Jens' Cost Conscious Cooking Tips

With the high price of food these days, we have to be more cost conscious. Fresh lemons are one item that has gotten so expensive.

Unfortunately, there is no substitute for the flavor of fresh lemon. I have discovered there are three ways to utilize your fresh lemons to their full potential. I would like to share my tips for getting the most of your fresh lemon:

1. When preparing a recipe that calls for fresh lemon juice, use the zest of the lemon first time around. It works really well and tastes delicious in all recipes that call for "fresh lemon juice". You can use a micro plane or a fine grater to zest the lemon. To store and save the zested whole fresh lemon, place it in a plastic baggie, then keep it refrigerated.

2. The next time you need fresh lemon for a recipe, you will use the juice of the zested lemon then place it back in the baggie and place right back into the refrigerator.

Now you think you're going to put the juiced and zested lemon in your disposal so it will smell nice. STOP, baking soda is much less expensive and serves the same purpose.

3. The third time around finely chop up whats left of the lemon and saute in a bit of oil before adding the rest of your ingredients to the pan. You can also steam the chopped lemon with veggies.

I hope you found these tips inspiring and helpful. Try to use your imagination and be creative when cooking. Ciao