Lemon Juice Substitute

"If life gives you lemons, make some kind of fruity juice." ~ Conan O'Brien.

I am personally very fond of lemons and try to start my day with a glass of lemon juice cleanse made from some lukewarm water, some lemon juice and a dash of honey. Also, a glassful of lemon juice with some ice, is the perfect, most healthy drink you can opt for on a sweltering summer afternoon, if you plan to give the aerated drinks a miss for good! Being a Bengali, I am also quite used to squeezing out some fresh lemon juice in to my bowlful of lentil stew to beat the heat. Honestly, I wouldn't know why one needs to look for a substitute of something as nutritious as lemon juice. But, I guess larder scarcities can lead one to look for a viable substitute for lemon juice. So, here are some lemon juice substitutes which you can use during culinary exigencies or allergy problems.

Lemon Juice Alternatives

You can actually store lemons for almost a period of three weeks, by placing them in plastic packets and then in the crisper section of your fridge, to avoid any lemon scarcity. Lemons stay for 2 weeks even without refrigeration. But in spite of this, if you run out of lemons:

• Use a ¾ cup of Persian or regular lime juice instead. The flavor of the dish will get heightened. You can also opt for key lime juice (a.k.a. Mexican lime juice), but use only ⅔ cup to replace a single cup of lemon juice.
• You can opt for ½ a tablespoon of malt vinegar for 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, provided that the recipe doesn't ask for lemon juice for aromatic or flavoring purposes. People who have used this substitute say that you can store the dish for a longer time if you use this alternative.
• You can also try white vinegar. But in case you are making jams, this is a bad lemon juice substitute as white vinegar is not as acidic in nature as lemon juice is and, therefore, does not coagulate well. Also, beverages requiring lemon juice will not fair well if you use this option.
• For 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, you can use 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
• Also, if the recipe asks especially for freshly squeezed lemon juice from a medium lemon, you can use 3 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice, sans worry!
• You can also crunch some vitamin C tablets, dilute them in water and then use it as a replacement of lemon juice. Amazing, ain't it? This replacement actually stalls fruits from turning brownish in colour. So, dip your cut up apples, bananas or potatoes in this solution and drain the water just before using them. So now, say bye to discoloured fruits and veggies!
• If you have a packet of dry unsweetened lemonade drink powder from brands like Kool Aid or Wyler's, then you are in luck, laddies. Just mix a packet of it in 8 oz. of cold water and store it in the fridge in a 12 oz. glass jar with a considerably tight lid. Shake the solution before using it each time and use an equal amount of it to replace lemon juice. This versatile concoction can be used for baking (think old-fashioned lemon bars!!!), coating freshly cut fruits and vegetables, concocting lemony drinks and for salad dressings.
• If there is any white wine in the house, use an equal part of that instead of the lemon juice asked for.
• To replace 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, employ 1 teaspoon of lemon zest or lemon marmalade or lime zest or orange zest.
• Using ½ a teaspoon of lemon extract or dried lemon peel for 1 teaspoon of lemon juice are also available options.

So, you can use these lemon juice substitutes without worrying much about drastic taste deteriorations. But use them only if you must, as the lemon juice benefits are too many to trade anything with. It is a very rich source of the mineral potassium (a cup of lemon juice has nearly 303 mg of potassium) and also sodium (2 mg). Besides this, lemon juice has no fats and cholesterol in it. The vitamin C content in lemon juice is much celebrated which makes it the magic healer of infections like tonsils and sore throat. Lemon juice for acne, cuts, skin bruises, and sudden eruptions is really very good and quick result yielding. High blood pressure and asthma patients can also reap the benefits of lemon juice on consuming it regularly. So, you would actually be losing out on a lot if you substitute lemon juice. Of course if you are allergic to it, that is a different story altogether.

Try these lemon juice alternatives and let me know if they worked. You can also add a few other options, if you can find any. After all, cooking is all about experimentation and substitution!