Is it okay to use the bottled lemon juice from the store instead of fresh-squeezing it yourself if you want to save time? Rick M., Southlake, TX

Hi Rick!

Shortcuts are great, but sometimes a shortcut can come up a little short. I think it is always better to fresh squeeze your lemons, even if it takes just a little longer. Store-bought lemon juices may say that they’re squeezed from fresh lemons, but they can also contain lemon oil and/or are preserved with sulfur dioxide. So squeeze fresh lemons, as you need them. It’s really easy and you’ll get a much brighter flavor in your dish.

To get even more fresh juice from each lemon without it squirting all over the place, try quickly rolling the lemon on the counter with your hand before you cut it. This helps loosen up the juices that are inside first so they’ll come out much easier. In this short video, I demonstrate a quick and easy way to squeeze all of that juice out of a lemon!

Happy squeezing!

Devin