Making the Most of Your Lemons

This handheld squeeze-type juicer is our go-to for quick and efficient juicing without any seeds.

For cooks who like a simple tool that fits easily into a kitchen drawer, this classic reamer gets the job done efficiently. It's easy to use and clean, but you do need to worry about juice running down your arm, and it won't keep seeds from mixing in with the juice.

For larger extraction projects we like to use an electric citrus juicer. A good one should extract maximum juice with minimal effort and be easy to clean, tidy to store, and quiet enough to use early in the morning. In terms of pricing, these items can range from $20 (our "best buy") to over $200 (our most highly recommended juicer.

Removing the vibrant yellow zest of a lemon without digging into the bitter white pith below is a balancing act. A grater has to dig in—but not too far. We like to use a rasp-style grater for this task; it's great for removing citrus zest, but it can do much more - like grate hard cheeses, ginger, shallots, garlic, and nutmeg.

Sometimes we want wider, longer strips to use as aromatics or to garnish desserts or cocktails. While you could just use a vegetable peeler to remove large swaths of peel and then cut each swath into strips, there are tools that promise to make this process neater and more efficient. These tools typically have two components: a citrus zester, which makes several thin threads of peel at a time, and a channel knife, which cuts a single thicker ribbon of peel.

When we want larger pieces of zest to add to a braise or provide a rustic garnish to a cocktail, a vegetable peeler works like a charm. Just be careful not to press too hard on the citrus; you don't want to extract pith with the peel.