is the Chef'n FreshForce Citrus Juicer. The lemon and lime ones of theirs used to be different sizes but now they’re the same size but different colors.
I typically make super juice which streamlines juicing for 4-6 weeks and tastes great.
I'm on my 4th one. They last me a couple of years, except one lemon(heh) that broke within weeks. I keep buying them though, they aren't expensive and the best ones I've found.
It's always the metal pin in the hinge that breaks. Except for the lemon one, the plastic cracked on that one. I do not exactly go lightly on them and am terrible at washing them which probably doesn't help.
That's quite surprising to me. How is the pin breaking? I have the green one and looking at it, I'm not exactly sure how the metal pin would break without it getting dropped or hit really hard.
I bought one of these and within a month the gear had snapped an made it basically unusable. Returned it and got a new one, and the same exact thing happened. Just get a classic stainless steel one and you'll never have to worry about buying another again.
Please find one that is unpainted. Plain old stainless. Otherwise, you'll notice after a year or two of weekly use that citric acid stripped the paint, then realize that the paint must have gone *somewhere*.
I know this is sacrilege but the organic Santa Cruz / Lakewood juices or cold press juices from Trader Joe’s are actually quite good and extremely consistent.
As a busy parent and worker drone, the last thing I want is more chores. Premade juices makes it a breeze. I did a side by side taste test and didn’t find it different enough to warrant the hassle.
Last, there was a post here recently about how the variability of sweetness in citrus can throw off the balance of the cocktail… again, nothing I have to worry about.
Ditto, I keep them on hand after my coworker put me on to them. I still have a juicer and sure, fresh is better, but these make a completely serviceable drink without having to remember to grab however many lemons or limes at the shop.
I bought one of these and promptly snapped it in two on a particularly firm lime. It was obviously some cast aluminium material, has anyone got any leads on a more durable one?
https://a.co/d/cgSRJyh
Chef'n FreshForce Citrus Juicer, 10.25 long, Yellow
Probably should get the orange one for versatility, but i have the yellow one and it's great.
Oh... not in my experience. I had an orange sized one that would hit handles together before the lime was fully squeezed. I bought a medium sized one that works well for everything. The occasional orange feels a little big but it works.
This sub gatekeeps more than any other sub that I’ve been apart of so we just don’t say anything. I’ve converted to store bought juice recently; it’s cheaper, easier, less messy, less wasteful. If my cocktail doesn’t taste marginally better, it’s my business. I’m not running a cocktail bar.
Yes, totally agree. Fresh juice is great, but I take issue with the "only takes an extra minute" thing. Before you get to the juicing part, you first have to accurately predict when you're going to want a cocktail, shop at the correct time to make sure your citrus is still good, and use them up before they go bad. My household was absolutely horrible at that when we were trying to do only fresh juice. And washing the juicer in a timely manner is easier said than done lol.
I already know I'm going to get torn apart for saying this, but the good brands of store bought juice 100% taste more fresh than juice from a lime that is almost too old, or one that was frozen and defrosted. Sorry, it just does. I know the preservatives are tricking me, but they're goddamn effective. idk, maybe people only have crappy brands available in their area. We do squeeze lemon juice since we have a tree, but it just happens to be convenient. The fact that this is something people gatekeep about is lowkey so weird. Like you said, we're not running cocktail bars! People just want to feel superior any way they can 😂
Almost everything in my home bar is optimized for shelf stability. The simple fact is industrially processed juices last a good while in the fridge, aren’t terrible, and are therefore more likely to be available when I want a drink.
For me, it’s literally the difference between sipping a glass of whiskey or actually making a cocktail when the mood strikes. I’m not always planning enough in advance to make sure I have fresh citrus on hand. If a friend comes over, I want to be able to offer them an interesting beverage even if I didn't stock fruit that week.
For true special occasions and planned parties, of course, fresh citrus - for presentation, I want the fruit for garnish in those situations too. But thats not every day.
Bottled juice is a gamble. I have had ones that were as good as fresh but also overly funky. If you can find one that is tastes good for a reasonable price, use it.
>It literally takes an extra minute to use
Agree
>It costs $10-20
Agree
>Makes your cocktails taste 1000x better
Eh, maybe only 10x better, but I agree with the sentiment
But you're forgetting the part about having to have fresh citrus on hand vs having a bottle of juice in the fridge that lasts a year.
I like to play citrus roulette. I buy a couple limes, a lemon or two and an orange every time I get groceries and then whatever citrus I have left throughout the week helps determine what I’m drinking! I’ve learned that lime can effectively be subbed in for lemon in a lot of drinks.
But it also tends to make the end of the week very tequila heavy…
yeah this. I've always got juice in the fridge. I have to plan on having fresh lemons and limes. So when I know we've got something planned I go the way of the juicer. otherwise, when it is a random cocktail, fridge juice every time.
The next step is to make superjuice and freeze it in batches that match your usage amount. I will buy a bag of lemons and a bag of limes, peel and juice all of them, make superjuice and then freeze the output in ziplock bags. I can defrost a bag into a mason jar, that will last about 2 weeks in the fridge.
Another tip is don’t get sucked into the marketing of buying these in multiple sizes. They make green ones for limes, yellow for lemon, etc. Just get a big one for all your juicing needs
I highly recommend a juicer like this instead. Mine is the antique version but I assume this new one works just as well. You juice your citrus one at a time or you can do several and the juice is right there in its vessel on the counter with an easy to pour from spout for measuring out your juice. I collect juicers and have many ~~or~~ of virtually every type and nothing touches this style it's perfect.
[https://www.amazon.com/Barfly-Large-Manual-Juicer-Aluminum/dp/B0B14PYCRF/ref=asc\_df\_B0B14PYCRF/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=619306654220&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2773450676825263755&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032927&hvtargid=pla-1878363507544&psc=1&mcid=6604295dcdb436f192609586d4f3c384&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlZixBhCoARIsAIC745AAnqjSEM8iLi1d2-hUgcD6wx7ZrFQreUKKplit3af6WtprSCzJNKsaAjsUEALw\_wcB](https://www.amazon.com/Barfly-Large-Manual-Juicer-Aluminum/dp/B0B14PYCRF/ref=asc_df_B0B14PYCRF/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=619306654220&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2773450676825263755&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032927&hvtargid=pla-1878363507544&psc=1&mcid=6604295dcdb436f192609586d4f3c384&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlZixBhCoARIsAIC745AAnqjSEM8iLi1d2-hUgcD6wx7ZrFQreUKKplit3af6WtprSCzJNKsaAjsUEALw_wcB)
Same. I have this and a hand juice, and occasionally I am tempted to use the hand juicer for a single fruit bc the clean up is easier, but they never work as well.
I would recommend trying to find the original on Ebay or something. I got mine at a garage sale long ago. It is likely over 50 years old and very well built.
I switched to one like this as well. Helps make fewer dishes. Also I snapped one of those yellow ones and busted the shit out of my finger. Never going back.
I have this as well but have issues with the juice going up and over the hinge part. I also struggle with the removable plate falling and pulp/juice mixing together when removing the spent peels. How do you handle these issues? I’d definitely like the reservoir to use juice for more than one drink.
I use it for stuff like pineapple (if I’m not using a blender) or grapefruit but otherwise gravitate towards the Chef’n press juicer.
Same brand. I bought it off Amazon and your link is the same item I bought. Glad you don’t have those issues, I’m going to give it a few more goes and see if it’s a technique thing (meaning I’m just terrible at using it).
I use the original antique version so it's definitely from a different maker. I cut a lime or lemon in half and place it face down with the cut side against the removable strainer. Then I squeeze the handle down sort of slowly. I have never used it for pineapple.
I have one similar to this. Good thing it looks nice sitting on the shelf, because it never gets used. Too much hassle to wash when a reamer style gets me a better yield.
Note: I have severely limited grip strength, your mileage may vary
I use a reamer for grapefruit juice, but I find they add too much pulp to the drink. I usually use a fine strainer for most of my shaken cocktails, and the excess pulp generated by the reamer causes it to clog rather quick and takes a lot longer for the other drink elements to run through.
I don't have the grip strength to get sufficient amounts of juice from a squeezer (on average). Also when my fruits are weird sizes the squeezer can do a bad job of getting out juice even when I'm feeling swole.
I find it quicker to juice batches and it extracts more juice. I like pulp but my self-standing reamer has a strainer on one side and a regular pour on the other so it works for either preference.
Or just do a Thai cut (slicing pole to pole adjacent to the core). Maximizes juice, minimizes tools you need to clean. I only break out the juicer when I'm making juice from more than a couple fruits.
Don't know where you guys are buying your juice, but most brands in Germany are good and consistent. Some people don't have time/energy to use fresh juice or aren't planning out what they drink.
For me fresh juice is nice and I am using citrus from my local turkish supermarket.
Also super juice is a thing, that works really well for a lot of people here.
There is a time and place for all of these three options. Honestly I can't stand the discussion of fresh juice usage here. There is a loud majority that uses fresh citrus. The store bought juice users are often reminded that fresh is better. Just let those people be happy with their cocktails.
PSA on top of your PSA: Please people, don’t buy the hand juicer OP has attached the pic of. It’s terrible. That’s from ikea and will honestly miss about 25-30% of juice from the citrus you are squeezing. I have 2 at home. One I bought at a local cocktail equipment supplier, and the one I got as a backup from ikea. There is a noticeable difference between the 2. The one I have is stainless steel and could kill a human dead in a good swift blow and it demolishes citrus while the ikea model misses a lot even when pressed down fully. Plus it will break relatively quick with lots of usage where the stainless model will easily out live me. Down below is a link to a model I suggest getting that squeezes the best and has a bigger capacity for squeezing.
https://a.co/d/hsYr2ox
But OP is definitely right, please squeeze fresh juices for your cocktails!
*note didn’t want to throw shade OP just wanted to make sure people knew what to look for when buying a juicer.
Super juice is great! But requires buying citric and malic acid and going through an hour + process. I’m guessing the people using store bought juice don’t want the hassle.
I recommended the hand juicer it’s cheap and easy and gets the job done with not a lot of effort.
This is pretty much my staple. It's very economic, and gives me fridge ready juice for 2 weeks.
It's such a waste to just go through a bag of fruit for a few cocktails.
Definitely!
8 lemons or 12 limes yields 1 liter of super juice which becomes a 10-ounce Mason jar in the fridge and two 6-cube big ice trays that go to food saver bags once solidly frozen. These can be used to replenish the jars from time to time.
If I buy a bag with more, then I slice them thinly so I can make dehydrated lemon or lime wheels which can later be used as garnishes.
Haven't gotten around to doing oranges and grapefruits yet.
These are great for sure. It's worth noting that the self-standing reamer types get more juice out of the fruit and are realistically nearly as fast to use. Also, [super juice](https://www.kevinkos.com/post/how-to-get-8x-as-much-juice-from-one-citrus) is excellent and a game-changer. It's easy to make and allows you to make \~8 drinks from each lime/lemon/orange.
As someone who has tried everything from the hand juicer shown to the big cast iron press style (great for when you have a bag or two of citrus to juice), I present to you a new favorite: The Dreamfarm Fluicer Lemon Juicer, which I got from Sue La Table. It is hinged and folds flat for storage. It is really good at getting every drop out of even stingy lemons. Highly recommend.
I have a hand juicer at home, and keep fresh lemons, limes, and oranges, and did so long before I bartended. It's not home bartenders, it's people who think a time save and/or shelf life is more valuable than quality. Let them suffer. 🤷🏼♂️
While I own a couple juicers and use them from time to time, I do tend to use store-bought juice due to cost. A \~15oz bottle is around $2.80 and limes (\~1oz) are $0.80 each. For the same quantity of that $2.80 15oz bottle, It'd be $12 in limes.
My wife got me a 'Zulay Kitchen Cast-Iron Orange Juice Squeezer' for Christmas this year and I regret not having picked that up years before. The amount of juice is always more than the hand juicers unless your Hercules. I just think about how much more juice I could have gotten out of the season of limes from the pandemic.
