It’s no wonder that chefs worldwide view lemons with undisguised adoration. Lemons have been beloved for their taste for hundreds of years, have applications beyond just flavor, and, when eaten, they’re effectively vitamin C supplements. Lemons can elevate the flavors and functions of almost any sweet or savory preparation. Thankfully, this has been well-known for a bit longer than a few hundred years, and, as such, the planet is already positively brimming with recipes, tips, and tricks on the optimal way to use them. Greatest of all, lemons are incredibly easy to work with. At the very least, it is advisable to purchase organic lemons. When fresh, they’re brilliantly aromatic, and their naturally smooth, slightly glossy skin makes them easy to handle. In terms of uses, there are at least as many flavors as there are options for their uses. We’ll start off first with a list of basic—though no less exciting—ways lemons make a difference in the kitchen.
There are ten simple reasons lemons may be labeled as the consummate ingredient. Firstly, the fresh aroma of lemons will delightfully snip away any stovetop greases or lingering fish smells from the air and fill the room with their sunshine scent. A piece of lemon, uncased and gorgeous in all its stark white supreme exposure, actually has antibacterial properties. Should one be feeling rather not up to enjoying human company for the moment, a few splashes or spritzing of lemon juice (or a few tablespoons mixed in water) alone will easily turn some battered and bruised, past its prime, terrible-tasting greenery into a crisp, spanking salad. Anything that is tossed in oil is already halfway to the refrigerator. Enter the lemons, which, mixed with the oil, biting zing for ruffled zones, together with a genuinely neat astrological symbol: the mighty strong power in a cute, tiny, low-maintenance cup of combination. These are just a few reasons to sing the praises of lemons. They are much more than garnishes for rotten meats, in musty sour chaats, and our neglected mugs of water on hot, dry summer days. The zest of this fruit yields lemon oil, and the juice and seeds are brimful of vitamins, citric acid, pectin, and probiotic turn. The high pH content of this juice also makes it antimicrobial. Keep reading below to learn more secrets about this fruit.
1. Versatility in Flavor Enhancement
While salt is the universal solution to bring out flavor, lemons come in as a close second. Their juice and zest are some of the most universal weapons in the culinary sphere to balance taste, making them a powerhouse ingredient. In general, acidity vastly improves food by brightening the flavors and awakening the taste buds. Lemons are acidic, giving them the unique power to balance any dish with mild flavors that need enhancement. Lemons add a natural tangy flavor to various dishes. They are also used in many recipes.
The zesty flavor and subtle flair lemons add to some traditional recipes are simply unforgettable. Savory comfort dishes like Smashed Lemon Chicken, Berry Lemon Quinoa, or Tofu Piccata are made so much better when combining lemon juice or adding lemon zest to the marinades and dressings since these simple ingredients cut the palate and take your taste buds on an exciting yet mellow journey. That includes summer in this Easy Lemon Cucumber Salad side and treats like Lemon Lavender Energy Balls, which are tasty and amazing. Additionally, lemon juice can be used in place of vinegar when creating homemade vegan cheeses. The juice will carry plenty of flavor, so lemon juice’s fragility is perfect for customizing cheeses exactly to your liking regardless of application. Citrus can brighten up nearly any savory or sweet dish, this fruit being the most versatile of supplied options. An equal portion of the population is savory and sweet-treat hoarders, so anyone who can nail down both avenues is a winner to all they feed. A nice challenge in utilizing lemons is to fortify different dishes like pastas, salads, fillets, soups, yogurt sauces, and side dishes equally as well as one can arm sweet desserts like custards, sorbets, jams, jellies, pies, quick breads, puddings, and parfaits.
