orange juice
Also known as: fresh orange juice
The juice pressed from oranges, sweet and citrusy, drunk on its own or used in cooking and baking for sweetness, acidity, and citrus flavor. Reducing it on the stove concentrates all three at once, so a reduced orange juice sauce is noticeably sweeter and more intensely flavored than the juice itself.
Buying guidance
Check for 100% juice versus a juice drink or cocktail, which is diluted and sweetened and will throw off a recipe's sugar balance. Fresh-squeezed and pasteurized carton juice both work for cooking; fresh has brighter flavor but more pulp and batch-to-batch variability.
Substitutions
- Tangerine juice -- sweeter and milder, close enough for most uses.
- Orange juice from concentrate, reconstituted -- fine for cooking, slightly flatter flavor than fresh.
- Diluted lemon or lime juice with a little added sugar -- approximates acidity and sweetness without any orange flavor.
Tips & common mistakes
Its acidity can curdle a dairy-based sauce or whipped cream if poured in all at once, the same way lemon juice can -- add it gradually and expect a slightly grainy look if it's added too fast.
Storage
It freezes well in an airtight container for months -- leave a little room at the top for expansion -- and after thawing, shake or stir it well, since the pulp and liquid tend to separate.