My Favorite Kitchen Gadget: Hand Juicer {Recipe ReDux}

It’s only a few days until Christmas and if you’re still out there shopping and looking for last minute gift ideas, you may want to check out this month’s Recipe ReDux posts. The theme: Gadget Gifts.

There are a lot of kitchen gadgets that I like to use. A few of my go-to favorite tools are

my Cuisinart Mini Prep Food Processors

Microplane Zesters/Graters

and immersion blenders.

But my absolute favorite is my hand juicer

This may seem like a wasteful tool and something that takes up precious kitchen storage space, but trust me, I use my hand juicer at least twice a week and it makes such a difference in my cooking. Yes, I could use my own hands or a fork to get the juice out of lemons and limes, but that gets messy and you inevitably end up with pits in your juice. With the hand juicer I can get the most juice out of my fruit, keep my kitchen and hands clean, and I don’t need to worry about pits. And unlike electric juicers, you don’t need to deal with a lot of pieces to clean up. You can easily wash the juicer with soap and water, no little nooks and crannies to get into, and no electric cords to worry about.

And don’t underestimate the importance of using fresh-squeezed juice in your cooking. I use the juice of lemons, limes, and oranges all the time. Citrus adds so much flavor without adding sodium and fat. Here is just a small sampling of some of my favorite recipes I make using freshly squeezed juice:

Grilled Salmon Burgers

Thai Peanut Chicken

Poached Salmon with Peach Salad

Orange-Ginger Cranberry Sauce

Fish Tacos (I use it on the fish, in the guacamole, and in the salsa too)

Cilantro-Lime Steak

Tomato Jam

What’s your favorite kitchen gadget? For more inspiration, check out my fellow ReDuxer’s favorites below!

(Also, you may be wondering why I have two of most of my tools. I keep kosher and need a separate one for meat and dairy. Talk about needing space in the kitchen!)