6 Things to do With Lemon Juice
March 30, 2012
•Le Cordon Bleu
•St. Louis
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6 Things to do With Lemon Juice
You probably pass by them in the market all the time without a second thought as to what you can possibly do with it. A lemon is one of those things that you will usually forgo if the recipe doesn’t call for it. After all, what can you actually do with a lemon? Well you may never look at this fruit the same way again once you learn these 6 tricks that will make you feel kitchen savvy and ready to step into a cooking program to learn even more. In one medium-large sized lemon, you can get 30% of your daily vitamin C dietary needs. This is just one more benefit of diversifying your everyday cooking program.
Lemon zest
It’s rare that you actually can use not only the fruit, but the skin as well. Lemon zest is used to spice up many recipes and add a bit of a zing to the taste. The zest comes from the skin of the lemon and is shaved thinly off into very small pieces. It is then added to many dishes which commonly include menu items like baked goods and puddings. It’s often that one flavor you barely notice is there, however, it contributes it’s sweet and light flavor.
On salad
Salad dressing lovers across the nation might be horrified if they take a good look at the actual ingredients, calories and fat levels in the average bottle of dressing. Fight back against these unhealthy and unwanted diet blockers and go au natural! Next time you get your dinner salad ready, try squirting fresh lime juice lightly over top and enjoy this simple, but tasty, salad topping.
Alongside seafood
Perhaps one of the greatest moments in culinary history was when some ingenious chef came across the wonderfully simple marriage of lemon juice and seafood. Next time you prepare a salmon or any fish fillet, serve a lemon wedge alongside it. Right before you dig in spray this fresh juice right along the top of the fish. The flavor combination is unbeatable.
On a poached egg
This may be seem an unlikely use for a lemon, but actually the juice can help set the egg. Plan and simple, that’s all there is to this cooking technique!
Remove berry or fruit stains from your hands
Fresh berries and fruit are great, but what they do to your hands when you prepare them, not nearly as wonderful. Perhaps one of the messiest fruits that come to mind is the pomegranate. If you have ever enjoyed one of these tasty treats, you know the mess that ensues. Actually, if you have enjoyed a pomegranate in the last day or so, you probably still have the evidence on your hands to prove it. You can remove these stains with a little bit of lemon juice. Simply cut a wedge and rub it along your hands to remove the coloration.
Keep foods from turning brown
If you have ever cut an apple or an avocado and then come back for the other half later, you may find it in a less appetizing state that when you left it. That’s because once these are exposed to the open air, they oxidize or turn brown. While there is nothing actually wrong with the food, it doesn’t look very appealing. If you are making guacamole or putting apple slices on a fruit plate for guests, squeeze lemon juice over the top to temporarily keep the ingredients from turning brown.
Though these 6 uses come in handy, there are many more yet to be discovered. If you are interested in applying to a cooking program and are interested in obtaining formal culinary training, check out Le Cordon Bleu.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in St. Louis. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in St. Louis offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training programs in the St. Louis, Missouri area. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/St-Louis for more information.
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