State Fair Lemonade Recipe

Yikes that looks delicious.

Wonderful, OP. Thanks

It doesn't say how much granulated sugar.

No wonder Americans are beset with cancers and diabetes.

Is no once else bothered by the guy's speaking manner? Every single sentence ends the same way. The next to last word punched and then the last word much softer and almost tailing off to nothing. Over and over and over. It was driving me nuts.

You're welcome r2.

r3

He used:

6 lemons

1 1/4 cups white sugar

5 cups cold water

r5

It's his schtick. He is actually a chef and creates recipes for allrecipes.com

It drove me crazy I could barely finish the video but lemonade was so tantalizing I did.

I'm not going through all that trouble for lemonade.

Simply Lemonade tastes just as good without all that work. Most supermarket lemonades are excellent.

Unless you have a lemon tree in your yard, it makes no sense to make your own.

r9 that's going to have preservatives and who knows what else in it. Remember: whole foods (not the grocery store) are the best way to go.

I grew up on Kool-Aid lemonade. I'd mix a packet of it with a pound of sugar and water straight from the faucet. It was heaven after playing outside on a hot summer day.

For those who prefer a written recipe, there's a link below. I think this is the same one.

R10, eating what you call whole foods (what are regular foods - partial foods?) all the time requires a lot of time or a limited menu. At my age, preservatives can only help.

What r4 said.

1 1/2 cups of sugar for 5 cups of water??? Might as well have a Mountain Dew.

I've made lemonade in the past where you put sliced up lemons and sugar in a pitcher and bash it around with a wooden spoon to accomplish basically the same thing, the release of the oils in the peel. But mine had a bitterness to it probably because of the bitter pith still being there on the slices whereas his recipe you have basically no white pith at all when you peel the lemon. I think I'll try his version.

Just use lime and honey with a pinch of salt! 100 times yummier than lemon and sugar.

Gross, R15.

Dont forget to add a dash of Clamato and some peppermint extract to give it that vomit zest!

Getting the zest in (lemon or lime) always adds great flavor. Very important to boil the sugar/zest and water to fully dissolve the sugar and form a simple syrup. Nothing wrong with R15's suggestion to add a pinch of salt -but be very sparing. Honey is a matter of taste preference, and not all honeys taste the same. Use sugar for the traditional flavor. That said, he is using a lot of sugar! I like my lemonade tart rather than sweet -I usually have about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of sugar in a full pitcher of lemonade. Adding lime zest and juice to the lemonade will sweeten it up a bit in place of adding more sugar, and I love the lemon-lime flavor.

Sorry, R13, but even the full-sugar recipe above is nowhere near as awful for you as canned sodas. They are full of chemicals. Yes, sugar isn't good for you -But lemonade is a treat, not your daily hydration. The only thing we should be drinking all day every day is water, but a sugary drink like lemonade is fine every now and then. If you need to reduce the sugar in your diet start making things from scratch at home, so you know where it is.

I just buy mine at all the county and state fairs.

It's great with a giant cinnamon sugared elephant ear or funnel cakes with lots of powdered sugar. And don't get me started on the fried chicken !

As a kid, I loved Minute Maid frozen lemonade and limeade in the small cans from the freezer section of the grocery store.

You are Minutemaid lemon and lime frozen cans!

I want, but I lazy.

I have a lemon tree so trying this now, but using half the sugar he did. It’s in the fridge now overnight. I can sweeten it more later if I need to but I like it tart.

Thanks, OP!

That recipe is too much fucking work. And you can get lemonade at the grocery store that is straight-up lemon, sugar, and water.

General rule of thumb for any American recipe:

Cut the amount of sugar in half.

I just DIED, people. Have some respect.

Can't you just put in a few drops of food-grade lemon oil? Or even just steep some lemon zest/peel in the pitcher or in some warm water?

That's brilliant. The dude has a really weird uptalk though.

R5, i watched the video before I saw your comment and you captured my sentiments exactly. He was like a robot. It was annoying and distracting. I kept waiting for at least ONCE instance of variance...but nope.

I’m making this recipe now. The lemon zest is macerating with the sugar as we speak. I added a couple of cherries because I love cherries. I used 3/4c. of sugar though. You can always add more at the end. Later I will try it with vodka!

There's nothing like a nice citron presse.

