# Cooking with grapefruit juice **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [May 18, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-grapefruit-juice/688671 "2014-05-18T03:58:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-grapefruit-juice/688671/1 "2014-05-18T03:58:14Z")
You frequently see lemon or lime juice in savory recipes. Why is grapefruit juice ignored? Is it just too tart? I don’t drink it, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-grapefruit-juice/688671/2 "2014-05-18T04:24:19Z")
I imagine that grapefruits have historically been harder to come by than lemons and limes. Or, it could possibly have something to do with the fact that the bitter compounds in grapefruit juice get more bitter as they sit after being squeezed. Seems to me that might make it hard to effectively gauge how bitter a dish might be. Most of the time, grapefruit juice is used in drinks where it’s squeezed to order, rather than being pre-squeezed, so it’s as non-bitter as possible. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-grapefruit-juice/688671/3 "2014-05-18T04:27:04Z")
Obviously, when I said “tart”, “bitter” was the word I was after. My OP also forgot to mention OJ being used, but not purple grape juice. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-grapefruit-juice/688671/4 "2014-05-18T04:36:14Z")
I’ve seen grapefruit juice used as a meat tenderizer. [Grapefruit Marinated Fajitas](http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/10432/) [Grapefruit, Ginger and Honey Flank Steak](http://www.creative-culinary.com/grapefruit-ginger-and-honey-flank-steak/) ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-grapefruit-juice/688671/5 "2014-05-18T13:04:26Z")
Lemon/lime juice is much more acidic than grapefruit; it’s used to add a zing to a dish, much like vinegar. Grapefruit juice isn’t acidic enough to add the zing, and it also (as you said) has a bitter element. It’d work in some dishes ([Grapefruit chicken, anyone?](https://www.google.com/#q=grapefruit+chicken)), I’m sure. Bitterness plus a bit of citrus sweetness isn’t a bad thing. But it’s just not as versatile as lemon or lime. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-grapefruit-juice/688671/6 "2014-05-18T18:26:36Z")
Note–grapefruit, and it’s juice are no-nos, when you take certain medications. > **[Grapefruit and medications](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/food-and-nutrition/faq-20057918)** > > Grapefruit and other citrus can be a problem if you take prescription medicines. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2014, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-grapefruit-juice/688671/7 "2014-05-19T12:42:34Z")
There’s a citrus salsa called xec that is fantastic with grapefruit-marinated pork. [Here’s](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/dining/081mrex.html?_r=0) a recipe for it with fish.