Great Food Hacks Using Lemons

Have you got lots of lemons? LOVE cooking with them…or maybe not? I’ve got two lemon trees in my yard, and often find myself with way more lemons than I could ever cook with. Well, I’ve got the solution! The great thing is, there are so many other uses for lemons…here are just a few that work wonders in the kitchen. You will never again question what to do with all of those lemons!

Keep guacamole green: Made a big batch of guacamole and don’t want it to turn brown before you serve it? Add a liberal amount of fresh lemon or lime juice. Either sprinkle it on top or stir it into the guacamole and it will stay fresh and green.	Refresh cutting boards: Using it to chop onion, crush garlic, cut raw and cooked meat or prepare fish…it’s no wonder that your cutting boards need refreshing! Get rid of the smell and help sanitize the cutting board by rubbing it all over with the cut side of half a lemon.	Deodorize your garbage disposal: Bad smelling disposal? Here’s an easy way to deodorize it. Save leftover lemon peels, toss them down the drain and run the disposal briefly until you can smell the citrus. Repeat whenever you have citrus peels or once a month.
Prevent browning: A few squeezes of lemon juice can do wonders for avocado, apples and bananas! Because lemon juice is acidic it helps prevent produce turning brown.	Crisp your lettuce : A little lemon juice & water can help your leafy greens. To crisp limp leaves, soak them in a bowl of cold water and ½ cup of lemon juice, then refrigerate for an hour.	Stop rice from sticking: Adding a few drops of lemon to your cooking water helps prevent this. Added tip: the lemon juice also whitens your rice!
Tenderize meat: The acidity breaks down the fibers in meat, leaving it perfectly fork-tender.	Keep brown sugar soft: Add a slice of the skin to your box of brown sugar to keep it from clumping.	Transform a meal: It brightens up creamier dishes and is a great sodium-free substitute for salt.
Cook perfect hard-boiled eggs: Brush eggshells with lemon juice before adding them to the pot. The lemon juice helps keep the shells from cracking while they cook.	Prevent Potatoes from browning: Potatoes as well as cauliflower often turn brown when boiling. Make sure they stay white by adding a teaspoon of lemon juice to the cooking water.	Brighten dull aluminum: Make those dull pots and pans sparkle, inside and out. Just rub the cut side of half a lemon over them and buff with a soft cloth.

Keep guacamole green:

Made a big batch of guacamole and don’t want it to turn brown before you serve it? Add a liberal amount of fresh lemon or lime juice. Either sprinkle it on top or stir it into the guacamole and it will stay fresh and green.

Refresh cutting boards:

Using it to chop onion, crush garlic, cut raw and cooked meat or prepare fish…it’s no wonder that your cutting boards need refreshing! Get rid of the smell and help sanitize the cutting board by rubbing it all over with the cut side of half a lemon.

Deodorize your garbage disposal:

Bad smelling disposal? Here’s an easy way to deodorize it. Save leftover lemon peels, toss them down the drain and run the disposal briefly until you can smell the citrus. Repeat whenever you have citrus peels or once a month.

Prevent browning:

A few squeezes of lemon juice can do wonders for avocado, apples and bananas! Because lemon juice is acidic it helps prevent produce turning brown.

Crisp your lettuce :

A little lemon juice & water can help your leafy greens. To crisp limp leaves, soak them in a bowl of cold water and ½ cup of lemon juice, then refrigerate for an hour.

Stop rice from sticking:

Adding a few drops of lemon to your cooking water helps prevent this. Added tip: the lemon juice also whitens your rice!

Tenderize meat:

The acidity breaks down the fibers in meat, leaving it perfectly fork-tender.

Keep brown sugar soft:

Add a slice of the skin to your box of brown sugar to keep it from clumping.

Transform a meal:

It brightens up creamier dishes and is a great sodium-free substitute for salt.

Cook perfect hard-boiled eggs:

Brush eggshells with lemon juice before adding them to the pot. The lemon juice helps keep the shells from cracking while they cook.

Prevent Potatoes from browning:

Potatoes as well as cauliflower often turn brown when boiling. Make sure they stay white by adding a teaspoon of lemon juice to the cooking water.

Brighten dull aluminum:

Make those dull pots and pans sparkle, inside and out. Just rub the cut side of half a lemon over them and buff with a soft cloth.

Some found at aol.com and Readers Digest.