1.1 Brightening Savory Dishes
Lemons have a wonderful ability to brighten up the most savory of dishes. The zest and juice are perfect for accentuating the natural flavors of many proteins and vegetables. Surprisingly, lemon can be every bit as effective at lightening the taste of red meat as it can in a rich, cheese-based sauce. The acidity in lemon juice can even be used to give salads zip, bring depth and complexity to starchy side dishes, elevate fatty or creamy fish sauces, dressings, and soups, and punch up the vibrancy of mild, creamy desserts. Lemons contrast just about any dish where you want the flavors to really pop. The thing about acid is that our palates really perk up when acidity is present; it quickens the senses and gives a nice ‘wake-up’ call to the taste buds. Too much of this little wonder and the dish will start to taste bitter, but many of our favorite recipes that rely heavily on fats for their flavor often benefit from the addition of a touch of lemon too.
Technique tip: When using lemon zest in savory dishes, use a microplane to zest it directly over the bowl you are mixing in. There are a lot of essential oils in lemon zest, and they will dissipate after they are exposed to the outside air, so this way you will capture most of the oils by grating the skin directly over where you’re cooking. When adding lemon juice, squeeze the lemon directly into your hand to catch the seeds as the juice passes through your fingers and into the bowl. A good rule of thumb is to use 1 tablespoon of lemon zest for every lemon in the recipe and to match that amount in lemon juice. Use half of the allotted amount of lemon juice at first, and then taste before adding the remaining lemon juice. If the dish tastes appropriately tart before adding all of the juice, don’t add the rest of it. It’s better to get a good balance at first, and then add more as needed.
1.2 Balancing Sweet Treats
When it comes to creating desserts, lemons play a very potent, albeit contrary, role. As sourness hints at bitterness, the other primary taste, along with salty desserts, would seem to be the last place to bring lemon and its acidity to the fore. However, lemons seduce sweetness into surrender with their multifaceted tartness. This hidden side of lemons tends to upend the established notion that desserts should not contain any sour. Tart baking gives desserts a vivid flavor quality possessed by sour candies. This tart attraction endures for a couple of bites rather than wearing out like sweetness; the lips pucker, but then the mind ponders. Rebel lemon desserts are a growing and thriving trend that responds to our collective palate memories taking interest anew.
Lemon, the star transforming both our drinks and palates, has an almost alchemical ability to tweak sugar and dairy concentrates into becoming foods with levity and an airier constitution: a slice of lemon yogurt cake, the zesty lemon mousse, or a drizzle of lemon glaze crowning a cinnamon roll—all score high in desserts calibrating this contrast. The bright acidity concentrated in the lemon juice or the lemon zest also aids in cutting through overtly rich, carb-heavy desserts such as shortbread cookies while ditching chemical leaveners. However liberal or restrained the hand may be, lemon zest or juice harmonizes with the other ingredients to dish out balance in terms of sweetness and tartness. Balancing these dual tones creates versatile treats that even the most sensitive eaters can relish. The recommendation for lemon’s sweetness is to utilize less rather than more, for the aftertaste characterizes the slender line it walks gracefully and effectively. Sweet nothings and sour endings partake in a contented and long partnership owing to the successful catchphrases such as sweet and sour chicken or maybe the most enigmatic lemon curd and meringue. In Mediterranean, Anglo-Indian, and a plethora of other culinary traditions, the sour is cherished as a balancing plus point in cakes such as the Lemon Polenta Bundt Cakes and Lemon Ricotta Cheesecakes, both of which have defined their sturdy footing in the café scene. Not only the naked or frosted cakes, bakers on the shores go crazy over the mild citrus drops that double up as a template offering liberty by way of fruit or berry mixtures.
