How to Make Lemon Juice From Grated Lemon Peel

A bright yellow lemon peel surrounds the vesicles that contain the juice of the lemon fruit. To extract lemon juice, whole fruit must be squeezed to break the vesicles and release the juice inside for cooking. This lemon juice, according to David Joachim, author of "The Science of Good Food," contains 5 percent acid and 2 percent sugar. This makes real lemon juice a mouth-puckering drink, but the citrus flavor of lemon also lies in the lemon peel, also known as the flavedo. This flavedo contains most of the flavorful essential oils and vitamin C of the fruit, notes David Joachim, and it can give a lemon flavoring without using lemon juice.

Things You'll Need

• 1 tsp. sugar
• ½ cup mild white vinegar (5 percent acidity)
• ½ cup water
• 2 tsp. grated lemon peel
• Resealable glass jar

Instructions

1. Pour the sugar, vinegar, water and lemon peel in a resealable glass jar.

2. Cover the jar and shake to combine the ingredients.

3. Let the jar sit in the refrigerator overnight for the flavors to meld.

4. Use this lemon juice for an equal amount of fresh-squeezed lemon juice in recipes.

References

• "The Science of Good Food"; David Joachim, Andrew Schloss; 2008
• Doylestown Hospital: How to Make Lemon Juice
• North Dakota State University: Cooking Substitutions

Resources

• All Recipes: How to Zest Citrus
• Epicurious: Recipes for Cooking with your Homemade Lemon Juice