Chef Carla Hall Says You’re Juicing Your Citrus Wrong

With summer in full force and temperatures rising, an ice-cold drink is a great way to cool off while staying hydrated. One drink I’ve been making on repeat is Strawberry Lemonade—it’s so refreshing on these hot summer days so I’ve definitely been juicing my fair share of lemons lately. If you’re in the same boat as me, and find yourself looking for ways to get the most juice out of the fruit, Carla Hall might have the answer. 

The celebrity chef and former co-host of The Chew is well known for her delicious soul food and bubbly personality. Recently, she gave her best attempt at settling a hot debate on the most effective way to use a popular kitchen gadget: the citrus juicer. 

In a recent Instagram reel, the celebrity chef and cookbook author compared two ways to squeeze the juice out of limes using a handheld reamer. Slicing a lime in half, she tested each option and measured the amount of juice. First, Hall squeezed the juice from a lime half with the cut-side facing down. Then she squeezed the other half in the reamer with the cut-side facing up. 

Hall then compared her results. She yielded 11/2 teaspoons of juice from the half that she squeezed with the cut-side facing up. But using her preferred method—cut-side down—yielded almost twice the amount of juice, with just under 3 teaspoons. 

“Oh. Look here, this is just under 3 teaspoons. Almost double. Almost double!” she exclaimed in the clip, leaning in close to emphasize her satisfaction. The fun debate continued in the comments, with some viewers jokingly denying the evidence of Carla’s experiment and others reluctantly accepting that their technique might not be the most effective.

Still curious about other ways to maximize the amount of juice you get out of your fruit? Many chefs recommend firmly rolling the fruit on a cutting board or counter to soften it. You can also try our surprisingly effective trick of microwaving the citrus for about 20 seconds. After doing so, you’ll have a much easier time squeezing it. And if you ever find yourself with a big batch of citrus that needs to be juiced (looking at you, Costco bag of lemons), you can freeze it for up to a year.

Citrus juice is a great option for brightening up recipes of all kinds, whether you use it to marinate meats, dress salads and more. If you’re looking for inspiration on how to use up that delicious juice, check out recipes like our Lemon-Garlic Marinated Cabbage Wedges or Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake.