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Which one should you buy?

For lemons and limes, a handheld press beats a reamer every time, and a geared one takes most of the effort out of squeezing. Here's what I'd point you to:

Bottled lemon juice tastes flat and a little bitter. Fresh juice is bright and lively, and a squeeze at the end of cooking wakes up a whole dish. A spoonful of lemon in a pan sauce, a squeeze of lime over tacos, a bit of zest and juice in a dressing. It's the cheapest way to make your food taste like a chef made it.

The trouble is that squeezing lemons by hand is messy, you lose half the juice and you end up fishing seeds out of your food. A good hand press fixes all three.

Press or reamer: how they work

There are two main kinds of manual juicer. A reamer is the ridged cone you twist half a lemon on. A press is the hinged, two-handled squeezer that folds the fruit inside out.

For lemons and limes, a press is the better tool. It gets more juice out, and it's quicker. There's a bonus too: as the press squeezes, it bends the peel inside out, and that releases the fragrant oils in the skin. A little of that oil goes into the juice and makes it smell wonderful. A reamer never touches the peel.

The Chef'n has a clever trick in the hinge. Instead of a simple pivot, it uses gears, which multiply the force from your hands. You squeeze gently and the press does the heavy lifting. If you've ever wrestled a stiff lime in a cheap squeezer, you'll appreciate the difference.

Chef'n FreshForce at a glance

To be fair, it isn't the fastest or the highest-yield press out there. The Dreamfarm Fluicer gets a bit more juice and works quicker. Where the Chef'n wins is comfort and ease. It's the one I'd hand to anybody.

What to look for in a citrus juicer

• A press, not a reamer, for lemons and limes. More juice, less mess and those lovely peel oils.

• Leverage. Long handles or gears mean you don't need strong hands.

• A bowl that fits your fruit. Handheld presses are made for lemons and limes. Oranges need something bigger.

• Good drainage. Holes or slots that let juice out and keep seeds in.

• Easy to clean. Dishwasher safe, with no tiny crevices for pulp to dry in.

The Chef'n scores well on every point, and the gears make it particularly easy on the hands.

Who it suits, and who should skip it

Good for you if

• You use lemons and limes in cooking or cocktails most weeks

• You find ordinary squeezers hard on your hands

• You're fed up with picking seeds out of your dressing

Skip it if

• You mostly juice oranges or grapefruit: get a countertop press like the Zulay

• You squeeze a lemon once a month: a fork and your hands will do

How to get the best from it

Cut across the middle

Halve the fruit across its middle, not end to end, so the cut face shows all the segments.

Cut side down

Put the half in the bowl with the cut side facing down towards the holes. It feels backwards the first time, but that's what lets the press turn the peel inside out.

Trim and score for more juice

If a lemon has a knobbly end that stops it sitting snugly, trim a little off. Cutting a shallow X into the flesh of each half before pressing helps more juice come out.

Squeeze over a separate bowl

Then pour the juice into your dish or shaker. That way, if a seed sneaks through, it doesn't end up in the food.

Cleaning and safety

• Rinse straight after use, before pulp dries in the slots.

• Dishwasher safe, so it can go in with everything else.

• Mind your fingers in the hinge when you close it.

• Wash your hands after juicing limes if you're heading out into the sun. Lime juice on the skin in strong sunlight can cause a nasty rash.

The one rule

Cut side down. Get that right and you'll get more juice, less mess and a lovely smell of citrus oil.

Questions people ask

Which way does the lemon go in a citrus press?

Cut side down, facing the holes. The press turns the peel inside out as you squeeze.

Is fresh lemon juice really better than bottled?

Yes. It's brighter and more fragrant, partly thanks to the oils from the peel that a press squeezes out.

Can a handheld juicer do oranges?

It's made for lemons and limes. Oranges and grapefruit are too big, so use a reamer or a countertop press.

How do I get the most juice from a lemon?

Use a press rather than a reamer, cut across the middle, and score a shallow X into the flesh before you squeeze.

Is the Chef'n FreshForce dishwasher safe?

Yes. Rinse it first if pulp has dried in the slots.

Cook with it

The lemon in my Chicken Piccata, the lemon potatoes in my Greek Chicken and Potatoes and the lime in a Classic Margarita.

Updated October 2026. Prices change often, so check before you buy.