Don't Flavor Your Food With Raw Lemon: Try This Game-Changing Hack

Raw lemons are seriously incredible, if a little intense. They are perfect for brightening dishes up, yet that sharp tang can sometimes overpower all the other flavors you spent time developing. But what if there were a way to bring lemon juice down a notch? You better believe we have just the hack: Grilling the lemons.

It's a quick, easy technique to transform that sour citrus juice into a sweet-and-smoky nectar. It all happens because lemons' natural sugar caramelizes when brought to a high heat. That's what creates the gorgeous golden-brown exterior of grilled lemons. But the inside is becoming equally as beautiful because the heat causes the sourness to mellow so lemons' distinctive taste can become much sweeter. The science behind it is just as interesting: The heat works to break down the cell walls of the lemon, concentrating the flavors and diluting all the bitter compounds that usually make you scrunch your face up. The best part is that grilled lemons have even more juice just asking to be squeezed out than their raw counterparts. There are ways to find the best lemons for juicing at the store, but failing that, a quick grill could be all you need to get the juices flowing.

Grilled lemons don't just taste different and give more juice, they become even easier to juice. Sometimes, a hard lemon needs a big squeeze; even then, it can only give you a few measly drops. Not when it's grilled, though. The process breaks the juice vesicles so it suddenly can't wait to give you everything it has, and extraction is effortless. Goodbye fancy juice gadgets, hello a few extra minutes that could be given to another element of your meal.

But really, it's all about the flavors here. Raw lemons are a culinary staple for a reason: They're sharp and sour, but that's usually where the story ends. Grilled lemons, however, become multidimensional; they're still bright and acidic, but suddenly there's a smoky sweetness to them that brings a whole new flavor profile to the table. Trying using grilled lemons for better cocktails — you can taste the difference in a whiskey sour.

Beyond beverages, there's no shortage of ways to use grilled lemons in food. Give them a good squeeze over a show-stopping fish dinner or toss the juice through some roasted vegetables to see how the subtle sweetness complements without overpowering. Even much simpler recipes, such as homemade lemonade, could become infinitely more sophisticated and impressive when you make it with grilled fruit instead of raw. The whole grilling process takes maybe five minutes, which is so worth it when the payoff lasts through every single mouthful.