Lemon squeezer facts for kids

A modern plastic handheld lemon squeezer

A metal countertop lemon squeezer

A lemon squeezer is a small kitchen tool. It helps you get juice from lemons or other citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, or limes. It's made to crush the fruit's pulp and separate it from the juice. Lemon squeezers can be made from strong materials that won't get damaged by lemon juice. These materials include plastic, glass, metal (often aluminum), or ceramic.

History of Lemon Squeezers

Early Designs

The oldest known lemon squeezers were found in Kütahya, Turkey. They are from the early 1700s. These squeezers were made of ceramic. They looked a bit like today's squeezers with cones, but they worked differently.

Each of these early squeezers was made by hand. They were specially designed to make a popular citrus drink called sorbet. Lemons were not common in northern Turkey. However, during the 1600s and 1700s, many lemons were brought to Constantinople (now Istanbul).

American Inventions

At the end of the 1800s, many different lemon squeezer designs were invented in the United States. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has records of over 200 patents for lemon squeezers. Most of these were registered between 1880 and 1910.

The oldest patent was given to Lewis S. Chichester on July 3, 1860. His squeezer was made of cast iron. He wanted to create a simple and strong tool. This tool would make squeezing lemons for home use much easier and faster than older methods.

The patents from around 1900 show many different ways these squeezers worked. Some were small tools for squeezing a lemon wedge over a glass. Others were large machines that you could attach to a kitchen table. Most of these inventions simply pressed the lemon or half-lemon. They didn't usually spin the fruit. The main differences were in how they created this pressure. Often, they used a handle (lever) or a screw to press the fruit. It's hard to know how many of these patented designs were actually made and sold.

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  1860 L.P. Chichester lemon squeezer patent

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  US patent for a lemon squeezer by Hurley, 1887

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  Dunlap, 1890

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  Barrett, 1893

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  Wilson, 1886

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  Morgan, 1896

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  Walker, 1897

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  Filler, 1910

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  Carroll, 1915

Lemon Squeezers as Art

Philippe Starck's Juicy Salif squeezer (1990)

Not all squeezers are just for squeezing. One very famous example is the Juicy Salif. It was designed by Philippe Starck in 1990. This squeezer is seen as a famous example of industrial design. It has even been shown in art museums like the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The Italian company Alessi makes the Juicy Salif. It's made from shiny aluminum. It is about 14 centimeters (5.5 inches) wide and 29 centimeters (11.4 inches) tall. Many of these squeezers have been sold. However, people often say that they don't work very well for squeezing lemons.

For its tenth birthday, 10,000 special Juicy Salifs were made. They were numbered and covered in gold. The gold version is mostly for decoration. This is because the acid in lemons would make the gold change color and wear away. Philippe Starck himself has said that his squeezer was "not meant to squeeze lemons" but "to start conversations."

Other designers have also created cool citrus squeezers. They think about how easy and comfortable their products are to use, as well as how they look. For example, in 2009, Joseph Joseph introduced the Catcher. This squeezer filters out seeds. In 2011, the Dutch company Royal VKB made the Citrange. This is a fun, double-sided hand juicer that sits right on top of a glass. In 2012, the Spanish brand Lékué launched its Citrus Spray. This juicer works like a spray bottle.

College Traditions

A wooden lemon squeezer, similar to that used at Trinity College.

A special wooden lemon squeezer has been passed down to students at Trinity College (Connecticut) since 1857. It was first used to make punch. Later, a student named William W. Niles started a tradition. He would hand down the lemon squeezer to the most popular class that was moving up a year.

Soon, students from different classes started to compete. The lemon squeezer was stolen, replaced, and stolen again many times. Because of this, there are now several squeezers that people claim are the original one. The newest version of the lemon squeezer only appears during a special college ceremony called Convocation. At this event, the college president squeezes a fresh lemon to make a toast to the new students.

See also

In Spanish: Exprimidor para niños