Maybe it's that useless "garlic peeler" wedged into the back corner of your utensil drawer. Or the nutmeg grater that hasn't seen the flourescent light of the kitchen since you acquired a microplane. Or those butter molds, which you bring out every time guests come over so they can slather their bread with little rosettes . . . riiiight. If you're anything like me, your drawers and cabinets are crammed with some gadgets you use practically every day—and lots of other crap that does nothing but take up valuable space.

In this new category, GADGET WAR, I put these possibly-indispensable-but-probably-not tools, doo-dads, and devices to the test and make them earn a spot in my kitchen.

Inagural subject: CITRUS JUICERS


   VS.         


OBJECTIVE:






Squeezing lemons with my bare hands makes me achy and cranky—especially if I'm making lemonade or anything else that requires a significant amount of juice. For years, I've brought out my bright yellow lemon press every time a session of citrus squeezing was on the agenda, while my little wooden reamer languished at the bottom of my gadget drawer. Frankly, I thought this contest would end in a rout. Which it did. The surprise was who came out on top.  



  
 "I didn't do anything to deserve this."


Brian and I evaluated each gizmo using the following five criteria:

1.) Cost
2.) Bulk, or ease of storage
3.) Time required to squeeze five lemons
4.) Amount of juice extracted from said five lemons
5.) Effort expended while squeezing said five lemons


RESULTS:


Cost: As expected, the reamer trounces its opponent in this category. Online, wooden reamers are available for as little as $3.95, while the best price I found for the lemon press was $11.95.

Bulk: Again, the reamer triumphs, though the press is small enough that storage isn't much of an issue.

Time: I expected the lemon press to thoroughly whup the reamer in this category; surprisingly, it took me only 3 minutes, 50 seconds to juice five lemons with the reamer, while with the press it took me 4 minutes, 16 seconds. It should be noted that I was working with particuarly thick-skinned lemons, and with thinner-skinned ones, the press likely would have worked much more quickly. Of course, with the reamer, skin thickness isn't an issue at all—a clear advantage. 

Amount of Juice Extracted:  Again, the lemon press fails to rise to the occasion. See results below:



                 Lemon Press                                              Reamer


I know, I know—the amount of juice will vary with individual lemons, right? True—but when I examined the spent fruit, the reamer's were thoroughly . . . well, reamed. Nothing left in there. The pressed lemons still appeared to contain some intact pulp and juice.

Effort: Those thick-skinned lemons come into play once more. I had to squeeze so hard to extract juice with the lemon press, I could hardly finish the last lemon. On the upside, my biceps got a workout. After tackling five lemons with the reamer, I could have done five more. And probably five more after that. 

Additional Notes: One advantage to the lemon press is that it filters out seeds. If you use the reamer, you will have to strain the juice before using. Also, the reamer is a bit messier—that is, it tends to spray more.

Conclusion: As I mentioned earlier, the lemon press is fine to use with thinner-skinned lemons. Because of its seed-filtering feature, I will probably continue to use it if I want to squeeze a bit of juice directly into a sauce or a stew. But overall, the humble wooden reamer came out on top. It will work equally well with thin- and thick-skinned lemons, and it does a thorough, surprisingly quick job. 

Now, what to do with all that lemon juice . . .