From lemonade to lemon meringue pie and lemon chicken to lemon vinaigrette, lemons can be found in a wide variety of dishes and drinks that showcase the incredible, unique flavor of this humble citrus. But did you know that lemons are also used for things other than to add great flavor? Here are some uses for lemons that you may find helpful in the kitchen.
Crisp lettuce. Need to revive lettuce leaves? Add 1/2 cup lemon juice to a bowl of cold water; add lettuce leaves to water and place bowl in the refrigerator for one hour.
No-crack hard-boiled eggs. Brush eggshells with lemon juice before adding eggs to the pot. The lemon juice will help keep the shells from cracking while they cook.
No-clumps brown sugar. Place a slice of lemon peel into brown sugar to keep it from clumping.
No-stick rice. When cooking rice, add a couple of drops of lemon juice to the water to keep rice from sticking and to whiten the rice.
Prevent browning. Keep peeled apples, avocados, and bananas from turning brown by drizzling lemon juice onto them.
Tenderize meat. Because lemons are acidic, the juice will break down fibers in meat, making meat more tender.