One fruit that has proven that little things can have huge surprises hidden in them is lemon. This yellow fruit needs to be present in every kitchen as it is added to various meals for a subtle sour flavor and has a lot more advantages that you might have not even heard about until now. Apart from the health benefits that this citrus fruit provides, it offers a lot of help in and around the house. While you pour yourself another lemon drink on a hot summer day, you will remember how valuable that yellow fruit is. It eases many strenuous tasks and acts as a caretaker in certain cases. Let’s slice open all the lemony secrets here!
Burst Of Vitamin C
Lemons have been a part of the beauty regime for many people because of their antioxidant properties that keep the skin toned and assist in its proper functioning. But your skin is not the only one benefiting from the lemon juice. This citrus fruit may add a perfect flavor to a few of our favorite meals but your kitchen treasures these lemons for so many phenomenal reasons. The ways in which lemons lend a helping hand during cooking are remarkable!
Keeping The Fruits Fresh
If you always forget about the sliced apples and come back to them after they have turned brown, this trick will be your savior. The reason for apples turning brown after being kept in open for a while is the release of an enzyme that reacts with air to form a brown layer on it. Just squeeze a lemon in a bowl and place the apple slices in it and the ascorbic acid present in the lemon would prevent it from going brown. You can use a similar technique for avocados and bananas. Lemon is your weapon here to fight with the unpleasant brown layers on your favorite fruits!
Preparing Flawless Rice
Even though you might have given up on our dream to have fluffy and clump-free rice on our platter, we have a fix for you. Guess the star of the hack – yes, it’s a lemon! All you have to do is add a few drops of lemon juice in the boiling water containing rice. Let the rice cook and when it’s done, you’ll have flawless rice ready to serve. No clusters would be formed and there won’t be any lemon flavor in your rice (in case you are worried about rice turning sour). Moreover, the rice would even be perfectly white and you would not be able to wait before diving in for a scrumptious meal.
Shielding Boiling Eggs
We all have experienced little disasters while boiling the eggs. All that happens inside the container with eggs and boiling water is only revealed after we sieve the water and grab the boiled eggs to peel. It can be quite annoying to see the shells broken when you take them out of the water. To avoid this view, just brush the eggs with some lemon juice before adding them to the cooking vessel containing water. You won’t have to worry about dealing with cracked eggs with this technique. Also, adding a teaspoon of lemon juice to the boiling water before keeping the eggs for a boil will make sure that your effort reduces when it’s time to peel them.
Vanishing The Stench
No one likes to roam around with onion or garlic odor stuck to our hands after peeling or cutting them. It’s never a good idea to sit with people and carry a pungent smell with you. So, here’s the trick to deal with this situation. After having your little session with garlic and onion, prepare a simple mixture. Add lemon juice to a bowl of water and wash your hands with this solution. Your hands will now exude a pleasant aroma. Even just rubbing a lemon on your hands can be effective in such cases but rinsing your hands in the water containing lemon juice would work magically when the odor just doesn’t want to leave your hands. That lime in your refrigerator is essential!
Tender Meat For Dinner
Chewing a slice of meat that’s not cooked properly is something we all have dealt with at one point. We like to relish a well-cooked tender and juicy meat that has all the flavors infused in it perfectly. To achieve that goal of savoring tender meat at home, you can trust the lemons. The lemons are filled with the acid that is capable of breaking down the fibers in the meat and as a result, it becomes soft and palatable. Lemon juice is a great ingredient while marinating the meat. Add a few drops of lemon juice to the marinating mix and keep the meat in it for a few hours before cooking it according to your taste.
Giving New Life To A Wilting Lettuce
When you have planned to have a salad for dinner, it can be quite upsetting to see your lettuce turn soggy. Without fresh and crisp lettuce, salad is always incomplete. So, here’s a trick to add life to that dull lettuce in your kitchen. Take cold water in a bowl and add lemon juice to it (half a lemon would be enough). Place your lettuce in that bowl and keep it in the refrigerator for almost one hour. Dry the lettuce after its stay in the fridge and your lettuce would have taken a new life. Now, you can prepare that salad with refreshed lettuce and savor it.
Lemon For Brown Sugar
We all have struggled with brown sugar storage as finding an airtight container that will keep the sugar fresh and lump-free is a task. Grabbing the container only to find that the brown sugar is now a hard block ruins a lot of our meal plans. Fortunately, there is a trick in the lemon book to keep your brown sugar in its normal state. Just take the peel of half a lemon and add it to the jar containing brown sugar. The sugar will absorb the moisture of the citrus peel and stay slightly wet till further use. You can now fill your tablespoon with lump-free brown sugar in the jar.
Homemade Microwave Cleaner
Lemons can even act as cleaning agents that conveniently remove most signs of dirt leaving a pristine space. There are many appliances and places in our kitchen that need proper cleaning treatment but we feel too lazy to do that. Don’t worry, we have you covered with one brilliant hack. Microwaves are a little tough to cleanse with all the food stains stuck on the walls and base. But don’t underestimate the power of lemon. Fill a microwave-safe bowl with half a cup of water and pour lemon juice in it. Also, add the squeezed lemon to the bowl and keep it in the microwave. Switch it on and let the bowl heat up for about 3 minutes inside it. Let the bowl sit in there for another 2-3 minutes. The steam of lemon water will make the food stains weak and you can scrub them off easily later.
For An Appetizing Repast
Squeezing a lemon over your dish will give it a special twist and even turn it into a healthy meal as lemon juice is a perfect alternative to salt that contains sodium. We consume a lot more sodium than what our body needs. So, lemons can help you lower the intake of this element by replacing salt with lemon juice in your repasts. People have even revealed that adding lemon to any dish makes it full of flavor that might have otherwise faded away due to salt. Try this trick on chicken, vegetables, beef, and even seafood and you’ll have a succulent meal on your platter.
