Squirt, sprinkle, sliver, slice or wedge. It takes only a little lemon to brighten the taste of produce, poultry, meats, fish, desserts and beverages. Cooks who learn the trick of adding fresh lemon here and there to many of the dishes they prepare soon discover there’s no substitute for the clean, tart juice and aromatic zest.
To increase the amount of juice extracted from lemon, have the fruit at room temperature. Pressing down hard on the lemon with your hand, roll it back and forth on the countertop just before juicing it.
To quickly warm a chilled lemon to room temperature, microwave it at 50 percent power for 1 minute.
To avoid a clash of acidic flavors when serving wine with a menu that includes a vinegar-based salad dressing, substitute fresh lemon juice for all or part of the vinegar.
