> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.unknowndivide.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Alessi Juicy Salif: Philippe Starck's Citrus Squeezer Explained - URL: https://www.unknowndivide.com/alessi-juicy-salif-philippe-starck/ - Published: 2023-02-14T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-06T06:55:59.000Z - Description: The Alessi Juicy Salif looks like a sculpture that happens to juice lemons. Here is how Philippe Starck's tripod squeezer works, how to care for the cast aluminium and who should put one on the counter. - Author: unknowndivide staff - Tags: Design *Unknowndivide may earn a commission from purchases made through links in this post.* Some kitchen tools hide in a drawer. The Alessi Juicy Salif refuses to. Philippe Starck's citrus squeezer stands on three long legs with a fluted body that looks closer to a small alien landing craft than a traditional reamer. Alessi has produced the Juicy Salif for decades, and it remains one of the clearest examples of a design object that is also a working tool. ## What the Juicy Salif is The Juicy Salif is a cast aluminium citrus squeezer. You press a halved lemon or lime onto the ridged cone and twist; juice runs down into a glass or bowl placed underneath between the legs. There is no complex mechanism. Gravity and the fluted surface do the work. Alessi lists the piece among its design classics and credits Starck with the form that made the object famous far outside cookware aisles. Limited finishes have appeared over the years, including special metals, but the mirror polished aluminium version is the one most people picture. The silhouette is the product as much as the function. ## Does it actually work Yes, with caveats. It juices small citrus well when you work patiently over a deep enough vessel. Large oranges are awkward because of the open design and the way pulp can splash. Seeds can escape into the glass. If your priority is maximum yield with zero mess, a hinged hinged press or electric juicer is more efficient. If your priority is a countertop object that still earns its footprint, the Juicy Salif makes more sense. That tradeoff is intentional in Starck's work: the object asks you to accept theater with utility. Living with it is similar to living with other design icons that privilege form, the same way a careful listener might choose a sparse record like [Artificial](https://www.unknowndivide.com/drifting-in-silence-artificial/) over a busy playlist. ## Care for cast aluminium Hand wash and dry promptly. Aluminium can discolor with dishwasher detergents and acidic residue left overnight. Avoid abrasive pads that dull the polish. A soft cloth keeps the legs bright. Because the legs are long, place it where it will not be knocked off the counter by a swinging cupboard door. ## Why it is a design icon - **Readable silhouette.** You recognize it from across a room. - **Conversation piece that still juices.** Guests notice it before they notice your knives. - **Alessi production quality.** The cast pieces feel solid rather than toy like. - **Teaching tool for design students.** Form, function and compromise are all visible. Place it near other considered objects rather than buried beside plastic gadgets. The same eye that likes the Juicy Salif often likes clear furniture lines and calm rooms, the mood you hear on [Dawn](https://www.unknowndivide.com/drifting-in-silence-dawn/) or [Pathways](https://www.unknowndivide.com/drifting-in-silence-e-j-r-m-pathways/). ## Who it suits Buy the Juicy Salif if you cook with lemons often enough to use it and care enough about objects to display it. Skip it if you want a sealed press for big breakfast juice runs. Gift it to design fans who already own Alessi pieces or who are building a shelf of twentieth century forms. It also sits happily in a kitchen where a film camera like the [AE-1 Program](https://www.unknowndivide.com/canon-ae-1-program-camera/) appears on weekends and an [everyday knife](https://www.unknowndivide.com/ontario-rat-1-folder/) lives in a drawer without ceremony. For more objects with that clarity of line, keep reading through our [design icons hub](https://www.unknowndivide.com/design-icons/). Starck has said the form came from a sketch that refused to look like a conventional kitchen aid. Alessi protected that oddness in production instead of sanding it into a safer shape. Living with the result means accepting that some juice will miss the glass until your motion becomes practiced. That small learning curve is part of the object's character. ## Styling the counter Give the Juicy Salif space. It reads best on a clear stretch of stone or wood where the tripod silhouette can cast a shadow. Crowding it beside a dozen utensils turns the sculpture back into clutter. If you own other Alessi pieces, group by metal finish rather than by function alone so the shelf feels intentional. Photographers who shoot kitchen still life will notice how the polished aluminium catches window light. That reflective quality is part of why the object photographs so well and why it became a catalog staple for Alessi. Collectors sometimes chase limited finishes, but the standard polished aluminium version remains the clearest expression of the design. Buy that one first. If you later want a special edition, you will already know whether the form earns permanent counter space in your kitchen. More from the makers: [www.alessi.com](https://www.alessi.com/?ref=unknowndivide.com) ยท [www.alessi.com](https://www.alessi.com/us-en/juicy-salif-citrus-squeezer-psjs.html?ref=unknowndivide.com). ## Where to buy **Shop the Alessi Juicy Salif** [Alessi official site](https://www.alessi.com/?ref=unknowndivide.com) [Alessi Juicy Salif citrus squeezer, aluminium](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004YTQZ?tag=unknowndivi02-20&ref=unknowndivide.com) [Alessi Juicy Salif limited bronze finish](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U1HZF1G?tag=unknowndivi02-20&ref=unknowndivide.com) Explore more landmark objects in our [design icons hub](https://www.unknowndivide.com/design-icons/).