She asked inquisitively, “what is a citrus reamer”?
I offered to make a pitcher of home made lemon-aid for a long time friend of mine. She initially declined saying she didn’t want me to have to go through all the extra trouble of squeezing all those lemons. I told her not to worry because I’d be using a citrus reamer. “What is a citrus reamer?”, she asked inquisitively. So I let her watch while I made the lemon-aide with a citrus reamer.
I thought if she didn’t know what a citrus reamer was, then there must be others out there that can benefit from the explanation that follows.
What is a citrus reamer exactly?
A citrus reamer is a tool that grinds and rips apart the inside flesh of any citrus fruit. As the flesh is ripped apart, fruit juice is released.
Citrus reamers are commonly used to extract the juice from:
- lemons;
- limes;
- oranges;
- grapefruit; or
- any other citrus fruit.
Different types of citrus reamers
Citrus reamers can be made of many materials such as wood, plastic, ceramic, glass or metal.
Each type of citrus reamer is used a little differently. Regardless, they all do the same thing to the citrus fruit…tear apart it’s flesh, resulting in lots of delicious juice.
Three types of citrus reamers are:
- Handheld citrus reamers
- Tabletop citrus reamers
- Electric citrus reamers (also used on the tabletop)
Handheld Citrus Reamers
Handheld citrus reamers are simply a handle with a reamer on the other end.
Some have strainers directly attached to them. These strainers will catch any pulp and seeds that fall away from the fruit.
The reamer you see below has a strainer at the tip of its basin. The basin catches the juice while the strainer at the pouring end catches the pulp and seeds as you pour the juice.
If you own a handheld reamer without a strainer attached, you can easily use a strainer that’s already in your kitchen. That’s what I did in the following video.
Watch the video to quickly see the handheld citrus reamer in action. (no audio)
Tabletop Citrus Reamers
Tabletop citrus reamers come in different varieties. Some are very simple and do not come with a bowl to catch the juice. It’s easy enough to find your own bowl. I just use a big measuring glass underneath instead.
Watch the video to quickly see the tabletop citrus reamer in action. (no audio)
On the other hand, some tabletop reamers are fitted with their very own bowl. These are more stable than the “find your own bowl” variety.
Some tabletop citrus reamers use a basin or rim to collect the juice. If you only need a small amount of juice, these work fine.
Electric Citrus Reamers
Use an electric citrus reamer if you need a large amount of juice. Don’t bother taking one of these out of the cupboard unless you have a recipe that calls for several cups of lemon juice. If you’re making fresh juice for a group of people, I highly recommend using the electric reamer. Otherwise, your arms will get tired twisting and turning your citrus fruit by hand.
Watch the video to quickly see the electric citrus reamer in action. (no audio)
Detailed lemon juicing video tutorials
Learn more about how to juice a lemon using five different tools.