2. Preservation and Freshness
Preservation and Freshness: Lemon juice is magical and can work miracles in your kitchen. It is a natural preservative, which means you won’t have to worry about the growth of bacteria and the rapid spoiling of various prepared foods when a little lemon juice has been added. Enzymatic browning is a reaction that occurs when fruits and vegetables are exposed to oxygen after being cut. This chemical reaction creates a brown or black color in the food that most people view as unappetizing. The acid in lemon juice inhibits this reaction, therefore extending the freshness and usage of your cut produce. Cut apples or pears will show minimal browning when soaking in water with a little lemon juice added to it. Simply coat your produce in lemon juice before exposing them to air, or create a water bath with lemon juice and let the produce sit in it for a few minutes. Consequently, adding a bit of lemon juice to canned goods such as a jar full of fruit compote or a jar of tomato sauce will preserve or maintain that fresh flavor when you’re ready to use them, weeks or even months later! If you’re an artisan or selling home canned foods, you want all your goods to be deep in color and show freshness. This calls for more lemon juice, of course! In the culinary world, the term “eating with your eyes” is not an exaggeration. With all things considered, including presentation, use lemon juice to reduce food waste, especially with fruits you don’t want to brown, pre-sliced fruits, and cut fruit for fruit salads and stir-in fruits for batters.
2.1 Preventing Browning in Fruits and Vegetables
One of the reasons why lemon juice is so popular in freshly cut fruit applications is its effectiveness at preventing browning. Browning occurs when the phenolic compounds present in fruits and vegetables are enzymatically oxidized by polyphenol oxidase to form o-quinones. O-quinones either rearrange to form brown-colored polymers or react with innate amino acids to form those same pigmented browning products. The cut material imparts a bitter, astringent, and sometimes metallic taste to the dish. Lemon juice, with its natural acidity, deposits protons directly onto the enzymatic active sites of the polyphenol oxidase enzyme, acting as a win-win command to the enzymatic conversion of phenolic compounds. The concentration of available protons also reduces the chance of the enzymes interacting with the phenolic compounds through product inhibition.
Halting the enzymatic browning process adds a vibrant, fresh pop of color to dish presentations, especially in fruit salads. By taking advantage of lemons’ natural properties, these colorful internal features can now be initiated in salad preparations, even when fruits and vegetables are cut and served on a vegetable platter. Another consideration is that fresh looks are equivalent to the fresh taste in customers’ minds. Lemons support a dish’s overall external and interior appeal and ensure customers can enjoy the taste and full nutritional benefits through finishing touches that make their plates shine and satisfy their stomachs. Lastly, we recognize that anything that can be done to extend the shelf life of a dish is pure economics. The more we have to throw away, the smaller our margins. Leaving mushrooms on a shelf as little as a day too long results in over $100 of wasted goods. Prewashing, trimming, cutting, and then bathing edges and raw sliced mushrooms in a solution of freshly squeezed juice and diced lemons can extend a dish’s journey from the à la carte list to the tabletop. It also frees up labor for cooking customer orders since much of the time-consuming work on the prior shift has already been done. Plus, lemons cost less than 25 cents each, a very affordable commercial-quality slicing and dicing tool! (Zhang et al.2022)
2.2. Extending the Shelf Life of Foods
The fruits that are high in citric acid, like lemons and limes, have other uses for preservation. Pathogenic and spoilage organisms will not grow in lemon juice with a low pH value of 2.5 to 2.7. It has also been shown that pathogenic and spoilage organisms cannot grow on foods if a combination of pH below 4.6, water activity below 0.91, and storage temperature below 41°F can be used. Chefs are using many original methods of incorporating lemons into food preservation. For example, meats are being marinated in lemon juice to increase flavor and reduce spoilage, as this will allow the meats to be stored longer in the cooler or freezer and will extend their shelf life. Chefs also use lemon oils to help preserve the taste of fresh herbs longer by adding them to the herb oil. Many different varieties of plants for fruits and vegetables can be stored longer by using lemon and its juices, as this will maintain their fresh, crisp taste longer than otherwise.
