The Biggest Citrus Mistake You're Making, According To Rachael Ray

If you are really in a hurry to juice a lemon, or possibly another type of citrus fruit, then there are plenty of ways to approach this process. You can even juice a lemon without cutting it if you really need to (via Food52). What you might not know, however, are the best ways to do so.

Naturally, one of the best and easiest ways to juice citrus is to use a press (via Epicurious). Juicers are kitchen tools that have two handles and a founded press with holes on one side and an inward indention on the other. However, those who are just slicing and squeezing with the device without giving it any thought might be losing some of the juice in their halved citrus. 

That's why Epicurious suggests you prepare the citrus by rolling it with a pin or your hand on the countertop to loosen the juice inside. The outlet also suggests peeling the lemon, puncturing the skin in multiple places, and halving your lemon lengthwise to create more surface area for the juice to escape while you are pressing it. But, if that still does not seem to be yielding enough juice, or you do not have the proper tools at your disposal, you might want to take your cues from one of America's most beloved cooking experts.

If you do not have a handy citrus press in your arsenal of kitchen tools, Rachael Ray has a hack that will make your citrus-squeezing task a lot easier. Those who are avid watchers of cooking shows have, no doubt, seen many ways to extract citrus juice by hand. Some simply slice and squeeze over their other hand to catch any seeds that may fall. Others use a fork to ring out the juice in each half. But Ray's trick might be the best because it ensures you will not have any rogue seeds slip through.

To juice a fresh lemon or lime, Ray slices it in half, but instead of holding it over her other hand to catch any seeds, she holds each half cut-side up (via Chatelaine). Ray then presses the half in the palm of her hand and lets the juice run up and over the outside of her hand and into the dish. This means you will not have any seeds falling through by accident because they are safely trapped inside the peel. 

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that you might not get as much juice from your citrus using this method.