Welcome to Tips and Techniques at StarCooking.com.

I'm Kathy Maister.

To help the juices flow when you squeeze a lemon, start by either zapping it in the microwave

for 15 seconds, or as Colin demonstrates, just roll it under your palm on the countertop.

Then, cut it in half across the thick center.

If you have a citrus juicer, just press down and twist each lemon half. The juice collects in the base.

Pour the juice through a small strainer to capture all those pesky seeds.

If you don't have a juicer, take each lemon half and cup one hand under it

as you squeeze the lemon with your other hand.

The cupped hand will catch all the seeds. This is messy but effective.

If you need just a small amount of juice, slice the lemon from the top to the bottom and cut off a wedge to squeeze.

Now zesting.

Zest is the yellow part of the skin. Avoid scraping off the white

part as it's very bitter. With a grater or a zester, it will scrape right off. Cheers.