Lemon squeezer

A lemon squeezer is a small kitchen utensil designed to extract juice from lemons or other citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, or lime. It is designed to separate and crush the pulp of the fruit in a way that is easy to operate. Lemon squeezers can be made from any solid, acid-resistant material, such as plastic, glass, metal (usually aluminium) or ceramic.

History

The oldest known lemon squeezers were found in Kütahya, Turkey and date to the first quarter of the 18th century. [cite book
last = Carswell
first = John
title = The Lemon-Squeezer; an Unique Form of Turkish Pottery
year = 1971
isbn = 2-85399-015-X
pages= p. 36] These ceramic presses are in the traditional style of Turkish pottery of the 18th century and have a superficial resemblance to today's press equipment with cones, though they are designed differently. These examples were individualy made, and specially designed for making the then popular citrus drink "sherbet". Lemons are not native to northern Turkey, though during the 17th and 18th centuries they were imported en masse to Constantinople. [Carswell, p. 33–34]

At the end of the 19th century a large number of different models of lemon squeezers were patented in the United States. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office lists over 200 patents for lemon squeezers, the majority of which were registered between 1880 and 1910. The oldest of these patents was issued to Lewis P. Chichester on July 3, 1860 for a cast iron squeezer. The stated purpose of the invention was "to obtain a simple, economical and durable implement whereby lemons may be squeezed for domestic purposes with much less power and with far greater facility than by the ordinary squeezers in general use." [US Patent No. 28967, patent description accessible at [http://www.google.com/patents?id=S_FmAAAAEBAJ&dq=lemon+squeezer&num=100&as_drrb_
] ]

Functioning

The premise of the lemon squeezer is simple: Pressure is exerted on a lemon to force its juice and pulp from its rind; the juice and pulp often escape through a filter or sieve. The squeezer itself must resist the pressure, so soft, easily deformable materials cannot be used. Because the lemon juice is very acidic, the squeezer can only be made of acid-resistant materials.

Among squeezers that employ a twisting central projection, both manual and electric options exist; for the manual squeezer the operator must turn the device and hold the lemon (or turn and hold the lemon) while the electric squeezer turns it automatically and the operator must simply hold onto the lemon. Other squeezers simply crush the lemon against a stationary central projection; these usually employ long handles, to gain the mechanical advantage of a lever.

As a decorative object

Not all squeezers are meant to actually squeeze. Perhaps the most famous example of this is the Juicy Salif, designed by Philippe Starck in 1990. It is considered an icon of industrial design that has been displayed in New York's Museum of Modern Art. Originally, it was inspired by squeezing a lemon over a squid in a sea food restaurant, but many observers think it looks like a spider. It is manufactured by Italian kitchenware company Alessi. Its diameter is 14 cm, height 29 cm, and it is made from cast and polished aluminum.

For the tenth anniversary of its launch, 10,000 were individually numbered and gold plated. There has also been a gray/black version. Both are now collectors items, the gray/black version particularly hard to find. The gold plated version was described as an ornament because the citric acid in a lemon discolors and erodes the gold plating. Starck is even rumored to have said, "My juicer is not meant to squeeze lemons; it is meant to start conversations". [cite book
last = Norman
first = Donald Arthur
authorlink = Donald Norman
title = Emotional Design
year = 2005
publisher = Basic Books
isbn = 0465051367
pages = p.114]

ee also

*Juicer
*Lemon reamer

References

External links

* [http://www.centrepompidou.fr/education/ressources/ENS-starck/images/xl/201.jpgImage of the Juicy Salif] at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris