The Weight Trick For Choosing The Juiciest Limes At The Grocery Store

Limes are brilliant for everything from desserts to drinks. Let's say you're planning on making some delicious strawberry lime rickey cocktails for a fun night in. Lime juice is one of the key ingredients, so it makes sense that you're going to want to grab the juiciest limes you can find. Making a gimlet? You'll need the proper garnish for that along with some of that lime juice. A classic pico de gallo? You'll need lime juice, and if you're making a big batch, that could mean a lot of limes — unless you know exactly what you're looking for.

Fortunately, there's a super easy trick for finding the limes with the most juice. It might take a little practice, but you'll find that if you pick up individual limes and gauge their weight, the ones that weigh heavier are the juicy ones.

Lime juice has an amazing property when added to certain dishes, like guacamole. You'll also want to use extra in some recipes because it helps preserve the vibrant colors of your other ingredients, while adding a burst of freshness. In short, more juice is better, and fortunately, there are a few other tips that can help you choose the right limes.

Weight is perhaps one of the best indicators of how much juice a lime will have, but if you still can't decide, there are a few other things to look for. Give the lime a gentle squeeze — it should feel slightly soft, and definitely shouldn't be hard. That's another great sign that it's full of juice, but keep in mind that it shouldn't feel soft, shriveled, or mushy. The color can also be another great indicator.

The brighter the green, the better the lime is going to be. If it's hedging toward more of a dark green than a bright one, skip that one. If the skin feels a little more on the thin side as opposed to thick and heavy, it'll be juicy. You should also take a look and see if your store has different varieties. Not all limes are created equal, and some will definitely give more juice. Opt for Tahitian limes (which are also called Persian limes), or Key limes (which also might be labeled as West Indian, Bartender's, or Mexican limes).

Finally, you can get the most juice out of a lime with the help of some simple tricks. Poke the inside with a fork, roll them on a table before cutting them in half, or cut them into thirds instead of cutting them in half. Put together, you'll end up with some seriously delicious, and versatile, lime juice.