An example is rubbing cut apples with lemon juice to keep the apples fresh longer, or chilling apples in ice water with lemon juice. Citrus fruits are known for their preserving abilities as they have low pH. The primary benefit is to retard food spoilage, thus improving the safety and shelf life of the foods. This is important because now more chefs know that the cost of food spoilage versus the cost to use some very acceptable, but not spoilage-grade, fresh produce can be generalized. The bacteriostatic effect of lemonades was mainly due to the metabolism of pathogens involved, and secondly, lactate formation, as a function of pH, was not the only effect and was different for different strains tested. The penicillin of the lemon waste took the greatest variation in the length of sour cream inoculated, so one can conclude that the lemon waste was certainly bacteriostatic.
3. Culinary Alchemy: Transforming Dishes
When Lemon Juice joins the crew in the kitchen, magic happens. The reason? Lemon juice is an acid, and acids perform kitchen-selected acts of culinary alchemy that are as fun to pull off as they are convincing when you’ve got guests to impress. Two amino acids in proteins — lysine and hydroxylysine — are negatively charged; if you catch them in a negatively charged acidic marinade, they’re not inclined to turn into rogue molecules and toughen the liquid they’re suspended in. The very best use of an acidulated marinade, then, is on proteins that aren’t just lean but over-lean: cuts of meat from a past-their-prime parent, or above-board healthy meats — chicken being prime among them — that are cut beautifully into chunks, pounded into submission, or ground up into a frankly charming flourless meatball. Marinate one of these for even an hour, and you won’t get lean bites; you’ll get lean bites suffused with mystery, buttery tenderness, and good manners. You have, in essence, a lemon to thank.
Another lemons-at-their-best kitchen embrace is in the art of emulsification. Put simply, emulsification is the process of using a kitchen hack to bond two completely incompatible ingredients. The most common of these culinary incompatibilities are fats and water, one so very clearly defying the other that they settle into two separate layers in salad dressings and sauces. Queue up the scene-stealer in lemon juice, and suddenly your “oil and vinegar” deal becomes a seamless, indecipherable unit, gracefully drizzling atop your greens; your oil and egg yolks become one in homemade mayo — ignited all the more by the kinds of diversity a lemon can bring to the table as the oil-and-acid combo moves from the recipe to your meal. A quick drizzle of warm lemon-spiced hollandaise over asparagus. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy. Dressing for a moment beneath the bubbling broil of a tart-sweet dessert. With the touch of any acidic juice or coarse wine, breaking ways — their marriage only the affair of the temporarily lip-smackingly political.
3.1. Tenderizing Meat
While lemons don’t truly “cook” meat like prolonged exposure to heat does, they can most certainly be used to change the texture of a piece of meat to make it seem almost as if the lemon put in that effort. The acid in lemon juice—citric acid specifically—provides a one-two punch of flavor and tenderization by breaking down the proteins in meat. On a very basic level, meat is muscle, and muscle is made almost entirely of proteins (about 75-80% depending on the species and the cut of meat). Lemon’s acid breaks down these proteins, causing the muscle to soften and giving it a texture that is closer to that of cooked muscle than raw muscle. This makes for a more tender bite as well as likely increasing its overall flavor. Something cooked tends to taste better than something raw, right? The innately strong, sometimes pungent flavor of lemon can also help to offset any “meaty” flavor in the protein, allowing you more direct control of the flavor profile.
More Flavor: Because of citrus’ unique flavors, marinades that utilize lemon and other citrus can add a subtly tangy undercurrent that other acids do not. Additionally, because of the aforementioned chemical tenderization, the structure of the meat itself is being flavored, adding to citrus’ benefit. Success Stories: Lemon juice is the primary ingredient in various dishes. Some of the world’s most beloved and famous meat dishes are built on this simple principle. Marinating: Simply pour lemon juice over the meat and let it rest for 30 minutes to 2 hours. The longer it stays in contact with the protein, the more tenderizing it will do, but too much time will start to “denature” the meat. This is the step called “ceviche”. A version of the dish in which raw fish, shellfish, or both are marinated in citrus juice. The juice’s acid causes the seafood’s proteins to become “denatured”. They unfold and tangle, with the appearance and texture of being cooked. For many, however, ceviche is seen as a kind of salsa because they didn’t let the meat get denatured and cooked by the acidity.
