This $20 Tool Brightens Up My Winter

So I’m grateful for citrus. Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice is the tonic that keeps me alive from December to March, with occasional doses of lemon, lime, and orange juice administered as needed. 

To that end, I’m even more grateful for the tool that allows me to render that citrus into the liquid sunshine I require: the Dash Go Dual Citrus Juicer, our Best Buy electric citrus juicer.

Yes, you could juice all your citrus by hand, using a manual citrus juicer (my colleague Chase Brightwell swears by them for margaritas!). But I require a lot of citrus, and juicing that much grapefruit or lemon by hand takes time, effort, and a willingness to accept the possibility that everything within a three-foot radius of your work area will become sticky. 

The Dash is quick, efficient, and pretty neat.

The Dash Go Dual Citrus Juicer is easy to use. Just assemble the machine—it’s a simple setup, and every part goes exactly where you think it should. You can adjust the amount of pulp you want the juicer to filter out by sliding a small knob. 

1. Make sure it’s plugged in.
2. Halve some citrus—any will work on this machine. 
3. Place each citrus half, flat side down, on top of the domed reamer in the middle of the juicer. This should activate the engine, spinning the reamer around. As you continue to press the citrus half down, the reamer will squeeze every last drop of juice out of it. 
4. Repeat as needed until you have generated enough juice to improve your state of mind. 

If you’re me, the answer’s simple—just drink it. Grapefruit and orange juice can be consumed as is.

Or, you can make yourself lemonade and limeade by adding some water or seltzer and simple syrup. Add a drop of rose water to the mix if you want to get fancy! Or infuse your simple syrup with herbs or botanicals—this grapefruit rosemary spritzer is delightful, for example. 

Of course, you can also make a cocktail. Margaritas are the obvious choice, but I’m partial to a French 75, made with grapefruit juice instead of lemon. 

And you can bake with it too. My boyfriend loves Lan Lam’s Best Lemon Bars; I can’t get enough of this North Carolina Lemon Pie (the saltine crust is great for those of us who like our sweets savory.) 

As quickly as possible. All that citrus pulp will clog up the strainer, turning into an unyielding papier maché-like layer as it dries. So make sure you disassemble and wash the machine promptly after you use it!