# Lemon Juice:  Bottled vs. Fresh



## chave982

Is there really that big a difference?  Looking at the ingredients list, I notice that the bottled juice has a few perservatives, but will they really affect the quality and taste?


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## jennyema

I don't think bottled lemon or lime juice tastes anything like fresh.  IMO there is a huge difference.


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## Maverick2272

I think there is a big difference as well, especially if you select better fresh lemons and limes.


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## sattie

There is no comparison.... lemons are too cheap not to keep handy.  And taste so much better!!!  My big thing now is a salad with lemon juice, a bit of coarse salt and some cracked pepper and drizzle with avacado oil.  Yum!  Ditch the bottle and buy ya a bag of lemon and store them in the cooler drawer of your frig.  Put rinds and such in your compost pile!


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## Maverick2272

And bottled juice doesn't have anything to zest...


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## chave982

There was another recent post which mentioned the idea of squeezing lemon juice into an ice cube tray, so that you don't have to waste a whole lemon when only a small quantity of juice is required.  

Any idea how long the juice will retain its fresh taste if kept in the freezer like this?


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## Constance

I think each has it's purpose. 

I use the bottled juice to acidify water so potatoes won't turn brown after peeling...I sprinkle it over the cutting board and the halved onion to keep tears away while I'm chopping onions (it works!)...squeeze it on my hands to take away fish or garlic smell...those sorts of things.

I use the fresh ones for...well...fresh things.


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## Ask-A-Butcher

We have a Key Lime tree in the back yard. Not sure of the specific term, but there is no season for Key Limes and we have them available most of the year.

We squeeze them with a large garlic press, roughly strain, pour into ice cube trays and once they are frozen I put them into my FoodSaver bags and vacuum them shut, usually in ¼ or ½ cup increments. Tastes just like fresh when thawed. 

This can be done with lemons, as well.


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## Maverick2272

I don't have a bottle of lemon juice on hand, but I seem to remember there was more listed on the ingredients than just juice from lemons.
Juicing your own lemons (or limes) and freezing them limits your 'ingredients' to just juice from lemons (or limes), so naturally they taste more like fresh than the bottled stuff.
This seems to me to be the better alternative to using the bottled stuff.
The only thing is I don't have Foodsaver bags or a vacuum system. I wonder if Ziplock Freezer bags will work as well, and how long it would keep?


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## expatgirl

limes are very difficult to find here and I like to make Vietnamese sauces---when you do find limes they cost about $2 apiece!!  So I squeeze a bunch while in the states and bring the juice with me and then transfer to ice food trays.  Then pop them out in a freezer safe ziploc and freeze them.  Works for me and I always have it on hand.


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## Bilby

Frozen lemon juice keeps for months officially - longer unofficially!!


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