Marinades made from lemon and olive oil, and often including herbs and/or spices, provide a lot of flavor with minimal work. A simple lemon marinade would be the juice of 1-5 lemons (or whatever you prefer), 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, and any herbs or other spices that you fancy. Woody herbs like rosemary, thyme, dried oregano, and sage, spices like paprika, coriander, and black pepper, and garlic powder do well with lemon, but this is really a “mix and match” kind of flavor combo. Keep in mind, though, that “more” isn’t always better. The juice of a given amount of lemons is acidic and can begin to “cook” meats like fish or shrimp if left too long or kabob and chicken too much or too long. For very quick-cooking proteins, like the previously mentioned fish or shrimp or thin cuts like flank steak, 30 minutes is probably more than enough. The larger and denser the protein, the longer you can let it marinate, up to about 2 hours for a denser muscle like pork or breast meat. For things that are flaky or already denatured like fresh homemade mozzarella or soft summer vegetables, be conservative and check them often. Consider “cooking” them with the marinade.
3.2. Emulsifying Sauces
If you’ve ever worked in a professional kitchen, you may have overheard your chef say, “balance.” For dishes that are harmonious or delicious enough to be memorable, ingredients must be balanced and cohesive, coupled by technique in order to produce what is almost purely a singular flavor with layers or complementary attributes. The role of the main flavor profile is to provide that single, often soulful flavor, and the purpose of the accompaniments or ingredients that play supporting roles is to enhance or provide contrast and, in turn, dimension. In many cases, lemons are used as the medium to fulfill or achieve these requirements when brought together.
Sauces and emulsions are, at their core, a certain combination of water-soluble and fat-soluble ingredients brought together in one stable, flavorful mixture. The acid of the lemon can also do all kinds of things to eggs, most notably, stabilize them, which is why the lemon is such an integral part of making mayonnaise or hollandaise. The recipes below will give you a place to start, but don’t be afraid of experimenting. The type of oil you use and what you’ll need to put into it are up to you and your taste preferences. Emulsify away! Knowing the technique is very important in emulsified sauces. Oil and lemon, for example, don’t naturally like to mix together since they’re not naturally cohesive. Relying heavily on the power of whisking quickly and adding the oil in a slow, steady stream while continually whisking the mixture together is what forms the dressing. Combining the oil and the vinegar or lemon juice together quickly ensures you won’t run the risk of separating the dressing after you’ve spent all of your time meticulously adding the oil to the lemon juice. (Rognså, 2021)
4. Nutritional Benefits
We all know the importance of nutritious foods. We are also familiar with the exceptional qualities of citrus fruits. Lemons shine in their ability to contribute nutritional benefits to diets everywhere. They have an impressive vitamin C content, which means that they can support a person’s immune system by enabling the body to fight off bugs and germs. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant, protecting the body against the destructive effects of free radicals. Furthermore, antioxidants can improve the appearance and health of a person’s skin. One of the most common health concerns is low iron levels. When someone eats iron-rich foods with a source of vitamin C, they can enhance iron absorption. It is reasonable to start a trend of having spinach tossed with some lemon juice instead!
