Grades 3–5 · Everyday Life
How does a hinged citrus press squeeze juice from fruit?
A hinged citrus press combines long handles with two cup-shaped working surfaces. A piece of citrus fruit sits between the cups. Closing the handles brings the working surfaces together around the fruit.
In the diagramA long handle concentrates a squeeze near the hingeliquid leaves through openings; larger seeds remainLonger handle movement can produce a larger push.
The handles act as levers. The hands move through a relatively long distance, while the fruit is squeezed over a shorter distance near the hinge. This arrangement can produce a greater squeezing force than a short handle would provide.
The force damages the fruit’s soft juice-containing structures and pushes liquid out. Holes in the lower cup provide a path downward. Many seeds and larger pieces of pulp remain above because they cannot pass through the openings.
Squeezing and separating therefore happen in the same tool. The lever concentrates force, while the perforated cup directs the released liquid. The amount extracted still depends on the fruit and on how well the working surfaces fit it.
About this explanation
Starting knowledge: Know that a hinge permits rotation and that liquid can pass through holes smaller than a seed.
Sources
- OXO — Citrus Squeezer