How To Select A Juicer

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There are many factors that determine which of the many juicers out there is the best juicer for you.  Some of the factors that you need to consider are:

1. Juicer Types
2. Produce most likely to be juiced
3. Cleaning
4. Power
5. Noise Level

1. Juicer Types

There are six main types of juicers that are available today.  They are Centrifugal Juicers, Citrus Juicers, Manual Press Juicers, Single Gear (a.k.a. Masticating Juicers), Twin Gear (a.k.a. Triturating Juicers), and Wheat Grass Juicers.

 

• Centrifugal Juicers:  Centrifugal juicers are the most affordable and popular choice available to people looking to buy a juicer these days.  These juicers use a shredding disc to spin out  the juice and a strainer basket to hold the pulp in the machine.
• Citrus Juicers:  A citrus juicer provides the convenience of juicing citrus fruits at home so you can enjoy the benefits of fresh squeezed citrus juice any time.
• Manual Press Juicers:  Since the juice is pressed through cheesecloth, the juice is virtually pulp free, but can be a slow process.  Requires produce to be shredded in order to be pressed and squeezes the juice out of the produce with pressure.
• Single Gear (a.k.a. Masticating Juicers):  These produce less foam, and can be utilized to make baby food, sauces, and sorbets.  A slow turning single auger is used by these types of juicers to crush the produce into the walls or screen of the juicer.
• Twin Gear Juicers (a.k.a. Triturating Juicers):  These juicers have two gears that shreds, then presses the juice out of the produce.  These types of juicers are liable to be more expensive than other types of juicers, but twin gears juicers are the most efficient and can extract larger volumes of juice from fruits and vegetables.
• Wheatgrass Juicers:  Wheatgrass juicers can extract the juice out of the blades of wheatgrass either manually or automatically.  Wheatgrass is a concentrated source of vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll, and enzymes.  This is a specialized type of juicer since normal fruit and vegetable juicers will not juice wheatgrass. 

 

2. Produce most likely to be juiced

If you are likely to be juicing fruit and vegetables in equal quantities, then a centrifugal juicer is your best option and some models also feature attachments that will allow you to juice citrus as well.  However, those juicers do not juice leafy vegetables well.  For juicing mainly vegetables a single auger juicer would be the best option, but they produce rather thick juice from fruit, almost sauce-like, since they are designed for juicing stalk-like vegetables.

3. Cleaning

 The time it will take to clean a juicer after you used it will depend on the complexity of the juicer as the average juicer has between four and seven parts requiring cleaning.  This means that while a citrus press can be cleaned with a quick wipe down, a juicer with more functionality will take longer to clean.  Also a check should be made as to whether the components are dishwasher safe, unless you are happy to hand wash the parts.

4. Power

 The amount of power you need depends on the hardness of the produce you are juicing.  The harder the produce, the more power you will need, but anything over 400 watts should be more than sufficient.  The stronger the motor is, the longer it is likely to last.  Also a check should be made as to whether the motor is guaranteed by the manufacturer.  

5. Noise Levels 

This is dependent on the power of your juicer's motor.  The more powerful the motor, the higher the noise levels produced.  The importance of this factor is guided by personal preference and your sitation.  If you have no one around to complain about the noise and you don't mind the noise, then it is unimportant; but if you mind a loud noise or people around you do, then it is a consideration.  But it must be weighted up against the effectiveness of your juicer.

 

Click here to check out the juicers at basicliving.com!

Happy Juicing!!!

by Mechele Eckman

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Applesauce - the home made way

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After a few years into marriage I decided that making my own baby food was the best way to go to provide better nutrition for my infants.  One of the many things that I decided to do and still do for our whole family is make applesauce.  Apples seem to be in abundance where I live and there are so many things you can do with them.

The first few times I made applesauce I peeled and cored every apple and then put them in a pot on the stove to cook down.  The applesauce was good but there was too much work involved for me to continue this process so I started looking around for something to help make this process easier. Two products that I found on the market were a steam juicer and food strainer/sauce maker.  The steam juicer is an appliance that can be used for many things.  Besides being a steam juicer, it is a colander, steam cooker, soup pot and roaster so if you want to get your money’s worth out of it don’t store it too far away because you can use it all year long.

When preparing my applesauce I use the steam juicer first.  I wash my apples, stem, and quarter them (which allows the apples to cook faster).  I do not take the time to core them because the food strainer/sauce maker will take care of the cores.  I fill up the colander in the steamer with the prepared apples.   The bottom pan or sauce pot in the juicer must be filled with water.  Place the sauce pot on the stove filled with water, the juice kettle on top and then the colander on top of that with the lid in place.  Bring that to a boil. You should allow your apples to steam for about 60 minutes or until they are nice and mushy.

