Why A Stand Mixer Might Come In Handy For The Freshest Lemonade

A pitcher of fresh homemade lemonade is one of life's simple pleasures. But juicing all those lemons one by one can be a bit of a drag. After all, each lemon takes time and effort to squeeze but, on average, yields no more than three tablespoons of juice. That's only enough for one eight-ounce serving of classic lemonade. So to make a pitcher's worth, you'll have to repeat the sticky process numerous times. Zesting the peels, which we highly recommend for lemonade with the freshest zing, tacks on even more time.

Fortunately, if you've got a stand mixer handy, you can streamline the process by squeezing multiple lemons at the same time. In fact, you can squeeze all the lemons you'll need for several pitchers in under two minutes. Plus, with a stand mixer, there's no need to zest. That's because the mixer's beating action not only extracts the juice from the flesh but also the essential oils from the peel.

Before you get started juicing lemons with your stand mixer, be sure to swap out the mixer's regular beaters for the paddle attachment, which will compress the fruit as needed, but without the heavier battering the whisk might inflict. We also recommend taking your lemons out of the fridge about an hour before juicing them — to enhance their flavor.

When ready, rinse the lemons, pat dry, and use a sharp knife to lop off the two ends to expose the flesh. Cut what remains into quarters, and toss them into your stand mixer's bowl. Set the machine to low speed, and let it run for 60 seconds. At that point, the rinds, along with the seeds, should be floating/soaking in your pulpy, freshly extracted juice. If there's any flesh remaining on the peels, run the mixer again for 30-second intervals until you're satisfied. Then all that's left to do is to strain, use or freeze, and enjoy. 

Don't have a stand mixer? Let us get you started with our ranking of the leading brands.