642663 Thu Aug 06 18:26:28 -0700 2009 35 41 Cookware 0 4924469 Long story short. I hate having citrus juice on my fingers so these juicers look like the way to go for me. But are they strong enough to withstand a few years of use? Or are they more of a kitchen gimmick and I'm just asking for trouble? Cheers :-) Thu Aug 06 18:26:28 -0700 2009 222454 snax 1 4924527 DO IT! Or, as they said in the 70s, "Try it--you'll like it!" I learned of this kitchen tool here (after hand-squeezing an entire bag of key limes--whattachore!). LOVE IT! I've only had mine for a few months, but it certainly seems sturdy and I'm sure it will withstand many years of use. As far as I know, this product is heartily Chowhound-endorsed. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay all the way! Thu Aug 06 18:44:26 -0700 2009 4924469 249664 kattyeyes 2 4925371 I have one of those electric rotating reamers. Does an excellent job but it needs to be extracted from its hiding place, plugged in, used, cleaned and returned to the aforementioned spot. I would like a quick squeeze, so I am asking you... Will the large (orange) squeezer work well with lemons and limes? Fri Aug 07 06:14:08 -0700 2009 4924527 154622 Paulustrious 3 4925974 I have the lemon one and use it for both lemons and limes, so I don't see why not. Fri Aug 07 09:27:29 -0700 2009 4925371 249664 kattyeyes 1 4924530 i've never used one...but i find the fork method to be incredibly effective - just stab and twist. if you'd rather squeeze, just use a pair of tongs; no need to clutter the kitchen drawer with another gadget. Thu Aug 06 18:45:25 -0700 2009 4924469 103920 goodhealthgourmet 2 4924546 Trust me when I tell you this, if you had a bag of key limes in front of you, you would wish you had one of these. I manually squeezed an entire bag of limes back in the spring and I thought my hand was gonna fall off! ;) I definitely think you get more juice out with the tool than with a reamer (or a fork). Thu Aug 06 18:52:43 -0700 2009 4924530 249664 kattyeyes 3 4924564 i'll take a picture of the next lime i "fork" and post it for you. you wouldn't believe how thoroughly it cleans them out! Thu Aug 06 19:00:30 -0700 2009 4924546 103920 goodhealthgourmet 4 4924573 Game on, but I still won't take my kung fu grip off my lemon squeezer. Cats like toys, you know--esp. kitchen toys! ;) Thu Aug 06 19:04:21 -0700 2009 4924564 249664 kattyeyes 3 4925587 Trust kattyeyes. I *love* mine. It is so fast and effective and best of all keeps nearly all the seeds out of the juice. I would never give it back after having it for a couple months. Fri Aug 07 07:38:33 -0700 2009 4924546 18353 DGresh 1 4925798 yea. and if you want to do oranges, get a larger one, hand held, or "pro" on a stand, like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/COMMERCIAL-JUICER-ORANGE-JUICE-SQUEEZER-LEMONAID-WOW_W0QQitemZ220452719265QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3354018aa1#ht_1636wt_717 Fri Aug 07 08:33:46 -0700 2009 4924469 105717 alkapal 1 4925976 I have had mine for about 6 months and LOVE LOVE LOVE it for squeezing citrus. I saw a bartender using one to make a cocktail for me a while ago and thought, "if that's what they use it must be good" and I wasn't mistaken. So far the durability seems to be spot of. I got a lime squeezer and think in retrospect a lemon or orange squeezer may be more practical, but overall I think this is one of the best kitchen gadgets I've bought. Use it at least once per week, and still marvel at how well it works. Fri Aug 07 09:27:41 -0700 2009 4924469 198247 stomsf 2 4926255 They're ubiquitous in Mexico (primarily unpainted aluminum). Many street vendors use them for a quick finish of lime juice on your street food. Fri Aug 07 10:50:22 -0700 2009 4925976 202198 ferret 1 4926305 I've had one of the yellow enameled ones for 5 or 6 years now and I LOVE it -- it's by far the best juicer I've ever used and it's still going strong. Only complaint is that after 5-6 years of use the enamel is starting to wear a bit from the acid in the lime juice -- I'd get one of the plain aluminum ones. Fri Aug 07 11:05:19 -0700 2009 4924469 10669 Amuse Bouches 1 4927074 I see that Amco will be releasing a 2-in-1 lemon/lime squeezer. Amazon is offering it at $22. http://www.amazon.com/Amco-8720-2-in-1-Squeezer/dp/B000VB6M3W Fri Aug 07 15:31:57 -0700 2009 4924469 1094998 cityhopper 1 4927758 Hey thanks ppl for the input. So the lemon squeezer would work well for limes too? No need for both? And after poking around on Amazon I came across this: Norpro Stainless-Steel Citrus Juice Press http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Stainless-Steel-Citrus-Juice-Press/dp/B0002IBOAK/ref=pd_sbs_k_5 The fact that it's stainless steel and unenamaled (so no flaking of the enamale) really caught my eye. Should I just stick with the Amco Lemon Squeezer and just replace every so often? Fri Aug 07 20:46:38 -0700 2009 4924469 222454 snax 2 4928007 that stainless steel one doesn't seem as heavy-duty as the enameled aluminum one, but i guess the aluminum one has to be thicker than the stainless one for the same strength. don't get two hand held ones -- get the larger one that'll handle lemons, limes, small oranges.... do you want to stick to hand held, or will you be wanting fresh oj? if oj is in the offing, i'd get the stand-alone citrus press i link above. Sat Aug 08 02:01:21 -0700 2009 4927758 105717 alkapal 1 4927786 ok, so i've clearly been out-voted here...and of course after hearing all of these raves now i want one! Fri Aug 07 21:09:56 -0700 2009 4924469 103920 goodhealthgourmet 2 4928058 HA HA, the power of Chowhound strikes again. ;) I love when this happens. Sat Aug 08 03:44:41 -0700 2009 4927786 249664 kattyeyes 1 4928129 I have an electric reamer - at least that's my name for it - that will work on limes and grapefruit. It does an excellent job of extracting juice. The problem is that it has to be taken out of a cupboard, plugged in, used, cleaned, dried and put away. For half a lemon this is just too much effort. My question is to someone who owns both types. How does the percentage juice extraction compare between one of those and an amco? I used to have a mighty something-or-other that was a counter -top version of an amco with a pull down lever. I was never happy with it and eventually gave it away. At the time I had no idea you could/should invert the fruit. Sat Aug 08 05:31:35 -0700 2009 4924469 154622 Paulustrious 1 4928174 Unfortunately no one has mentioned that this squeezer doesn't solve your problem of getting the juice on your fingers. It might be possible if you do just one lemon but sooner or later your fingers will be covered in juice. I think you would do better with a standard electric juicer. Sat Aug 08 06:09:04 -0700 2009 4924469 112335 mexivilla 2 4928198 I don't really get any juice on my hands; I just dump the (pretty dry) shell of the lemon right into the compost bin out of the juicer. Sat Aug 08 06:20:59 -0700 2009 4928174 18353 DGresh 2 4928199 If you're squeezing the handle, it certainly removes your hands from physically touching the fruit (except to place it in the squeezer). What am I missing? Sat Aug 08 06:21:43 -0700 2009 4928174 249664 kattyeyes 3 4929072 Super hate having the juice on my fingers, but I think I'd be skillful enough to manage one lime/lemon with little trouble, and if I did a whole bag, I'd put on a glove or a plastic bag on my hand. But the fact of the matter is that my hand isn't on the fruit squeezing. Sat Aug 08 14:10:21 -0700 2009 4928199 222454 snax 3 4930207 As I said squeezing just one or two wouldn't be a problem. But try doing a couple of dozen for Margaritas for a party and the juice just manages to to squirt out particularly if using one from Mexico where the two pieces are held together with a bent nail. Incidentally I assume everyone knows to warm up the lemon/lime in the microwave before juicing. Sun Aug 09 06:04:00 -0700 2009 4928199 112335 mexivilla 4 4930211 I didn't know about the microwave, but I do know about rolling them on the counter. Sun Aug 09 06:07:23 -0700 2009 4930207 249664 kattyeyes 1 4938013 Today, I was in Home Sense (a Canadian store that resembles Ross Dress for Less) and they had the three juicers (including the Amazon unavailable orange one) for $8 each. I bought all three - I can always take them back. I just tried the lime one. It is reasonably good, but does not get anywhere near the electric reamer type in terms of extracting juice. It does have the big advantage of being immediately accessible, quick to set up and easy to clean Tue Aug 11 16:48:04 -0700 2009 4924469 154622 Paulustrious 2 4938048 hey me a favour, and let me know what it's like squeezing a lime in the lemon squeezer. I'm wondering if I need one of each or of the lemon squeezer will do a good enough job for both. Tue Aug 11 16:53:57 -0700 2009 4938013 222454 snax 2 4938058 Interesting...HomeSense sounded way too close to our HomeGoods/Marshalls, so I googled it. It's a TJX company (as is TJ Maxx), so no wonder...it's all related. And I love the