I like this guy's fondant potatoes

I like his recipes but hate the way he talks. He doesn't talk like that normally. It is like the people that drive and put their foot on the gas and then take it off to glide, the put their foot on the gas and then take it off to glide............

R33 I had a friend who drives like that. I refused to ride with him after that stomach-turning experience. No, I don't know how he makes his limonade.

This guy has one of the worst cases of punchable voice I've ever heard.

First off, he completely forgot the vodka...

I would take down the sugar to a cup, if not more. Add a small pinch or two of kosher salt to the finished product to taste. Salt will bring out the sweetness (similar to when making homemade hot cocoa, a pinch of salt makes a huge difference.) It would also enhance the lemon oil. I would definitely let the zest sit longer than 2 hours. You want that FLAVAH! bitches.

If you have one, most certainly use a lemon squeezer. If you don't, consider adding one to your kitchen tool collection. They aren't one of those gadgets you use once and forget about them. Great for limes too. Lemons are a bit expensive these days, so you want every drop you can get. Also, it's easier on the hands to be sure. Yes, Eldergay, checking in. Gather around, let me tell y'all about mah rheumatiz!

OP? You can buy unwaxed lemons.

How embarrassing. I wouldn't have posted if I had taken the time to refresh this page and see all of the later comments echoing my take(s). Sorry!

Off to soothe my shame with some vodka (sans lemonade).

I believe in Crystal Light because I believe in me.

R30 here. Just finished the recipe and it was excellent! I had some cherries I needed to use up so I puréed about 20 of them and strained the juice into the lemonade. It was phenomenal!

R35 Yes, that upspeak Is annoying at first, but over time I’ve stopped noticing it. These videos have taught me to cook during the pandemic, and I’m trying this one just now.

I have a heavily chromed lemon squeezer and use it a lot, for dressings and on some steamed vegetables at lunch. It’s very handy.

Good God! The guy doing the voice-over on that video needs to be slapped, repeatedly and viciously. It's as if he's reading every sentence from a paper in strict numerical sequence, And that downward shift in his vocal inflection at the end of every sentence is very off putting.

[quote] I scrubbed them thoroughly to get the wax off first.

Especially important when picking up a stranger!

A reviewer from R12 link: “I just made this and it's EXTREMELY BITTER.”

Sounds like most of DL.

So I made this last night. It sure doesn't make much. The lemons are 99% pulp and 1% juice. And I really put them in my food processor for a long time.

And while you're at the State Fair, don't forget my gig Saturday at 6 PM sharp!

R44, if you go to YouTube and look up "getting more juice out of lemons" you will find many hacks to help.

That fucking 'Chef John' uses that annoying upspeak for all his videos. It is now baked into his brand. But I would not lift a finger to stop someone from slitting his throat. The upspeak is awful and he is a horrible person for encouraging it.

I'm sure that lemonade is delicious, but GAH! That recipe makes lemonade as complex and time consuming as making your own croissants from scratch.

R49 here. I just had two glasses of the batch I made overnight. I used just under a cup of sugar and six lemons (my store had only small ones, possibly Meyer). This lemonade is very delicious and it’s not too sour or sweet. I can’t have it every day, but it’s a beautiful concoction. The color and depth of flavor from the lemon oil simple syrup process is a real winner. I will make this for company some time. It’s good.

Just make some proper southern sweet tea. And make sure to use simple syrup to sweeten it.

This is what we drink in the south.

I made this last night. Threw in a couple of limes as I was short on lemons. As R44 said, it doesn't make much, but it is absolutely delicious. I used a half cup of sugar.

^^^ Limes tend to be naturally sweeter (in the Northeast often juicier) than lemons too.

My lemonade recipe: ice, lemon, vodka.

R41 I agree but I think he’s known for it. People recognize his voice.

Nobody likes my lemonade?

Lime, not lemon.

R4, lemons and rind?? Sugar isn't the best idea, but occasionally isn't the end of the world. The lemonade is excellent.

R44, put them in your food processor?? You'd do a lot better with a juicer.

R6, I never saw the recipe, but saw him just cover the zest with sugar in his recipe. It wouldn't have taken that much to mention the amount as he was making it. I was not aware of the amount of water either, but 5 cups isn't very much. It would be very good as a base for lemonade cocktails.