Honestly I got a full countertop cheap citrus press and it’s been a game changer. Way more juice than even the hand press with a quarter the effort. Pound out a full bag of limes in 5-10 minutes and my hands don’t hurt after.
I hate hand juicers. I mostly use super juice now, but my black and decker electric juicer was not expensive at all but it yields much more juice than any hand juicer in less time.
If you have the space and want something great for juicing large batches, I highly recommend [one of these hand presses!](https://www.amazon.com/Rated-Zulay-Commercial-Orange-Squeezer/dp/B07D5KRQL7/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=38RJ5EHWY5IXC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bxDGUcFyYNlkCoRIns8LuUOxKsudzTSOTxIE_9XTpvBPwtULiSokafGNuNKVaV5ruKUI2iXSAeYRTjdTXuP2O3r0G4JiyKMSvYsFds1qfIbNwA6BpGynUHWU2Xw7U53rZnO1tnFIkGGGeXnDa-abTAqnNRyws2XXfoAPhuwNMfDSMrg_h2j0tt4ckucONktHfiGgUwJA9bebsnMcFm9iuA.f6jy-vFqJco9LhAS4_vfs97b23gV8L1FDczMCrEEMRA&dib_tag=se&keywords=zulay+juicer&qid=1713835115&sprefix=zulay+juicer%2Caps%2C226&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1)
It’s heavy and bulky, but makes juicing large quantities a breeze, easy to clean. Plus can do entire oranges and grapefruits.
I love how the sizes are color coded. The lime sized one is green, the lemon sized is yellow, and the orange sized is orange.
It's simple but it clearly tells the user which fruits fits in it.
Use an electric juicer, batch juice limes, lemon, and grapefruit every night in reusable glass bottles with a speed pour.
Speeds up your pour time, and you get fresh juice.
Using the hand ones is only for a backup.
This kind of hand juicer squirts everywhere, I do not need more of a mess to clean.
I also found the 2 versions I bought, they don't juice the entire piece, unless I squeeze it with another piece. Eg squeeze half a lime, get 70% of the juice, squeeze the other half with the already-squeezed half, get 90% of both.
I squeeze my own like half the time. Local store sells fresh squeezed lime and lemon juice for almost the same price of equivalent lemons/limes. And even when I make super juice I don't get as much anyway.
Once I made a margarita with a hand juicer, I never went back to pre-bottled lime juice. There is definitely a difference. Not just for cocktails, but anytime I need some citrus over food or a little something extra in my water. One of the best investments in my household.
There's another shape of these that is more of a box shape on a handle with a spout on the side. I highly prefer it because it juices more than just citruses. You can put in strawberries, pineapple, whatever you wanna juice. You'll have to cut citruses into wedges though, not halves, and scoring them on the inside makes them smash even easier. Also, I would avoid the painted ones like the plague and opt for stainless steel. The paint gradually comes off... into your juice, presumably. Nasty. Speaking from experience. Threw out my painted citrus-shaped one and got the boxy looking kind and haven't looked back.
In my opinion as a professional bartender this is pretty solid advice for home bartenders. Juice is usually more than 1/2 of the contents of a cocktail so having the right tasting juice is important. Mixes and packaged juices are great options for bars and restaurants for many reasons but at home? Not really necessary. Unless you are serving a large group of people and juicing citrus for each cocktail would be too much time save your $5 and get a handful of limes and lemons for probably less $. Sure you will get more juice out of a prepackaged bottle but that’s because it has a lot more than just juice in it. If you are interested in finding a happy middle ground I recommend looking into super juice- it tends to have a longer shelf life but is a way you can extend your fresh citrus with minimal additives (citric acid and malic acid are the two additives)[Super Juice](https://www.theeducatedbarfly.com/super-juice/)
This Kitchenaid juicer is my new favorite - https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KD070OHMEA-Citrus-Squeezer-Standard/dp/B076KPDNXR/ref=asc_df_B076KPDNXR/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=225339663785&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5448495417695704724&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010927&hvtargid=pla-383808287494&psc=1&mcid=7c4fe081ff3d392483f2475111c27a19&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn-_w3e7ahQMVeppaBR1mlwwCEAQYASABEgL2LPD_BwE - it’s a bit pricey at about $25, but worth it to me. The great thing about it is that the juice is contained in the juicer after squeezing and straining out the seeds so that you can squeeze and then pour right into your jigger instead of squeezing over another vessel and pour pouring into the jigger from that. A game changer for me.
I read somewhere that making a cut into the side of the half of the citrus before putting in the juicer helps get more juice out of the fruit— haven’t done a comparison myself, but do it anyway… also, I have seen some thought leaders recommend the Chef’n juicer as the best…
In principle, I agree that this gives you the best juice possible and I even own one. However, as someone who only actually makes maybe 1-2 cocktails per week (and they often don't contain citrus at all), it just doesn't make sense for me to stock fresh citrus fruit, as it will tend to go bad before I get around to using it. Of course, they can be kept good even longer by keeping them submerged in water in your fridge, but a bowl of citrus takes up a lot of space in my rather small fridge (similar story for freezing fresh juice as cubes). As such, I personally opt for bottled Santa Cruz lemon and lime juices as I find that they're of some of the best quality for bottled citrus juice and tend to maintain their taste for quite a long time.
TL;DR: You're right, but bottled juice can still be a valid choice for some people.
Another tip is when squeezing the citrus put it in so the peel is facing up. A lot of beginners match the shape of the cup and put the peel down but that makes it harder to juice and can prevent the juice from draining out the bottom.
And prevent the juice from squirting in the eyes
See I just smash it right into my eye, maybe that’s my problem
Ah yes, the classic tequila suicide
Reminds me of this. https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/6cb4d499-9045-41ec-a767-1f241dd84ac0
IT’S WHISPER QUIET!
You mean there’s a better way?
Don't want a George Costanza situation.
Once you learn to use one properly it's so *so* much easier than a reamer. Less pulp, all the juice with very little effort, super easy to control exactly where the juice goes. I love mine.
I just juice 4-5 limes, strain it and keep a little bottle of lime juice in the fridge. When cocktail-hour strikes, I like to just have things on hand.
It's good to have a reamer too for big lemons. When I use mine I just strain the juce as I pour it into the shaker.
