Lemons are useful to keep around for dressings, marinades, baking and a squeeze over dinner, but their skins can shrivel if they're left in a warm kitchen. The best storage method depends on whether the fruit is whole, cut or already squeezed.
Good Food recommends keeping whole lemons in the fridge if you want them to last a couple of weeks. A fruit bowl works for shorter periods, roughly a week under suitable conditions. Once you've cut one, wrap it, refrigerate it and use it promptly rather than leaving the exposed half on the worktop.
Choose good lemons in the first place
A firm lemon that feels heavy for its size is usually a better purchase than a light, very soft one. Look for an unblemished skin and avoid fruit with visible mould or deep damage.
The colour isn't an exact measure of how much juice a lemon contains. Smooth thin-skinned lemons are often convenient for juicing, while larger knobbly types may provide more zest.
If you're buying lemons to make several meals during the week, choose enough for what you actually plan to cook. Buying a large net can seem economical until half the fruit dries out unused.
Check that the lemons aren't already damaged where they touch each other inside the packaging. A split fruit may need using sooner than the rest.
Storing whole lemons in the fridge
Keep sound whole lemons in the refrigerator, ideally in a suitable produce drawer or clean container. The cooler temperature slows the drying and deterioration that happen more rapidly on a warm countertop.
Don't cram them under heavy vegetables where they may bruise. A container that gives them some protection from knocks is useful.
Inspect them when you open the fridge rather than waiting until the next recipe calls for one. Remove fruit that is starting to spoil so it doesn't sit among the others.
Good Food's storage guidance suggests approximately a couple of weeks under refrigeration. Treat that as a quality guide rather than a guarantee for every lemon, because ripeness and storage conditions differ.
When a fruit bowl is enough
If you use lemons every day, keeping a few whole fruits in a bowl can be convenient. Pick a cool place away from sunlight, the kettle and the cooker.
Warm air and direct light tend to increase moisture loss, so a window shelf above a radiator is a poor choice. Don't keep the lemons touching an especially damp surface either.
Good Food suggests around a week for whole lemons in a fruit bowl. If you bought them very ripe or your kitchen is hot, check them more often.
A small bowl for the next day's cooking and the rest in the fridge can be a practical compromise. You don't have to store every lemon in the same place.
What to do with half a lemon
A cut lemon loses moisture quickly through its exposed flesh and should be refrigerated rather than left beside the chopping board.
Cover the cut side closely with a suitable food wrap or use a clean, sealed food container. That limits air exposure and helps prevent the fruit absorbing fridge odours.
Good Food advises wrapping cut lemons and keeping them refrigerated for up to four days. Use them sooner if they were already old when cut or if their condition changes.
Don't assume that an exposed lemon half sitting out overnight is safe or worth keeping just because the acidity makes it taste sharp. Handling and storage still matter.
Keeping cut lemon wedges for drinks
If you are preparing lemon wedges for a gathering, cut them with a clean knife on a clean board. Refrigerate them in a covered container until needed.
Take out smaller batches instead of leaving the entire supply at room temperature throughout a long event. A bowl of wedges can be replenished as required.
Lemon slices placed in drinks should be handled as ready-to-eat food. Wash the fruit before cutting, even when you intend to leave the skin on the wedges.
Avoid using the same board or knife immediately after preparing raw meat without appropriate cleaning. A lemon garnish isn't exempt from ordinary kitchen hygiene.
How to store freshly squeezed lemon juice
If you squeeze more juice than a recipe requires, put the surplus into a clean small container, cover it and refrigerate promptly. Label it so nobody mistakes it for another liquid.
Freshly squeezed juice doesn't have the same shelf life as a commercially bottled product with a printed storage instruction. Use it soon and discard it if its smell, appearance or storage history raises concerns.
For longer use, you can freeze portions in a clean ice-cube tray, then transfer the frozen pieces to suitable freezer packaging. Label them by date and intended use.
Avoid topping up an old bottle of juice repeatedly with a fresh batch. That makes it difficult to tell how long the contents have been stored.
Freezing lemon zest and slices
Zest can be convenient to freeze for baking and cooking. Wash and dry the lemon, then finely grate only the coloured outer skin, avoiding the bitter white pith.
Portion the zest into small freezer-safe containers or bags. A little frozen zest can often be added directly to cakes, sauces or dressings where it will mix evenly.
Lemon slices can also be frozen for certain uses, although their texture will soften as they thaw. They may be more suitable for flavouring drinks or cooking than for a perfectly crisp garnish.
Freeze fruit while it is still fresh and sound. The freezer doesn't repair a lemon that is already mouldy or spoiled.
Why lemons shrivel or feel light
The skin wrinkles when the fruit loses moisture. It may still have some usable juice, but the amount and quality are likely to be reduced.
A slightly dry skin alone doesn't always mean the fruit is unsafe; cut it open and inspect the flesh, smell and overall condition. However, visible mould or an unpleasant smell means it's time to discard it.
Good packaging and refrigeration can reduce moisture loss. Simply moving a shrivelled lemon to the fridge won't restore the water it has already lost.
If this happens repeatedly, buy fewer at once or freeze juice from sound surplus fruit before it deteriorates.
Are waxed lemons suitable for zest?
Some lemons are treated with a surface wax to protect them during transport and storage. If a recipe requires zest, check the packaging and follow the guidance for washing or choosing unwaxed fruit.
Good Food suggests buying unwaxed lemons for zest where possible, or scrubbing the skin thoroughly if unwaxed fruit isn't available.
Don't use household cleaning products on citrus skins. Wash under clean running water using a food-safe method.
Remember that lemon zest includes the coloured peel, so the condition and cleanliness of that surface matter when it is going straight into a cake or sauce.
Keep storage simple
The best plan is to keep a couple of lemons ready for immediate use and refrigerate the remainder. Wrap cut fruit, label stored juice and use fresh ingredients before they become forgotten leftovers.
Check your fridge temperature if you find several foods spoiling too quickly. The Food Standards Agency advises a household fridge temperature between 0°C and 5°C.
A useful lemon is one that's still juicy when you need it. You don't need elaborate storage gadgets to achieve that, just a cool place, clean handling and a little attention to what you've already cut.
Sources reviewed
Good Food: lemon preparation and storage and Food Standards Agency: chilling food safely.