[quote] The lemons are 99% pulp and 1% juice

You bought bad lemons. Always look for lemons that feel like they have think rinds. Thick rinded lemons always have little juice. And yes, you can tell the difference by the way they feel in your hand.

WAY too much sugar. I hate the lemonade sold commercially at places like Fairs as it tastes like syrup.

thin rinds not think rinds

R60, Thanks Kramer!

Thanks for this, OP!

Gay cooks: Would this work using oranges to make an orangeade?

There seems to be a lot of fake news in this thread about lemonade.

Where is anybody getting lemons from their tree right now?

Who the hell thinks limes are sweeter and juicier than lemons?

Especially who the hell has access to Meyer lemons this time of year? They are very perishable and typically available for a few weeks a year during lemon season (yes there is a season).

I wondered why nobody actually said "Chef John." As soon as I read the comment about his odd speech affectation, I knew it had to be one of his videos. He's alright. He is detailed. He's like the Betty Crocker of Allrecipes.

There is an easier way to get as-good results with your lemonade. Somebody upthread hinted at it.

Slice your half dozen lemons thinly. You can cut them across the axis first to make them flat and easier to slice. Slice no more than 5mm thick.

Dump these in a bowl with the sugar - I'd use one cup 200g. Now muddle/mash it with a potato masher, the bottom of a large glass or jar, or with a mixer on lowest speed (potentially messy). Do this until the pulp is mostly beaten out of the lemons and everything is very juicy. By hand maybe 5 mins, by machine maybe 2.

Now add the water - 6 cups. Let this steep for 15 minutes. Not too long, because you'll steep too much bitterness out of the white pith. Then strain the whole thing into a pitcher. You can strain with a mesh strainer for no pulp, or a colander for a pulpy experience.

You can add more water and/or ice to make 2 litres. This recipe works well with non-nutritive sweeteners.

Use 6 limes and 2 lemons for a limeade that also makes an excellent margarita.

Were you to make this with Meyer lemons, you'd want to reduce the sugar by 1/3, and still add at least one regular lemon. If orangeade, less sugar yet, maybe one-third the amount or 70g, and a couple lemons.

R66 I just bought Meyer lemons at Trader Joe’s. They are not there every week but have been available off and on since May.

Thin-rind lemons are often difficult to find as the ones with thick rinds travel better. This is especially so for organic ones, at least according to the produce buyer at NY’s Eataly. The limes come from South and Central America and tend to be juicier. Again according to the produce guy.

R67, the only explanation I could come up with was that you are getting lemons from the southern hemisphere.

The season for lemons is about Jan - April where I live. April being quite late. In citrus areas, lemons and oranges often cross pollinate, creating fruits that are similar tasting and looking to Meyer lemons. Meyers have soft thin skins and they spoil easily. It is citrus season in the southern hemisphere.

Limes are grown all year round, so can be fresher than lemons, which have a season. Regular persian limes make better key lime pie than key limes do.

A tip for you if you ever get a bunch of citrus: Wash whole citrus in a solution of 30 ml chlorine bleach per 4 l of water, and a drop of dish soap, for about 20 minutes, turning them frequently. Drain, rinse the soap off, and drain until very dry. Wrap each lemon in newspaper or similar, and pack in a box. Keep as cool and dark as you can, and check them weekly for spoilage. They will last a month that way, in or out of the refrigerator.

Make a key lime pie but use Meyer lemons. It's really good.

R68 Yes, the Northeast doesn’t have citrus grown locally. It’s a temperate zone.

When are lemons in season in Southern California?

What are pickled limes outside of LITTLE WOMEN?

That's not my point, troll R69, and I never suggested that there were citrus native to the NE US. In fact I mentioned in a previous post that I have citrus trees.

My point is that wherever you're getting your citrus from, even in citrus growing areas, most citrus has a season. There are exceptions, but for commercial crops, they're largely seasonal. Particularly specialty items like Meyer lemons. In the northern hemisphere, you're eating storage lemons and oranges much of the year after springtime.

^^^ Calm down. I wasn’t trolling. No need to get offended. Of course our citrus is commercial.

I tried it with 1/2 cup of sugar and it was still too sweet.

I tried this recipe but messed up in putting the lemon juice from squeezed lemons before cooling down. I also stinted on the sugar. Tart, but thirst quenching, and easy to dilute. Would try again.