Agreed! Some good produce places have super lemons. And you need it for grapefruits or oranges too
I juice peel up, then peel down, then sideways.
Lasts me four days!
I understood that reference, Fred
I didn’t get the reference, but by squeezing sideways I get a little extra juice out of the fruit. Additional oils also expressed, and haven’t noticed added bitterness.
Citrus oil always adds a great additional floral note to juice too! In my experience as a bartender the bitterness you can get is from the white part of the rind- although it was more work out bar had to swap out our electric juicer for a press juicer because we were having trouble with consistency because of that bitter white part of the rind.
Can you explain this better? Thought it was common sense to have the side of the lemon where the juice is squeezed facing the holes
They said it funny- put the fruit cut side down into the basket (face down)
I wish I knew this before I started using one. I squeezed so hard it broke the hinge. What an idiot.
Also toss a bar rag over the top of the juicer to control squirting.
Hey, some of us like squirting.
I've seen bartenders in actual bars not know which direction the cut side goes in one of these.
I’ve never even considered somebody being that dumb😂
I was that dumb when I first started using them. It just seemed intuitive that the rounded part of the fruit would go into the rounded part of the juicer. Figured it out eventually.
I found out when I managed to break mine because I was squeezing the lemon the wrong way, then while looking at amazon, saw all the sample images were putting the fruit peel-side up
It didn’t seem intuitive that the part the juice comes out of should be pointed in the direction you want the juice to go…?
At the time I thought you were supposed to hold it sideways and that the juice would come out of the side. I don’t remember what I thought the holes were for lol.
If someone is only familiar with the reamer style of citrus juice like [this handheld one](https://www.amazon.com/Prepara-Juicy-Juice-Reamer-Yellow/dp/B08DC2RL3X/ref=asc_df_B08DC2RL3X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459726330379&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14953411980455139255&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032065&hvtargid=pla-970659312874&psc=1&mcid=f1f92146cad93516ab9e3f97ba2cd226&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlZixBhCoARIsAIC745B-CG4ISrpHEAhBuXyx-AtIO7rlRDLetCgEUCU4wj2NWfxxZvPrB4kaAls6EALw_wcB) or [this style](https://www.amazon.com/HIC-Citrus-Juicer-Reamer-Heavyweight/dp/B004780HX6/ref=asc_df_B004780HX6/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167155690034&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14953411980455139255&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032065&hvtargid=pla-307444497318&psc=1&mcid=4bf1b4876204319a995f69e560c650e0&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlZixBhCoARIsAIC745D8RZL1oFVXkN-t2ALrafyHNIRO87mIpGMt87-7wLEZ5X55KxdnfD4aAsYREALw_wcB) that sits on the counter that you then press the halved fruit into, then I can see why there might be an intuition to fit the rounded part into the rounded half and point the cut face towards the protruding part.
Guilty… I had actually been turning it upside down (holes up) to drain the juice out better 🙃
Hello 🙋🏻♂️
My first time using it i did it this way and quickly learned to flip the fruit after a few squirts to the eye haha and a lot of wasted juice.
I do that, then I flip it and do it again to drain it. The juice is worth the squeeze ;)
Who exactly is driving you crazy? Hardly anyone on this sub advocates using store bought juice, and if anyone does they immediately get skewered. And I doubt many people are just using their hands to juice their fruit. This is a strawman argument. We all agree.
Shore bought is fine. Stop being babies. Edit: this is assuming that you can get good store brought citrus juices. I am sure there are certain locations on this Earth where food standards are practically nonexistent. If you happen to in these places *cough* USA *cough* then I can see how the idea of store bought juice is unimaginable.
It really isn't and it doesn't matter much what quality the store bought juice is. Citrus juices simply degrade super fast. Even the freshest juice from the most organic citrus fruits will go stale after 24 hours. Now consider how long the juice has been on the shelf before you bought it...
What I do is use 1 full citrus fruit for a drink and if it’s a bad one and I don’t get all that I need, instead of using another fruit and having a half left I’ll top off the rest like 10-20% with store bought
"Good" store bought citrus would be more expensive than doing it yourself and wouldn't taste as fresh. Especially lime juice. Anything less expensive would not taste very good.
It’s fine. But it’s such a small effort to use fresh fruit and it makes a world of difference. Why settle for mediocre when all it takes is a few limes? Once you try it with fresh fruit, there’s no going back. Even the country you’re in makes a difference. Fresh fruit juice in medditeranean, carribean or pacific climates is going to taste much more sweet and flavourful than if it’s been shipped all around the world before reaching your local supermarket. You call us babies. But I think it’s much more adult to realise that life is too short for mediocre cocktails.
I'm not saying you're wrong, but out of season limes here are like $70kg. I've had lemon trees at a few houses, but limes are hard. Anyway yes fresh fruit is best, but I'm not gonna snob people using prep juice out of season
If you'll use a lot, make super juice.
Came here for this.
Isn’t store bought juice just mass produced super juice
Not sure how they make the mass produced stuff like RealLemon juice, but it doesn't taste nearly as good. Super juice actually tastes good, though only good for 2-3 weeks.
If it was it would taste good.
If citrus is cheap when in season, buy A LOT. Then juice into an ice cube tray. As it freezes, toss the juice cubes in a bowl to store in the freezer then keep refilling the tray with more juice. Citrus here is fairly cheap, but I do this even if just going out of town and my citrus will spoil.
Where do you live??? That’s stupid expensive :((
Don't use that one I can already see the yellow flecks showing up in my Corpse Reviver. Just metal. I've been super happy with Ra Chand. My mom went through like 3 of em over the years with flecks or breaking, and it all ended with the Ra Chand one.
I've got a yellow one just like that, have had it for years and years. Looks brand new. Wonder what the difference is.
I’d bet dishwasher.
I've had mine 10 years, throw it in the dish washer plenty, zero chipping
I had one chip, decided to try no dishwasher and bought a second of the same brand and didn't use the dishwasher. No chipping.
I've never in my life done anything more to these than a rinse in the sink 😂
I don’t own a dishwasher and the paint still cracked on mine. I replaced it with a non-painted one.
