The Lime Cutting Hack That Ensures You Get All Of The Juice

Whether you are making a key lime pie or a margarita, you are going to need some freshly squeezed lime juice to create your dessert or cocktail. But if you've ever wondered how much juice is in a lime, it might surprise you to learn that it isn't a whole lot. On average, you can expect to squeeze about 2 tablespoons of juice from a medium-sized lime.

Of course, if you don't cut your limes in the proper manner, you could be leaving behind precious drops of this citrus, which means you are going to have to squeeze more limes. That's a bit of time and money down the drain that you might not want to lose. This is why you might want to try this lime-cutting hack that ensures you get every last drop of lime juice from this fruit. There is nothing revolutionary about this technique and you don't need to rush out and buy a new kitchen gadget. It simply requires you to slice your lime lengthwise rather than through its diameter and remove the lime's core before you start squeezing. That's it. But how does this small change yield more juice?

The first thing you need to do is manage your expectations. You aren't going to get a gallon more of lime juice by using this method. As noted, there isn't a lot of juice in a lime in the first place. So, when cutting the lime lengthwise compared to crosswise, you shouldn't assume you'll get much more than a teaspoon. Still, that's a third of a single tablespoon, which is a significant amount when you consider you are only going to get about two tablespoons in the first place.

Pro tip when using this hack: Be careful not to cut your lime directly through the center. You want it to be a little off. Slice the larger of the two halves in half and this will help you easily remove that piece of core in the center with a single slice. You should have three sections of lime when you are finished. Once you remove that core, you will find the lime to be more flexible, making it easier to handle and squeeze which in turn allows for more drops of that precious lime juice to trickle out.