Keep Lemons on Hand for All Your Cooking Needs

When people think about lemons, it is usually in connection with making lemonade. There are so many other uses for lemons that some cooks might not have thought about. Lemons are sour, but still delicious. They add a powerful kick to many foods and drink other than just lemonade.

Because of the health benefits of lemons, they should be kept on hand and consumed often in various ways. The citrus fruit contains vitamin C and antioxidants as well as antibacterial properties that cleanse the kidneys and liver. Lemons also strengthen the immune system.

Let's see some of the other things lemons can do when you eat them or drink their juice. The list is much longer than you probably know.

Prepare lemon chicken.

Stop eating chicken the same way all the time. Lemon chicken can be made at home like the lemon chicken dishes found in restaurants around the world. While chicken is the main ingredient, lemon or lemon sauce can turn a bland chicken into one of utter delight. Pieces of chicken can be sautéed or coated with batter, deep-fried and covered with a thick, sweet lemon-flavored sauce.

Use lemon juice on and in eggs.

Make the perfect hard-boiled eggs by brushing the shells with lemon juice before adding them to a pot of water. The lemon juice will keep the shells from cracking while the eggs cook. The juice from the lemon also makes hard-boiled eggs easier to peel.

Not only is lemon juice good for hard-boiled eggs, but it is also an excellent addition to scrambled or fried eggs. Add about half a teaspoon of lemon juice to two or three eggs before you put them in the skillet or after they are on the plate.

Lemon juice can keep fruits and vegetables from turning brown.

Certain fruits and vegetable turn brown soon after they are cut. They include apples, avocados, bananas, cauliflower, and peeled white potatoes. To prevent them from turning brown, just squeeze a few drops of lemon juice on them. The acid will prevent oxidation that turns the items brown.

Make lemon deserts.

Every good cook knows how to bake desserts. A lemon chiffon cake is a very light cake that includes the juice and zest of lemons. A lemon meringue pie is made with lemon custard filling and a fluffy meringue topping. Lemon tarts are made with lemon custard in pastry shells.

Use lemons to keep lettuce crisp.

If you are tired of limp and wilted lettuce, you don't have to deal with that any longer. Even if your lettuce has begun to go limp, add a little lemon juice mixed with water over it. The leaves will return to their crispy state, and you can use them in a salad or on a sandwich.

Lemon juice keeps rice from sticking.

There is no need to end up with sticky and clumpy rice every time you cook it. Simply add a few drops of lemon juice to the water before putting the rice in it. An added bonus is that the lemon juice will also whiten rice to make it look great when you put it on the plate.

Use lemon peels to keep brown sugar soft.

If you use brown sugar, you know that sometimes it gets hard in its container. There is a remedy for that. Put a moist and flavorful lemon peel in the box or bag of brown sugar. Be careful to remove all pulp and use only the zesty peel. This will keep your brown sugar soft and more convenient to be used at any time.

Tenderize meat with lemon juice.

Lemon juice is an ideal meat tenderizer because of its acidity. It breaks down the fibers and makes the meat so tender that it will melt in your mouth after it is cooked. Try it the next time you cook a steak, roast beef, or other pieces of meat.

Use lemons to enhance flavor of foods.

There is no need to eat bland foods. Lemon juice can put some kick in any meal. Squeeze some over scrambled eggs, salads, seafood, and raw vegetables like asparagus. Some cooks like to perk up their chicken salad and pasta with a few drops of lemon juice.

Don't limit lemons for only making lemonade.

Lemonade is very quick and easy to make. Simply use the juice of lemons, add water and sugar. For variety, use pink lemonade that is made the same way as regular lemonade, but it is flavored with strawberry, cherry, raspberry juice, or red flavoring.

Most people are familiar with the Arnold Palmer beverage. It is a combination of lemonade and iced tea that is named after the professional American golfer. He often requested and drank this beverage combination. Now others can make their own combination or purchase it from the grocery store that is already mixed with half amount of lemonade and half amount of tea.