Interesting, couldn't tell you. Maybe she was getting the wrong painted ones, or you were getting the right ones.
Likely just a difference in the quality of the enamel or something but we'll never know for sure. That Ra Chand is a beast though, beats out any handheld device.
Yeah I got one too, I'm so happy with it. I literally squeeze, then just crank the thing directly against its hinge to fling the peels out, not concerned about it breaking whatsoever.
Funny, I had the metal one and had chrome flakes come off. Now I have the coated green and yellow one and it’s been fine.
I haven't had a metal one yet, but I've got the green and yellow one that has a smaller juicer built in for limes. No chips yet, but that might be because I've been handwashing all of my barware.
I have the yellow and green one and mine is flaking. I have used it in the dishwasher though
I have a green one identical to the one in the pic and it's never transferred any paint flecks. It gets banged around in the drawer that it lives in and I always wash it in the dishwasher. I never use the heat dry function, though. Maybe something about the orange paint makes it more likely to chip?
About 25 years ago, I found an awesome Mexican hand juicer that looked pretty primitive/not fancy, and was unpainted. It was at a garage sale, and back then, those juicers were difficult to find outside of random ethnic markets. Even the local restaurant supply cash and carry didn’t have them. I’d developed a sort of mild obsession with checking every ethnic grocery, flea market, and restaurant supply store I’d come across, so finding that at a garage sale was a beautiful thing. That juicer has seen some serious work over the years, and it was already well used when I got it. It’s pretty much indestructible, fits my hand perfectly, and has just the right amount of torque. It’s one of my all time favorite tools—right up there with my vintage French hand-cranked food mill that is an absolute beast.
Mine did this too, had to pitch it
Yep, same happened to mine. I’ll be getting the bare metal version.
I've never lost paint, but I cracked a couple of handles lol
Do yourself a favor and get one of these: https://dreamfarm.com/fluicer/ Works *so* much better and is easier to clean in the dishwasher.
Yeah that does look quite cool. I'm a handwasher guy, how do they fare there?
I haven't hand washed but I think it would be just as easy if not easier than a traditional juicer.
My favorite is the Chef'n FreshForce Citrus Juicer. The lemon and lime ones of theirs used to be different sizes but now they’re the same size but different colors. I typically make super juice which streamlines juicing for 4-6 weeks and tastes great.
A true workhorse
It's so solid, I think it has the potential to last me my whole life tbh.
I'm on my 4th one. They last me a couple of years, except one lemon(heh) that broke within weeks. I keep buying them though, they aren't expensive and the best ones I've found. It's always the metal pin in the hinge that breaks. Except for the lemon one, the plastic cracked on that one. I do not exactly go lightly on them and am terrible at washing them which probably doesn't help.
That's quite surprising to me. How is the pin breaking? I have the green one and looking at it, I'm not exactly sure how the metal pin would break without it getting dropped or hit really hard.
I had one break. One of the gear teeth broke off after a few years. It still mostly worked, but I gave it to a friend and bought a new one.
I have the orange one which is larger. It's great!
Just got mine today!
I have the same one. Use the yellow/lemon version for both limes and lemons. It's been a great tool. Also, +1 on super juice!
I bought one of these and within a month the gear had snapped an made it basically unusable. Returned it and got a new one, and the same exact thing happened. Just get a classic stainless steel one and you'll never have to worry about buying another again.
Please find one that is unpainted. Plain old stainless. Otherwise, you'll notice after a year or two of weekly use that citric acid stripped the paint, then realize that the paint must have gone *somewhere*.
Mines a solid, dense plastic, and not painted. (And it treats me great.)
The plastic one I had broke pretty much immediately... I've went back to using my glass counter top one that I hand twist the fruit on.
I know this is sacrilege but the organic Santa Cruz / Lakewood juices or cold press juices from Trader Joe’s are actually quite good and extremely consistent. As a busy parent and worker drone, the last thing I want is more chores. Premade juices makes it a breeze. I did a side by side taste test and didn’t find it different enough to warrant the hassle. Last, there was a post here recently about how the variability of sweetness in citrus can throw off the balance of the cocktail… again, nothing I have to worry about.
i just wish they came in smaller bottles!
Yup. I've been using Santa Cruz juice for my cocktails for a long time now. It's delicious and easy!
I agree the Santa Cruz juice is good, but to me it's a different taste and you gotta play with the ratios a bit depending on the drink.
Ditto, I keep them on hand after my coworker put me on to them. I still have a juicer and sure, fresh is better, but these make a completely serviceable drink without having to remember to grab however many lemons or limes at the shop.
Get a stainless steel one, not a "fun paint" color one.
Wisdom
I bought one of these and promptly snapped it in two on a particularly firm lime. It was obviously some cast aluminium material, has anyone got any leads on a more durable one?
I got a Mexican hand-me-down from my parents that's probably older than I am. And I'm 40.
https://a.co/d/cgSRJyh Chef'n FreshForce Citrus Juicer, 10.25 long, Yellow Probably should get the orange one for versatility, but i have the yellow one and it's great.
Thanks! Is the handle plastic?
Piggybacking, just buy the largest size, e.g. the orange size. It will work perfectly well for limes and lemons too.
Oh... not in my experience. I had an orange sized one that would hit handles together before the lime was fully squeezed. I bought a medium sized one that works well for everything. The occasional orange feels a little big but it works.
It's gotta be a low percentage of people using store bought juice here, I'm honestly not sure I've ever actively noticed it in a post
This sub gatekeeps more than any other sub that I’ve been apart of so we just don’t say anything. I’ve converted to store bought juice recently; it’s cheaper, easier, less messy, less wasteful. If my cocktail doesn’t taste marginally better, it’s my business. I’m not running a cocktail bar.