Our modern lifestyles tend to leave many of us with less energy at the end of the day than we would like, so most individuals will desire a diet that lets them consume more food for fewer calories. Lemons contain only a handful of calories, meaning they are diet-friendly. This property is also true of the zest that can be grated from lemons. Lemons are 88% water, so they can contribute to hydration. It is said that adequate hydration can improve brain function, reduce the risks of headaches, and optimize a person’s physical and emotional health. In other words, lemons were made to help individuals lead healthy lifestyles. (Singh et al.2021)
4.1. Rich in Vitamin C
If you think of lemons in terms of their nutritional value, they are sometimes considered a stealth health food. This is because just a quarter cup of lemon juice provides 31% of the daily recommended intake for vitamin C. Lemon zest, or the bright yellow, shredded skin of a lemon, also contains enough vitamin C to offer lesser-known but proven health benefits. Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is an essential micronutrient that’s especially well-known for supporting immune function. More than 20 different enzymes in the human body require vitamin C to become activated, which in turn is helpful for overall cellular health and energy. Additionally, vitamin C also appears to reduce one’s risk of becoming sick in the first place. As an antioxidant, it’s linked with reduced inflammation and offers some level of protection against the development of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. In addition, because it is water soluble, vitamin C helps the body shed unwanted waste during detox. Given that many people don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables to meet their daily recommended vitamin C intake, it’s safe to say that most of us could use more of it in our diet. In fact, adults are advised to eat at least one serving of citrus per day to meet basic vitamin C needs.
In terms of skin health, vitamin C is also a key molecule involved in synthesizing collagen, a protein that helps keep the skin supple, healthy, and youthful in appearance. Collagen is also required for overall wound healing, and individuals are likely to age more quickly when their diet is low in this vital nutrient. As an antioxidant in its own right, consuming vitamin C should also slow down premature aging by slowing the speed at which wrinkles and fine lines develop. Many of us want to take in enough vitamin C to take advantage of its benefits, but we’re unsure how to squeeze lemons into our days. If that’s you, try out one of these inventive yet easy recipes that will help you increase your antioxidant intake this summer. (Richa et al.2023)
4.2. Antioxidant Properties
One of the key properties of lemons that have made them a household ingredient over the centuries is their natural antioxidant superpowers. The combination of flavonoids, which are plant compounds known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, and vitamin C share the limelight for creating that robust defense against oxidative stress within the body. A wealth of research has found that including antioxidant-rich plant foods in the diet positively impacts heart health by helping to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure levels, as well as the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Experts recommend adults consume an average of 45 mg of vitamin C per day; just one fresh lemon contains close to two-thirds of that: nearly 30 mg of vitamin C per average-sized fruit. Throughout history, plant extracts and oils from lemons have also been used to improve the skin, support oral health, and offer remedies and relief from cold and flu symptoms. As well as zeaxanthin, a phytochemical that gives lemon zest its signature yellow color, antioxidants found in lemons include a variety of other flavonoids and even a splash of vitamin E. But it is not just the splash of vitamin E that makes this a powerful antioxidant; it is the right combination of these elements, found in the fruit and oil, that deliver anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, antioxidant magic. As modern research continues, you may be shocked to learn that diet can even help prevent wrinkling and sun damage to the skin. A diet rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants has been associated with a reduced risk of developing wrinkles and a variety of skin aging signs. Given this information, here are four ideas and recipes to help you get your antioxidant boost from lemons into your meals, drinks, and snacks this week. (Drisko, 2020)
5. Aesthetic Appeal and Garnishing
Lemons are the aesthetic cherry on top of an appetizing cake. The bright, bold, and effervescent color of a lemon slice or its vibrant yellow zest used as garnish can be a game-changer when dressing up a dish or cocktail. Every chef knows that you taste a dish with your eyes first, and the glossy yellow rind and juicy white flesh of the lemon act like a magnet drawing your attention. Without consciously switching to bright colors, some routine and gourmet dishes can be color-blind to the human eye. And the brighter the color doesn’t only bring beauty; it’s also super-rich in antioxidants. Most fine dining establishments pride themselves on plating up visually attractive dishes, and when doing so, will pay sentimental notice to everything on the plate, down to the smallest micro-ingredient and the way it’s cut or placed. The way and basis of placing the edible art stuff, like the lemon, is up to you. Creativity knows no boundaries. Some people may place a lemon wheel resembling a sun disc in the middle of the drink, while others may like to invoke a spiral or rosette. The zest can be sprinkled into shapes too, to make it fun, for instance, a face, a flower, or a customer’s initials. Lemon juice-based sauces are used in the enabling process of porcelain painting; the acid combines with the minerals in the colors. Then there’s also the mood board of colors. A lemon wheel and zest will most usually be cut and laid on top of the dish afterward. Why not include lemons in a dessert wine as well?
