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Here's another Foodie favourite to lecture you on -- Lemon Juice. Foodies will go on about "natural" lemon juice as though it's natural to have any kind of lemon juice in Birmingham, England or Washington, DC.

Lemons weren't really available at all to Europeans or North Americans until the end of the 1800s, and then only to the rich. For the rest of us lot, they were a special treat, and vinegar was used as a souring agent instead. Many of the same Foodies will go on about global trade being unnatural. I guess that doesn't apply to their "natural" Lemon Juice.

Ignore them. Go ahead and keep a bottle of Lemon Juice in the fridge. Granted, you won't want to make lemonade from it, but it's fine in something you are baking, cooking or preserving.

Cooking Tips
Juice a Lemon when it is at room temperature. Or, zap in a microwave from 10 to 30 seconds, depending on the power of your microwave. Until you have tried it a few times with your microwave, be cautious: you want to "loosen" the juice, not boil it. Then, press down on it on your countertop and roll it a bit to loosen up the juice. When you want just a few drops of juice, poke a hole in the Lemon with something like a toothpick and squeeze out what you need. Then use the toothpick to plug up the hole, put the lemon in a plastic bag, and put back in refrigerator.

Equivalents
1 lemon = 2-3 tablespoons juice = 1 to 1 1/2 oz (30 to 45 ml)

Also called:

Other entries for: Lemons

Eureka Lemon, Lemon Juice, Lemon Zest, Lemons, Lisbon Lemon, Meyer Lemon

Other entries for:

Citrus Fruit
Buddha's Hands Citron, Citron, Grapefruit, Kumquats, Limau, Limes, Oranges, Pineapples, Pummelo, Tangelos, Yuzu, Zest

Other entries for:

Hard Fruit
Apples, Apricots, Avocado, Chayote, Guava Fruit, Kiwis, Mangos, Maypop Fruit, Medlars, Melons, Nectarines, Papaya, Passion Fruit, Peaches, Pears, Persimmons, Plums, Pomegranates, Quinces, Red Sorrel, Rose Hips, Sapote, Star Fruit, True Service Fruit

Other entries for:

Fruit
Bananas, Bletting, Candied Fruit, Dried Fruit, Drupes, Olives, Rhubarb, Soft Fruit