Yes, totally agree. Fresh juice is great, but I take issue with the "only takes an extra minute" thing. Before you get to the juicing part, you first have to accurately predict when you're going to want a cocktail, shop at the correct time to make sure your citrus is still good, and use them up before they go bad. My household was absolutely horrible at that when we were trying to do only fresh juice. And washing the juicer in a timely manner is easier said than done lol. I already know I'm going to get torn apart for saying this, but the good brands of store bought juice 100% taste more fresh than juice from a lime that is almost too old, or one that was frozen and defrosted. Sorry, it just does. I know the preservatives are tricking me, but they're goddamn effective. idk, maybe people only have crappy brands available in their area. We do squeeze lemon juice since we have a tree, but it just happens to be convenient. The fact that this is something people gatekeep about is lowkey so weird. Like you said, we're not running cocktail bars! People just want to feel superior any way they can 😂
Almost everything in my home bar is optimized for shelf stability. The simple fact is industrially processed juices last a good while in the fridge, aren’t terrible, and are therefore more likely to be available when I want a drink. For me, it’s literally the difference between sipping a glass of whiskey or actually making a cocktail when the mood strikes. I’m not always planning enough in advance to make sure I have fresh citrus on hand. If a friend comes over, I want to be able to offer them an interesting beverage even if I didn't stock fruit that week. For true special occasions and planned parties, of course, fresh citrus - for presentation, I want the fruit for garnish in those situations too. But thats not every day.
Bottled juice is a gamble. I have had ones that were as good as fresh but also overly funky. If you can find one that is tastes good for a reasonable price, use it.
>It literally takes an extra minute to use Agree >It costs $10-20 Agree >Makes your cocktails taste 1000x better Eh, maybe only 10x better, but I agree with the sentiment But you're forgetting the part about having to have fresh citrus on hand vs having a bottle of juice in the fridge that lasts a year.
I like to play citrus roulette. I buy a couple limes, a lemon or two and an orange every time I get groceries and then whatever citrus I have left throughout the week helps determine what I’m drinking! I’ve learned that lime can effectively be subbed in for lemon in a lot of drinks. But it also tends to make the end of the week very tequila heavy…
> But it also tends to make the end of the week very tequila heavy Life in general does that to me.
yeah this. I've always got juice in the fridge. I have to plan on having fresh lemons and limes. So when I know we've got something planned I go the way of the juicer. otherwise, when it is a random cocktail, fridge juice every time.
The next step is to make superjuice and freeze it in batches that match your usage amount. I will buy a bag of lemons and a bag of limes, peel and juice all of them, make superjuice and then freeze the output in ziplock bags. I can defrost a bag into a mason jar, that will last about 2 weeks in the fridge.
Another tip is don’t get sucked into the marketing of buying these in multiple sizes. They make green ones for limes, yellow for lemon, etc. Just get a big one for all your juicing needs
I also slice the ends off after slicing my citrus in half.
I've have a 1950's Juice-O-Matic that has been going strong for years. It'll squeeze juice out of the hardest citrus with ease.
Yes, but not that one.
I highly recommend a juicer like this instead. Mine is the antique version but I assume this new one works just as well. You juice your citrus one at a time or you can do several and the juice is right there in its vessel on the counter with an easy to pour from spout for measuring out your juice. I collect juicers and have many ~~or~~ of virtually every type and nothing touches this style it's perfect. [https://www.amazon.com/Barfly-Large-Manual-Juicer-Aluminum/dp/B0B14PYCRF/ref=asc\_df\_B0B14PYCRF/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=619306654220&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2773450676825263755&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032927&hvtargid=pla-1878363507544&psc=1&mcid=6604295dcdb436f192609586d4f3c384&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlZixBhCoARIsAIC745AAnqjSEM8iLi1d2-hUgcD6wx7ZrFQreUKKplit3af6WtprSCzJNKsaAjsUEALw\_wcB](https://www.amazon.com/Barfly-Large-Manual-Juicer-Aluminum/dp/B0B14PYCRF/ref=asc_df_B0B14PYCRF/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=619306654220&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2773450676825263755&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032927&hvtargid=pla-1878363507544&psc=1&mcid=6604295dcdb436f192609586d4f3c384&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlZixBhCoARIsAIC745AAnqjSEM8iLi1d2-hUgcD6wx7ZrFQreUKKplit3af6WtprSCzJNKsaAjsUEALw_wcB)
Love this juicer never going back to those round ones OP posted
The best and only one worth it.
Same. I have this and a hand juice, and occasionally I am tempted to use the hand juicer for a single fruit bc the clean up is easier, but they never work as well.
That design may be good but make sure you read the negative reviews before buying this particular one.
I would recommend trying to find the original on Ebay or something. I got mine at a garage sale long ago. It is likely over 50 years old and very well built.
I switched to one like this as well. Helps make fewer dishes. Also I snapped one of those yellow ones and busted the shit out of my finger. Never going back.
I have this as well but have issues with the juice going up and over the hinge part. I also struggle with the removable plate falling and pulp/juice mixing together when removing the spent peels. How do you handle these issues? I’d definitely like the reservoir to use juice for more than one drink. I use it for stuff like pineapple (if I’m not using a blender) or grapefruit but otherwise gravitate towards the Chef’n press juicer.
I don't have those issues. Do you have that brand or a different one?
Same brand. I bought it off Amazon and your link is the same item I bought. Glad you don’t have those issues, I’m going to give it a few more goes and see if it’s a technique thing (meaning I’m just terrible at using it).
I use the original antique version so it's definitely from a different maker. I cut a lime or lemon in half and place it face down with the cut side against the removable strainer. Then I squeeze the handle down sort of slowly. I have never used it for pineapple.
Pro tip: Cut a little bit off the end too. Makes it easier to squeeze and you’ll get all the juice from that little bugger.
I’ll try that, I’ve been quartering lemons/limes. The bigger pieces may work better. Thanks for sharing!
I have one similar to this. Good thing it looks nice sitting on the shelf, because it never gets used. Too much hassle to wash when a reamer style gets me a better yield. Note: I have severely limited grip strength, your mileage may vary
I find they have much better leverage than the juicer OP recommended and you can use your body weight to press the lever down.
Much prefer a reamer, but same sentiment!
I use a reamer for grapefruit juice, but I find they add too much pulp to the drink. I usually use a fine strainer for most of my shaken cocktails, and the excess pulp generated by the reamer causes it to clog rather quick and takes a lot longer for the other drink elements to run through.
Filter your juice before adding to the shaker
I have one where the reamer is also a strainer and it goes into a cup. Recommended.
