Lemon juice, raw

Lemon juice is one of the kitchen's most reached-for acids. Fresh-squeezed, it goes into vinaigrettes, marinades for fish and chicken, and the finishing squeeze that brightens soups, stews, and pan sauces just before serving. It's whisked into hollandaise and beurre blanc to cut through butter, tossed with sliced avocado or apples to slow browning, and stirred into lemonade, curd, and simple syrups for desserts. A squeeze over grilled fish, roasted vegetables, or a bowl of hummus does more to wake up a dish than salt alone, and a splash added to the cooking water for rice or poached eggs is a common trick for keeping things bright and clean-tasting.

Thin-skinned lemons tend to yield the most juice; rolling one firmly on the counter before cutting helps release it, and a wedge left uncovered in the fridge dries out fast, so juicing extra ahead of time is usually the better plan. Fresh juice keeps about a week refrigerated and freezes well in ice-cube trays for pre-portioned use later. At 22 calories per 100 g (a cup is 244 g), with just 1 mg of sodium and 2.52 g of sugar, it's a low-calorie way to build flavor into a dish without reaching for salt or fat, and it supplies vitamin C at 43% of the Daily Value per 100 g, useful for finishing dishes where a citrus note is wanted.