The United States Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration expend considerable effort every year encouraging Americans to increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables. One way to do this is in the form of juice, which you can make at home easily with minimal equipment. Citrus juices are the easiest to produce, requiring only a handheld reamer, but even hard fruits and vegetables can be juiced with an inexpensive machine. Most homemade juices taste fresher than store-bought, for the simple reason that they are.
Citrus Fruits
Step 1
Warm citrus fruits in the microwave or a bowl of hot water to extract the maximum amount of juice.
Step 2
Roll the uncut fruit on the countertop, pressing gently but firmly with the palm of your hand. This method breaks some of the internal cell walls, freeing up the juices.
Step 3
Cut citrus fruits in half and place them, cut side down, on the juicer's conical reamer. Squeeze and twist vigorously with a manual juicer, or hold the fruit in place with a mechanical juicer.
Step 4
Repeat for each remaining half-fruit. Strain the juice if desired, and use it immediately or refrigerate it.
Fruit or Vegetable Juicer
Step 1
Wash and assemble the juicer according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Step 2
Scrub the produce thoroughly, then peel it if desired. Cut all fruits or vegetables into pieces small enough to fit the juicer's feed tube. Carrots, beets, cucumbers and tomatoes all make healthy and tasty juices. So do apples, pomegranates, pineapples and most fresh berries.
Step 3
Feed the fruits or vegetables into the machine one or two pieces at a time, allowing the juicer to do its work before adding more pieces.
Step 4
Continue to run the machine for a minute or two after you add the last piece so that it has time to juice the final pieces thoroughly.
Step 5
Strain the juice if desired. Drink it immediately, or refrigerate it in a sealed container.
Tips and Warnings
- Some juicers are sturdier than others and better suited to hard root vegetables such as beets and carrots.
- Raw vegetables are frequently implicated in outbreaks of foodborne illness. If you're juicing raw vegetables, wash them thoroughly. Blanch sturdy vegetables such as carrots and beets in boiling water before processing them, to minimize the risk of illness.
Things You'll Need
- Citrus fruit
- Bowl
- Microwave
- Manual or motorized citrus juicer
- Vegetable juicer
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Sealed storage containers
References
- "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen"; Harold S. McGee; 2004
- "On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals"; Sarah R. Labensky, et al.; 2003
- Discount Juicers: Instruction Manual for the Omega 8003/8005 Nutrition Center
- Harvard School of Public Health: Vegetables and Fruits
Member Comments