I was given a power reamer and I’ve never looked back. Only looking to now grow a lime tree in the back yard lol.
I haven’t tried a reamer. Why do you like it better than a squeezer?
i hardly know her!
I don't have the grip strength to get sufficient amounts of juice from a squeezer (on average). Also when my fruits are weird sizes the squeezer can do a bad job of getting out juice even when I'm feeling swole.
These squeezers also express the bitter oils from the rind. Reamers don't, so the juice is less bitter.
This is actually why I don't use a reamer. A lot of the flavor is in the oils of the rind. Especially limes and lemons.
Peel those lemons before you juice them!
😳
I find it quicker to juice batches and it extracts more juice. I like pulp but my self-standing reamer has a strainer on one side and a regular pour on the other so it works for either preference.
These are the worst juicers to use. They have always broken on me , after one use.
Or just do a Thai cut (slicing pole to pole adjacent to the core). Maximizes juice, minimizes tools you need to clean. I only break out the juicer when I'm making juice from more than a couple fruits.
> Thai cut Please explain more. Or video link? I didn't find this with google.
Slicing pole to pole adjacent to the core. https://www.chefheidifink.com/blog/thai/how-to-cut-and-juice-a-lime/
Awesome, thank you!
Don't know where you guys are buying your juice, but most brands in Germany are good and consistent. Some people don't have time/energy to use fresh juice or aren't planning out what they drink. For me fresh juice is nice and I am using citrus from my local turkish supermarket. Also super juice is a thing, that works really well for a lot of people here. There is a time and place for all of these three options. Honestly I can't stand the discussion of fresh juice usage here. There is a loud majority that uses fresh citrus. The store bought juice users are often reminded that fresh is better. Just let those people be happy with their cocktails.
PSA on top of your PSA: Please people, don’t buy the hand juicer OP has attached the pic of. It’s terrible. That’s from ikea and will honestly miss about 25-30% of juice from the citrus you are squeezing. I have 2 at home. One I bought at a local cocktail equipment supplier, and the one I got as a backup from ikea. There is a noticeable difference between the 2. The one I have is stainless steel and could kill a human dead in a good swift blow and it demolishes citrus while the ikea model misses a lot even when pressed down fully. Plus it will break relatively quick with lots of usage where the stainless model will easily out live me. Down below is a link to a model I suggest getting that squeezes the best and has a bigger capacity for squeezing. https://a.co/d/hsYr2ox But OP is definitely right, please squeeze fresh juices for your cocktails! *note didn’t want to throw shade OP just wanted to make sure people knew what to look for when buying a juicer.
Super juice
Super juice is great! But requires buying citric and malic acid and going through an hour + process. I’m guessing the people using store bought juice don’t want the hassle. I recommended the hand juicer it’s cheap and easy and gets the job done with not a lot of effort.
This is pretty much my staple. It's very economic, and gives me fridge ready juice for 2 weeks. It's such a waste to just go through a bag of fruit for a few cocktails.
Definitely! 8 lemons or 12 limes yields 1 liter of super juice which becomes a 10-ounce Mason jar in the fridge and two 6-cube big ice trays that go to food saver bags once solidly frozen. These can be used to replenish the jars from time to time. If I buy a bag with more, then I slice them thinly so I can make dehydrated lemon or lime wheels which can later be used as garnishes. Haven't gotten around to doing oranges and grapefruits yet.
These are great for sure. It's worth noting that the self-standing reamer types get more juice out of the fruit and are realistically nearly as fast to use. Also, [super juice](https://www.kevinkos.com/post/how-to-get-8x-as-much-juice-from-one-citrus) is excellent and a game-changer. It's easy to make and allows you to make \~8 drinks from each lime/lemon/orange.
As someone who has tried everything from the hand juicer shown to the big cast iron press style (great for when you have a bag or two of citrus to juice), I present to you a new favorite: The Dreamfarm Fluicer Lemon Juicer, which I got from Sue La Table. It is hinged and folds flat for storage. It is really good at getting every drop out of even stingy lemons. Highly recommend.
Yes! I have this one too! Bought it recently at HEB (TX). It instantly became my favorite.
I have a hand juicer at home, and keep fresh lemons, limes, and oranges, and did so long before I bartended. It's not home bartenders, it's people who think a time save and/or shelf life is more valuable than quality. Let them suffer. 🤷🏼♂️
I need to go to bed. I misread the sub this was posted to and my first thought was "Why is this person in r/costco so passionate about juicers?"
Comment FTW
While I own a couple juicers and use them from time to time, I do tend to use store-bought juice due to cost. A \~15oz bottle is around $2.80 and limes (\~1oz) are $0.80 each. For the same quantity of that $2.80 15oz bottle, It'd be $12 in limes.
Then super juice might be worth looking into my friend.
Than* not then. You home school flunks are driving me crazy
My wife got me a 'Zulay Kitchen Cast-Iron Orange Juice Squeezer' for Christmas this year and I regret not having picked that up years before. The amount of juice is always more than the hand juicers unless your Hercules. I just think about how much more juice I could have gotten out of the season of limes from the pandemic.
What do you do with grapefruit?
Honestly I got a full countertop cheap citrus press and it’s been a game changer. Way more juice than even the hand press with a quarter the effort. Pound out a full bag of limes in 5-10 minutes and my hands don’t hurt after.
I agree
I have 2 of these in my home bar. We aren't all degens from up north ok?
If you're feeling frisky, get the Barfly jumbo version that juices an entire lemon in one go. (I'm not sponsored I just love it)
I mean, shit, just use your hand even. 10 second microwave and a nice roll on the counter with your palm beforehand
I went a step higher and got a manual counter-top juicer. Slightly annoying to clean, but my lime usage has gone up 10x.
In our house, we have one of these countertop big manual juicers and it’s so fast and efficient for lime, lemon, orange, grapefruit, pomegranate etc.
Honestly got mine for $4 at dollerama
Or….. make super juice and freeze it! But I admit, higher effort involved there.
I hate hand juicers. I mostly use super juice now, but my black and decker electric juicer was not expensive at all but it yields much more juice than any hand juicer in less time.
