Citrus fruit come in many flavor and contain varying amount of acidity. To successfully cook with these fruits, understanding the difference among citrus fruits is necessary. Many people uses citrus fruits in many recipes.
However, many people choose the wrong citrus fruit for the recipe they are cooking. Citrus fruits include lemons, oranges, limes, and grapefruits, and each of these fruits contains various variety. Lemons contains varieties that differ in flavor and use in the kitchen.
Different Citrus Fruits and How to Use Them
For example, Eureka lemons are a common variety of lemon that contains high level of acidity. People use these lemons to enhance the flavor of fish. These lemons can be available year-round because there thick skins allow them to be shipped.
Meyer lemons is another variety of lemon. Meyer lemons contain more sweetness in their flavor and have a floral note to their aroma because Meyer lemons are a hybrid of a lemon and a mandarin orange. People often use Meyer lemons in baking because their sweet flavor neutralize the tartness of the Meyer lemon variety.
Oranges contain several variety. The most common variety is the navel orange. These oranges does not contain seeds in their fruit and are easy to peel.
They are low in acidity and can be eaten raw. Blood oranges are another variety of orange with red flesh. The flavor of blood oranges is similar than raspberries.
These oranges contain more flavor complexity than navel oranges and can be used to add color to mixed drinks. Cara Cara oranges are a variety of orange with pink flesh and a sweet flavor. However, Cara Cara oranges break down with heat.
Limes contain different varieties with specific use. Persian limes are a common variety of lime that can be found in grocery store. The Persian lime variety is seedless and easy to juice.
People use these limes to make guacamole or margaritas. Key limes is another variety of lime that is different from Persian limes. Key limes are small in size and have a more intense flavor.
Key limes has a floral flavor and people often use them to make pies. Because of the more intense flavor of the Key lime, more of the Key lime is needed than the Persian lime variety to achieve the same amount of juice. Grapefruit is a citrus fruit with a bitterness to its flavor.
This fruit is used in recipes that contain bitter flavor. Grapefruit can be used to make juices or can be broiled. Yuzu is a citrus fruit with a very strong floral aroma.
People use this citrus fruit in ponzu sauce. Although yuzu yield little juice when squeezed, the aroma of yuzu is very strong. There are a few step that can increase the amount of juice extracted from citrus fruits.
One method is to use room-temperature citrus fruits. Room-temperature citrus fruits will yield up to twenty percent more juice than citrus fruits that are cold in temperature. Another method is to roll the citrus fruit before cutting the citrus fruit.
Rolling the citrus fruit with a reamer will help to express the juice from the citrus fruits. Another method is to always zest the citrus fruit before squeezing the citrus fruit. The oils will be extracted from the zest of the citrus fruit.
These oils will be lost when the citrus fruit is squeezed. Citrus fruits need to be store correctly to maintain their flavor and extend their shelf life. Whole oranges can be stored at room temperature and will last for several week.
Thin-skinned citrus fruits like limes need to be stored in the refrigerator after a few days to prevent mold. Citrus fruits can be stored in mesh bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator to extend the shelf life of the citrus fruits to one month. If there is extra juice from the citrus fruits, it is best to place the juice into ice cube trays and freeze the cubes of citrus juice for later use.
In some instances, a person may not have a specific citrus fruit. In this case, there are some substitution for the citrus fruits. For instance, if a person does not have Meyer lemon, mixing Eureka lemon and orange juice and adding extra sugar will come close to the flavor of Meyer lemon.
If there is no Key lime, using Persian lime and adding a small amount of lemon juice will come close to the flavor of Key lime. These are some of the flavor substitutions for citrus fruits. These flavoring substitutes help to maintain the balance of acidity and sweetness in the dish being prepared.