Does lemon juice speed the maceration of strawberries?!
Does lemon juice speed the maceration of strawberries?
For strawberry shortcake.
Answers:
Yes it does. Lemon juice has acetic and citric acid. It reacts with the proprionic acid in strawberries. The reaction speed is increased with lemon juice. Getting bottled lemon juice is better, it speeds it up quickly. Hope this helps.
What precisely is it you are trying to achieve? If you 'macerate' strawberries with an acid you will crush their aromatic profile completely. Strawberries are macerated, if they ever are, with a sugar solution or syrup for 30 mins when, in early season, their natural sugar levels are less pronounced. Any other way, you will be doing a heck of a lot more damage with your maceration than good. If you have good strawberries, let them triumph under their own steam. They'll do you proud, perfectly, just 'as is'. If you want to faff, concentrate on the integrity of your paste for the shortcake, instead... :-)