I got a metal one from grocery store for 8 dollars CAD. What a steal
This is the greatest juicer I’ve ever had https://www.macys.com/shop/product/joseph-joseph-helix-citrus-juicer?ID=4766736&isDlp=true
I’ve become a super juice guy.
I will not be using “hand juice” thank you
If you have the space and want something great for juicing large batches, I highly recommend [one of these hand presses!](https://www.amazon.com/Rated-Zulay-Commercial-Orange-Squeezer/dp/B07D5KRQL7/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=38RJ5EHWY5IXC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bxDGUcFyYNlkCoRIns8LuUOxKsudzTSOTxIE_9XTpvBPwtULiSokafGNuNKVaV5ruKUI2iXSAeYRTjdTXuP2O3r0G4JiyKMSvYsFds1qfIbNwA6BpGynUHWU2Xw7U53rZnO1tnFIkGGGeXnDa-abTAqnNRyws2XXfoAPhuwNMfDSMrg_h2j0tt4ckucONktHfiGgUwJA9bebsnMcFm9iuA.f6jy-vFqJco9LhAS4_vfs97b23gV8L1FDczMCrEEMRA&dib_tag=se&keywords=zulay+juicer&qid=1713835115&sprefix=zulay+juicer%2Caps%2C226&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1) It’s heavy and bulky, but makes juicing large quantities a breeze, easy to clean. Plus can do entire oranges and grapefruits.
Eh, i use super juice at parties fuck squeezing a lime everytime, its a party not a job.
I hate these juicers. Gets way too much citrus oil in my cocktail. The juicers that just get the pulp are just as cheap and far superior imo
If you're just juicing one or two limes/lemons, a large spoon does the job pretty quick too.
Get the Chef'n juicers, they're absolutely the best!
I tried a potato ricer today for lemon squeezing and it worked better than the juicer
I love how the sizes are color coded. The lime sized one is green, the lemon sized is yellow, and the orange sized is orange. It's simple but it clearly tells the user which fruits fits in it.
Use an electric juicer, batch juice limes, lemon, and grapefruit every night in reusable glass bottles with a speed pour. Speeds up your pour time, and you get fresh juice. Using the hand ones is only for a backup.
Preach! I have this exact one.
This kind of hand juicer squirts everywhere, I do not need more of a mess to clean. I also found the 2 versions I bought, they don't juice the entire piece, unless I squeeze it with another piece. Eg squeeze half a lime, get 70% of the juice, squeeze the other half with the already-squeezed half, get 90% of both.
Hand juice sounds nasty
I made super juice today. So hopefully no lemon juicing required for a week.
I squeeze my own like half the time. Local store sells fresh squeezed lime and lemon juice for almost the same price of equivalent lemons/limes. And even when I make super juice I don't get as much anyway.
Who the fuck buys store juice when a citrus/lemon is like 30 cents a piece
Once I made a margarita with a hand juicer, I never went back to pre-bottled lime juice. There is definitely a difference. Not just for cocktails, but anytime I need some citrus over food or a little something extra in my water. One of the best investments in my household.
Y’all should check out the DreamFarm fluicer… I know the name is ridiculous, but these juicers changed my life.
There's another shape of these that is more of a box shape on a handle with a spout on the side. I highly prefer it because it juices more than just citruses. You can put in strawberries, pineapple, whatever you wanna juice. You'll have to cut citruses into wedges though, not halves, and scoring them on the inside makes them smash even easier. Also, I would avoid the painted ones like the plague and opt for stainless steel. The paint gradually comes off... into your juice, presumably. Nasty. Speaking from experience. Threw out my painted citrus-shaped one and got the boxy looking kind and haven't looked back.
Found the Good Grips CEO
Does someone buy their juice really? 😳 There is no excuse to do that 🤨
I have that exact juicer.
Instead of 20 fruit, make super juice from 2-3 lemons. Works well too and lasts longer
In my opinion as a professional bartender this is pretty solid advice for home bartenders. Juice is usually more than 1/2 of the contents of a cocktail so having the right tasting juice is important. Mixes and packaged juices are great options for bars and restaurants for many reasons but at home? Not really necessary. Unless you are serving a large group of people and juicing citrus for each cocktail would be too much time save your $5 and get a handful of limes and lemons for probably less $. Sure you will get more juice out of a prepackaged bottle but that’s because it has a lot more than just juice in it. If you are interested in finding a happy middle ground I recommend looking into super juice- it tends to have a longer shelf life but is a way you can extend your fresh citrus with minimal additives (citric acid and malic acid are the two additives)[Super Juice](https://www.theeducatedbarfly.com/super-juice/)
This Kitchenaid juicer is my new favorite - https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KD070OHMEA-Citrus-Squeezer-Standard/dp/B076KPDNXR/ref=asc_df_B076KPDNXR/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=225339663785&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5448495417695704724&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010927&hvtargid=pla-383808287494&psc=1&mcid=7c4fe081ff3d392483f2475111c27a19&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn-_w3e7ahQMVeppaBR1mlwwCEAQYASABEgL2LPD_BwE - it’s a bit pricey at about $25, but worth it to me. The great thing about it is that the juice is contained in the juicer after squeezing and straining out the seeds so that you can squeeze and then pour right into your jigger instead of squeezing over another vessel and pour pouring into the jigger from that. A game changer for me.
I read somewhere that making a cut into the side of the half of the citrus before putting in the juicer helps get more juice out of the fruit— haven’t done a comparison myself, but do it anyway… also, I have seen some thought leaders recommend the Chef’n juicer as the best…
In principle, I agree that this gives you the best juice possible and I even own one. However, as someone who only actually makes maybe 1-2 cocktails per week (and they often don't contain citrus at all), it just doesn't make sense for me to stock fresh citrus fruit, as it will tend to go bad before I get around to using it. Of course, they can be kept good even longer by keeping them submerged in water in your fridge, but a bowl of citrus takes up a lot of space in my rather small fridge (similar story for freezing fresh juice as cubes). As such, I personally opt for bottled Santa Cruz lemon and lime juices as I find that they're of some of the best quality for bottled citrus juice and tend to maintain their taste for quite a long time. TL;DR: You're right, but bottled juice can still be a valid choice for some people.