Some people may get really quirky and use cut-out peels to make tiny lemon hats for goldfish or make a serving platter with a lemon cut in half to make serving gadgets. In the end, this garnishing art is what makes your dish stand apart. Art on a plate is something that invites common interest, commentary, and discussion between the servers and customers, and anyone else who sees the dish being made or served. With this in mind, it’s useful to experiment with different types of plating styles and herald the present pleasures of simple but effective citrus in form, color, and flavor.
6. Household and Cleaning Uses
The natural acidity of lemons makes them an effective natural degreaser that can be used in more than one way inside and outside the kitchen. Lemon juice can be used to help loosen food stuck on surfaces, and lemons themselves can be used to deodorize and scrub pots and pans with a bit of kosher salt. Toss a lemon peel in the trash to help eliminate odors and freshen the kitchen. Lemon juice can be used to help remove rust and juice stains, and lemon peels steeped in vinegar can be used as a natural and fragrant all-purpose cleaner. Soften clothes naturally by adding 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the rinse water. The natural acidity of the lemon can also help dissolve dish soap, leaving glasses and cutlery spot-free and streak-free. There are incurable intrinsic stains that require removal, including coffee, tea, juice, and wine, that occur after a stain has time to set. Soak the stain for 30 minutes in a mixture of one tablespoon of lemon juice and one cup of water before adding fabric-safe bleach to the wash.
The acidic composition of lemons is made up of citric acid that helps bleach out stains and lightens up and aids in the removal of mildew and soap scum from grout when a halved lemon is used to scrub at the fibrous space. Lemon juice has natural disinfectant qualities. If you mix the juice with water and mist it on your countertops, cutting boards, and other areas that can potentially harbor unpreserved food, let the mixture sit for a few minutes before wiping clean to subdue such microbial activity. If you are running your dishwasher at night when your family is sleeping, or if you have an extra stinky load of dishes, you can add two tablespoons of lemon juice to the bottom of the dishwasher. Along with the gentle abrasion provided by the salt, the natural acidity of lemons enhances their degreasing capabilities when handling smelly disposal areas and helps to remove lingering aromas. Add half a lemon and a teaspoon of kosher salt to the disposal to keep it smelling fresh and to remove any general gunk buildup. Grind while running cold water for approximately twenty seconds before turning off the disposal and water and disposing of what’s left down the drain. With minimal effort and no extra expense, keeping lemons on hand for household chores can be an eco-friendly alternative to help minimize harsh chemical usage in your home.
References:
Zhang, Xiaoyan, et al. “Browning inhibition of plant extracts on fresh‐cut fruits and vegetables—A review.” Journal of Food Processing and Preservation 46.5 (2022): e16532. [HTML]
Rognså, G. H. “Sauces: Hollandaise Sauce.” Handbook of Molecular Gastronomy, 2021. [HTML]
Singh, Nitika, et al. “Features, pharmacological chemistry, molecular mechanism and health benefits of lemon.” Medicinal Chemistry 17.3 (2021): 187-202. [HTML]
Richa, Rishi, et al. “Citrus fruit: Classification, value addition, nutritional and medicinal values, and relation with pandemic and hidden hunger.” Journal of Agriculture and Food Research 14 (2023): 100718. sciencedirect.com
Drisko, J. A. “Orthomolecular Approaches for the Use of Intravenous Vitamin C: Administration by Integrative and Naturopathic Doctors.” Cancer and Vitamin C, 2020. [HTML]