bargains I've found at my local HomeGoods/Marshalls. I used my lemon one today on a lime to make soup. Tue Aug 11 16:57:05 -0700 2009 4938013 249664 kattyeyes 3 4939066 To: Kat: On re-reading, my description of HomeSense was utterly wrong. It is like Ross DFL but without the clothes. To snax: Just a touch too late. I used the lime squeezer on another lime for a non-muddled version of a caipirinha. But next time. I tried experimenting. The lime goes cut side down. If you go the other way you get a citric geyser. I'm fairly strong and after a hard squeeze there is quite a bit of juice left. This was determined by the bite-and-pull-between-teeth test. I then packed one (already squeezeed) rind on top of the other. This released more juice. I then cut a substantial X on each piece and returned them stacked, but this time with the rind in the 'cup'. The released further juice. However, my electric reamer released even more from the 'husks'. So far I am staying with my original point of view. If I have a lot to do then I will ream. On a one-off basis the amco is fine. Wed Aug 12 05:37:51 -0700 2009 4938058 154622 Paulustrious 4 4939086 >>>So far I am staying with my original point of view. If I have a lot to do then I will ream. On a one-off basis the amco is fine.<<< absolutely right! an electric juice reamer is the only way to go for best extraction or larger quantities. the better models have different reamer sizes for smaller vs. larger citrus. Wed Aug 12 05:46:29 -0700 2009 4939066 105717 alkapal 5 4939206 In that case I have one of the worse models. My uni-reamer does seem to work reasonably well from lime to grapefruit, but I think it would struggle with a pomelo. Wed Aug 12 06:44:19 -0700 2009 4939086 154622 Paulustrious 6 4939308 but who is going to juice a pomelo? here's an example of different size reamer "cones" http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-CJ525-CitrusMate-Citrus/dp/B00004SC51 Wed Aug 12 07:18:55 -0700 2009 4939206 105717 alkapal 7 4950234 I have had this one for 10 years.... http://www.amazon.com/Volt-COMPLIANT-Braun-Juicer-Continuous/dp/B0007W160E/ref=sr_1_67?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1250427633&sr=1-67 In my tests it extracts juice from an amconated orange. If you can get one it works well. Quick clean up (rinse two parts) unless you forget to put a container underneath the spout. (Warning: You WILL do this sometime, normally when it's your last lemon.) And wash it straight away as once the juice dries it is much more difficult. Snax: The lime in the lemon extractor works as well as in the lime extractor. I will return later with results of the lime in the orange amco test. It's a pity we cannot upload videos. An alternative technique is to slice off one end of the halved fruit and then squeeze. This seems to get a little more out of it . Kat: Thanks. Looks like it took a little time to work its way to google: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/fooddrink/s_636739.html Sun Aug 16 06:14:31 -0700 2009 4939308 154622 Paulustrious 8 4950246 that is powerful -- 60 watts (double the power of the ones i linked). but it's not USA compliant, unfortunately. as to uploading videos, what about putting it on youtube and linking it? Sun Aug 16 06:21:06 -0700 2009 4950234 105717 alkapal 1 4948279 How timely--our local paper just ran an article the other day: "Main Squeeze: Comparing Juicers." You'll especially appreciate this, Paulustrious, as it compares yields of juice per half a Valencia orange by each one. I tried to find a link to the article, but couldn't, so in a nutshell, here were the results: Mighty OJ Chrome Juicer ($50) - just less than 1/4 cup DeLonghi Electric Citrus Juicer ($30) - not quite 1/3 cup Squeezer Citrus Juicer ($16) <<similar to Amco juicer>> - 1/4 cup Glass citrus juicer <<like your grandmother might have had>> ($7) - 1/4 cup Have a juicy and fruitful day! ;) Sat Aug 15 03:48:50 -0700 2009 4924469 249664 kattyeyes 2 4948334 btw, the delonghi is only $20 in delonghi's online store. also, the black & decker (a reliable brand in my experience across many appliances) is also 20 bucks online from target, gets great reviews -- and has pulp level control. http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/181-8594668-9288955?ASIN=B00004SC51&AFID=Froogle&LNM=B00004SC51%7CBlack_Decker_34oz._Citrus_Mate_Juicer&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B00004SC51&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001 Sat Aug 15 05:16:18 -0700 2009 4948279 105717 alkapal