Gadget of the day: Citrus Juicers for the 'Kitch

You want me to squeeze all the juice out of one of these? REALLY? Yes, yes I do - it's for a good cause - honest! It makes the food you cook just seem more alive and zesty and PERKY! So...I went on a mission to try all the Citrus Juicers I could - and I don't know about you? But I have officially run out of counter and cupboard space. I have this slight OCD about serving dishes, and well? It's totally my fault that we don't have space for any more appliances in my 'Kitch. 
<-- This one is my LEAST FAVORITE! First of all - who has enough strength to hand squeeze an orange or lemon or lime? Not me. I mean - WOW CARM, YOU'RE A WIMP! No, I assure you, I'm not - but the point is that you can't possibly get all the juice out of a piece of citrus with your hands and not have any mechanical intervention. It doesn't have to be motorized or anything - and I'm about to share with you some options that you may find interesting. Using your hand to squeese the bajeezus out of a citrus fruit cost: $0.00


This lime juicer may be one of the dingiest juicers I found. 1.) You have to squeeze the DICKENS out of your lime...and this unit screws into your lime and the juice kind of dribbles out of the spout. 2.) This still requires an awful lot of hand and forearm strength. Not good for someone with arthritis or joint issues. BUT - it is good for having fresh smelling lime hands...so - if that's what you're after, leave me a comment, I have a tip for that too! Cost: $5 +/-

Everyone's grandmother has this item. You place this on a low table top, slice your fruit in half and precede to macerate it all over the glass dish until the gutters in the dish fill with juice. It even comes with a handy dandy lip to pour the juice all over your counter while you're trying to aim for a glass. HOW HANDY! You can probably go to a Goodwill and pick one up for $.50 if you really hunted for one. It's also obvious that there are kitchen stores out there that sell a version of this too. Cost: Practically free to $10

This one requires either cupboard space or counter space. And that is what I'm trying to avoid at all costs. I just can't do it. So, I'm just going to move on to the next one because there's not much more to say about this. It IS pretty retro looking so if you're going for a 50's themed kitchen and don't mind dropping $100 on a juicer that will sit there and look chromey and awesome, then knock yourself out, man. I'm not here to tell you NOT to buy something - I'm simply here to share my thoughts. Cost: $100-ish new.

 NOW we're talkin!! The first experience I had with one of these was after I purchased one in a grocery store. It was displayed right next to the limes and I was making one of my favorite dishes that night - Thai Chicken Curry. My mouth just drooled typing that. I'll share the recipe in a later post - so stay tuned!

The first hand held citrus juicer I bought was plastic. It broke almost immediately. Just too much pressure on the wimpy handles and hinge for it to work properly. But - I was able to get through one half of a lime without it completely breaking and saw the potential for this design - so I kept searching for one I liked and came across a metal one of the same concept. I LOVE IT SOOOO HARD!!!

The first time I used it I was head over heels. The juice came out exactly WHERE I wanted it to, there was no extra mess and I didn't waste any of the juice on the counter! BONUS! It was easy to load the fruit and it did an EXCELLENT job of getting every last drop of juice out of the lime I was juicing. It felt like a Christmas Miracle!

One of the best tips I can give to you would be for you to purchase the one that juices ORANGES if you plan on doing ANY juicing at all. I have the lime juicer. Many times I have lemons I want to juice and they will not fit into the lime juicer and if I wanted to juice an orange? FUHGIDDABOUDIT! So my advice is to purchase the ORANGE juicer - a metal one. I'll be honest and say that you are not going to be disappointed. AT ALL. Cost: $20-ish