It’s great for washing down a corn dog!

I am still recovering from the vapors after learning that the South makes sweet tea using teabags. Dear God, no wonder we lost the War.

Uncle Peter, where are my smellin' salts?

R77 how else are you supposed to make it?

R78 loose tea of course.

Loose tea does taste better...

I don't use sugar but get an organic loose leaf Turkish tea for my iced. It is very good.

I need to find a good loose jasmine tea, if anyone can recommend.

R79 I have a ton of teabags I need to use up. Do they not make a nice pitcher of iced tea?

If you think Chef John's recipe is complicated, you should see the one I've used for many years. It comes from a 'receipt" book, published in the 1870's, entitled: Dick's Encyclopedia of Practical Receipts and Processes. You have to take lump sugar or sugar cubes, and rub it over the lemons to extract the oil. The sugar gradually turns yellow, softens and ultimately flakes apart. You then put the sugar and the juiced lemons in a pitcher, pour on boiling water, let it steep and then chill it. A real PITA, but the absolute best lemonade there is.

Years ago there was a supermarket brand of powdered lemonade mix called County Prize, not to be confused with Country Time(which is terrible). It was very good, you could see the grated zest mixed in with the sugar. They eventually stopped making it, probably too expensive for them to make an unconscionable profit from.

Always. always, always clean your lemons well. I've said this in several other threads, Trader Joe's Produce Wash is great for this purpose. I use it undiluted, takes just a few drops per lemon, and the wax comes right off. The flavor in lemonade comes from the zest oils, not from the juice(which does provide the needed acidity to balance out the sugar)

Please don't attempt to use artificial sweeteners for lemonade, you will not get the right mouthfeel.

Snickerdoodles, Lorna Doone's or oatmeal cookies are a great go-with for homemade lemonade. Treat yourself sometime.

Bronze, wouldn’t the cubes just crumble right away?

As for Lorna Dornes, they are good with tea but I prefer something a bit salty with lemonade.

r85 How about some Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip cookies? Or Salted Macadamia/Coconut bars?

The cubes start out quite hard, but will disintegrate as you rub them over the lemons(I use several per lemon) The ratio is 1/2lb loaf or cube sugar( I hope they still make the stuff, I'm down to my last half-box) per 3 lemons, and 1qt boiling water. I guess the reason for so little water is that lemonade is meant to be served over lots of ice.

I tried a Chef John's-type recipe years ago, trying to make lemonade quicker. Didn't care for it. Also tried zesting the lemons on a box grater. No go. There has to be something peculiar in the dynamic of rubbing the abrasive sugar cubes over the lemons, that extracts the better part of the essential oil, and leaves behind other inferior flavors.

Peter Marshall: "This question goes to Paul Lynde. Paul, should you scrub the wax off your lemons?"

I think I'm going to make melonade tomorrow.

R82 -The best jasmine tea I've ever had comes from Fortnum & Mason's in London. You can order it from their website. They have a flat-rate international shipping fee for a large box, so it's worth it to order multiple items, as the shipping won't change. I usually get four boxes of tea, four or five jars of preserves, and various candies.

I don't use a zester. I just cut strips of peel from the lemons or whatever citrus fruit and just use a knife to remove the pith. I find it's easier to remove 100% of the pith that way. It takes less time as well.

For my iced tea, I use store brand decaffeinated green tea bags. And it's good enough for any of you here. More than.

It's called aguas frescas, R88, and they only serve it at state fairs in Mexico.

[quote] [R9] that's going to have preservatives and who knows what else in it. Remember: whole foods (not the grocery store) are the best way to go.

Delivering a lecture, hippie? Why don't you go listen to some folk music and give me a break!

I have lemons from my backyard. I cut them up unpeeled and put them in sugar water and leave the jar out in the sun. No squeezing necessary. Done in an hour. No sweat.

R5 You're not the only one! I came here to say exactly that. I watch a lot of YouTube cooking channels, but ABSOLUTELY REFUSE to watch this one, because whether it's affected or not I CANNOT FUCKING STAND his manner of speaking. I don't care how good the recipes are (and honestly, the few that I have seen haven't been anything special), I'm not watching it.

R95 is TRIGGERED!!! But guess what when people watch cooking videos and hear his voice they immediately know it’s him. I think that’s the idea.