Reddit reviews Chef'n FreshForce Citrus Juicer (Lemon)

Nice tip. By the way, in case you DID want more lemon juice, I use this lemon squeezer. There's much cheaper versions starting at $5, but this happens to be the one I own.

It takes 5 seconds (cut, squeeze, dispose) and comes out in a perfectly squeezed cup. The leftover skin is practically dry to the touch and doesn't waste a drop. If you regularly deal with lemons (I really like lemon in my water), I highly recommend it.

I love this guy

I swear by this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Chefn-FreshForce-Citrus-Juicer-Lemon/dp/B002XOB0P0

Much more reliable than the simple hinge-pin design ones.

This. The Lemon one is bigger than the Lime one. They make an Orange one, too, but I've never had issues with the Lemon size:

https://smile.amazon.com/Chefn-FreshForce-Citrus-Juicer-Lemon/dp/B002XOB0P0

I would never go for a manhattan shaker. They are notorious for locking up, as soon as there's a bit of liquid in the cracks (unless you buy really expensive japanese ones). They are also harder to clean than the simple two cups of a boston shaker, and the extra strainer isn't really hard to use.

I haven't used a parisian shaker, but that seems like it could do fine, but might lock up on you.


My own kit is made of a lot of individual stuff. Some from amazon, some from local shop, and some from china. If you want, I can do a writeup of where i got it, but since it's from china, it will take a month before you will receive the goods. However, the guys behind AbarAbove.com recently launched their quality bar tools line. They have a complete set of tools, which all seem to be of great quality. They have only gotten 5-star reviews so far: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LVY7VMH. It's $63 for the complete set.

Or you can just buy their boston shaker for $20, and this excellent strainer from OxO ($7), along with this measuring cup ($5)

Then you have a pretty good starter set. A fine strainer can be bought in most dollar stores locally for next to nothing, or you can find one on amazon. They are pretty much all the same, but it isn't really required if you're just starting out. I also have a bar spoon, a mixing glass and a muddler, but to be honest, I rarely use them. If you need to muddle something, use a wooden spoon or something. If you decide you really need one, look for one which is at least 6 inches long, to avoid bashing your knuckles on the edges of the shaker, or google "morgenthaler homemade muddler".

Hope your GF will be happy with your gift!


EDIT: Missed the part about you being from UK. Here's an updated list. I'll let the other one be for any americans who might wander through here.

• Shaker: Homekeros sems to have a good one. (£16, £19 with a strainer) The strainer looks fine.
  
• Shaker (alternative): If budget is a concern, then the Mezclar Tin on Tin Boston Shaker (£6) looks fine. One reviewer said, however, that the small tin was so tiny, it almost dropped to the bottom before making a seal. The other 9 reviews are happy with it though. Still, It's an amazing price!
  
• Strainer: The OXO strainer (£5.43 + £3.19 S+H)
  
• Measuring Cup: OXO angles measuring cup (£4.25)
  
• Citrus juicer: I kind of forgot about it in the main post, but this is a tool that get used every time I use the shaker and sometimes also just for cooking. Very useful. I recommend the Chef'n freshforce citrus juicer (£22.32)
  
  Seeing as there is a shipping charge, I probably wouldn't go for the OXO Strainer unless there's something else that you need from the american amazon. The one from the Homekeros set should be adequate.

none of it's as good as fresh squeezed lime juice. Are you juicing with just your hands? Everytime someone has told me juicing is too much work, they aren't using one of these styles of juicers. Those are great. They make juicing easy.

I have one of these and while I haven't had it for too long, I really can't imagine it breaking. Really solid.

Does he have a good shaker though? If he doesn't have a Koriko Shaker set he's missing out. You can even get like a gold/copper/black one so it stands out. They're almost roo good at creating a seal. https://www.cocktailkingdom.com/barware-sets/essential-cocktail-set-copper

A lot of cocktail enthusiasts never spring for a Chef'n juicer either but they're incredible. You generally don't need the orange-sized one and you can put limes in the lemon-sized one so that one is great: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002XOB0P0/ref=twister_B00H9HWZCI?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Green or Yellow Chartreuse both cost like $50-$60 for a bottle but are absolutely required for a lot of great cocktails. There's no substitutes.

Buy this and 30 limes. Juicing should take only about 10 minutes if you get into a good rhythm and 30 should give you just enough for 70cl.

Get this juicer, which is probably the most effective for small-batch juicing available. It's quick, easy to clean, and has very little loss.

As others have said, citrus juice does deteriorate quickly, usually within 30 minutes to an hour. However, whole citrus (lemons and limes and sometimes oranges; I don't usually deal with whole grapefruit) does keep for a long time in the fridge. Get a bag, toss it in the fridge, toss out any that mold or rot ASAP, and use as needed. For context, I just finished off a 5# bag of limes I got two months ago at Costco and had to throw out maybe one.

This hand juicer is excellent and worth the money. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002XOB0P0/

I make a lot of margarita's... one thing that I find really annoying is when people do not have a decent citrus juicer.

Made margs at my cousin's house during my hurrication last week, and it was so bad that I actually returned home, collected my juicer, and then went back to their house.

I think it's this one https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B002XOB0P0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is my go to recipe for lime cordial, it is uncooked, and uses all of the peel as well as the juice. I use a Microplane to remove the lime peel, without getting the bitter white pith. It makes simply amazing Gimlets. Throw a capful of vodka or gin in it, and it will hold over a bit longer too.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015312-raw-lime-cordial

If you are juicing on the fly, and want to create a quickie cordial, you can add in simple to fresh juice. This is the juicer I use (which has a rachet mechanism to extract the juice way easier). IMO though, having the peel in the cordial makes all the difference, as that is where the real essence of a lime lies. Cheers.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002XOB0P0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Can openers and citrus squeezers. I recommend these

ZYLISS Lock N' Lift Can Opener with Lid Lifter Magnet https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HK03HI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_U6IhDb3J4PZWJ

Chef'n FreshForce Citrus Juicer (Lemon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002XOB0P0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Z7IhDbQWEWW49

I got my juicer for $15. Not sure why they pumped the price up so high.

Looks good to me, although I don't see the need for two different sized shakers.

If you want to add something, perhaps a good channel knife and pairing knife could do you some good. Also a juicer! Those are really handy when making cocktails from fresh juice. "Chef'n" is a great brand, and by far my favorite juicer. http://www.amazon.com/Chefn-FreshForce-Citrus-Juicer-Lemon/dp/B002XOB0P0

A little pricey but certainly worth it's weight in gold.

Favorite? Negroni, hands down. Equal parts Campari, gin, and sweet vermouth. However, a friend of mine made me one with DRY (white) vermouth and it was incredible! So I've been making mine that way lately. Craziness. (FWIW, we both use Dolin vermouth, my favorite.)

2nd favorite, probably a margarita. 3 parts tequila (I prefer reposado), 2 parts fresh lime juice, 1 part orange liqueur.

3rd favorite, bourbon + lime + ginger beer. Wait, or maybe a manhattan. Or a sazerac. Scratch that - 3rd favorite, nearly anything with bourbon or rye in it.

I almost always make my cocktails at home because I'm cheap :) And, I'm a cheap drunk. One cocktail and I'm not really fit to drive.

For anyone wanting to do cocktails at home, I want to recommend this citrus press. It's incredible.

If you aren't using this squeezer you are doing it wrong.

https://smile.amazon.com/Chefn-FreshForce-Citrus-Juicer-Lemon/dp/B002XOB0P0