Quarantine Cooking with Lemon
Our series on refreshing your cooking during COVID-19 continues with a closer look at one of my favorite flavor boosters: lemon!I don't know about you or your clients, but at this point in the year I'm really looking for some new ways to brighten up our meals. So if you haven't considered what lemons can add to your cooking, now is the time to start!With their tart flavor and bright scent, lemons are a cooking powerhouse. They are also useful in terms of boosting health. Lemons are excellent sources of vitamin C, an antioxidant that protects your cells from free radical damage. Vitamin C boosts your immune system, reduces inflammation, and protects blood vessels.Of course, vitamin C isn't the only helpful nutrient in lemons. There's also limonin, a cancer-fighting element that appears to reduce the risk of breast, colon, lung, and skin cancer. According to the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) "limonoids [have] been shown to help fight various forms of cancer. ARS scientists were the first to show that every time we bite into a citrus slice or drink a glass of orange juice, we can readily access a limonoid called 'limonin.'"Lemons also contain potassium, which is key to helping your heart and nervous system work the way they should.Now I've been cooking with lemons for a long time, so I've picked up some great tips and tricks. For example, did you know that lemons keep much longer in a plastic bag in the fridge? Also, to get the most juice out of your lemon, heat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds on high power. The intense heat ruptures the cells of the citrus, so an average squeeze quickly yields most of the juice.Want to use more lemon in your cooking but aren't sure where to start? Try one of these amazing recipes...
