When Life Gives You Lemons, Use Them For These 8 Citrus Hacks

If you don't have a microplane (the kitchen tool similar to a cheese grater that makes it easy to zest a lemon), you can easily get lemon zest without a microplane. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin off, aiming to get as little of the white parts as possible, and then finely mince the zest with a sharp knife. Voila! Use the zest according to your recipe.

If you don't have use for the lemons or limes you bought but want to avoid throwing them away after spoiling, you can freeze the juice and the zest. Just keep the zest in a freezer-friendly bag and freeze the juice in an ice-cube tray. Thaw it out when you know you're ready to cook with it, and it's as good as new.

The secret to keeping lemons fresh for longer is to store them in a bowl of water. Keep the bowl in your fridge, and the lemons will last for up to three months.

The best way to cut a lime to get the maximum amount of juice is not in half, but in four slices. Stand the lime up vertically on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, make a cut on each side of the lime, coming close to the center. Each "cheek" of the lime is packed with juices, and you can even squeeze a few more drops out of the core. You'll get more than double the amount of liquid than if you cut it in half.

If you're baking an apple pie or any other recipe that requires peeled apples, you want to prevent the apples from browning as they sit out. Any citrus will do the trick, so simply squeeze lemon, lime, or orange juice over the apples to keep them looking fresh.

If you're serving guacamole or dishes topped with avocado, don't forget the lemon or lime juice! Not only does the citrus flavor the avocado, but it also keeps it from browning.

It's important to keep your garbage disposal clean and smelling fresh, so once in a while, dedicate some of your citrus fruits to your sink. Drop some rinds down the drain and run the disposal, and any unpleasant odors will be banished.

Macerating berries is kind of like marinating chicken, and lemon juice is your secret ingredient. To get the maximum amount of juice and flavor from strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, toss the berries in a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of sugar (optional), and let sit for about an hour.