While the apples have been steaming, concentrated juice has been collecting in the juice kettle.  I drain that juice off, bottle it while it is hot and process it in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes (3,000 to 6,000 ft).  Later I use the juice for fruit drinks or boil it with sugar for syrup (great on pancakes or waffles). 

After the apples have steamed for 60 minutes and I have bottled all of the juice.  I run the apples through a food strainer/sauce maker.  This machine is great because it separates the peel, core and seeds from the pulp.  The food strainer/sauce maker is nice but not absolutely necessary either.  I have in the past just mashed my apples through a sieve.  Once the pulp has been extracted though, you need to add some kind of anti-darkening agent.  I use Fruit Fresh.   I just add the powder right to the applesauce.  The next step is to return the applesauce to the sauce pot (the bottom pot of the steamer) and add sugar.   I taste my sauce and sweeten it accordingly.  You can follow this tip. Add ¼ cup sugar per pound of apples.  I have also added red cinnamon candy to my sauce.  It gives it a nice pink color, adds some sweetness, and a cinnamon taste.  My kids think this applesauce is great.

  After you add your sugar heat the sauce to boiling.  Stir the sauce to prevent sticking.  Maintain temperature at a boil (212°F) while filling jars.  Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles by crisscrossing a flat plastic utensil through the sauce.  Wipe around the top of the bottle. Place hot lid on the bottle and finger tighten the ring.    Process your pints or quarts of applesauce for 30 minutes (3,000 to 6,000 ft) in a boiling water bath.  After processing time is over remove carefully.  Let the jars sit on a towel covered counter for 12 to 24 hours.  Then check the seal by pressing the lid in the center.  If it gives at all it is not sealed and must be refrigerated.  Use your unsealed applesauce within 24 hours.

I know it seems like a lot of work but it is well worth the effort.  Homemade applesauce just doesn’t compare to store bought sauce.  When you do your own you have a piece of mind that you know what is going into the sauce.  It also gives you a sense of pride and satisfaction. I think your kids will love the fact that it is homemade too. So start making sauce and enjoy. 

by Mechele Eckman
www.basicliving.com
www.survivalsuperstore.com

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Victorio Stainless Steel Steam Juicer

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Extract the natural juice of grapes, berries, and other high-liquid fruits with the power of steam. Just boil water in the bottom container and place fruit in the top container. Natural concentrated fruit juice drips in the center pan where it can be extracted through a surgical-quality, heat-resistant tube. Use it for making jellies or store as concentrate for healthy natural fruit juice. The Steam Juicer is also perfect for cooking soups and stews or steaming vegetables.
Steam Juicer Capacities:

• Over all height is 16"
• Diameter is 10.5"
• Colander - The part the fruit or vegetables go in - 9.5 QT
• Juice Kettle - The part that catches the juice during the steam juicing process - 2.5 qt
• Water pan - bottom pan of water that boils to create steam - 4.5 QT

Available at Basic Living

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Fruit Leather

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One of the favorite snacks in our house is fruit leather.  I suppose the name doesn’t sound very appetizing, but it really is good. They are called roll-ups in the store, but ours are very different.  For one thing, they are thicker. Also, they have more flavor, having been made with fresh fruit and no fillers.  They are most definitely more nutritious too.

There are a lot of fruits that work well for leather.  Our favorites are apples, plums, apricots, and peaches, but lots of other fruits can be used. Also, fruits can be mixed together to create different varieties, or flavorings can be added.

Making leather is relatively simple. Wash the fruit, then cut it in half, and fill up a blender with it. Add a tablespoon or two of lemon juice, and enough sugar or honey to taste. Blend well, until there are no lumps at all. Then spread out onto teflon sheets and put into the food dryer. It will take about 18-24 hours to dry. It will probably be a little sticky, but if it is very sticky, dry it a little longer. Length of dry time depends largely on how thickly the puree is spread onto the sheets. If it is too thick, it will take a long time to dry. However, if it is too thin, it will dry into brittle chips, not into leather. The best thickness is about 1/4 inch thick, but even this depends on how thick the puree is to start with.

If a dehydrator is not available, there are other ways to get it dried. One way is to cover cookie sheets with plastic wrap, folding it around the edges and taping it underneath, or using clothes pins on the sides. Then the sheets can be put in the oven on warm ( 120*), or in the sun, but they will have to be protected from insects and dirt. Try putting the cookie sheets in the back window of a car, with that
window facing the sun. It gets quite warm in there, and they should dry fast, but it might be good to let
the moist air out once in a while.

When the leather feels dry, peel it off the teflon sheet or plastic and turn it over. Let it dry upside down for another hour or two, just to be sure. Then it is ready to either be cut into strips and put into bags or jars, or rolled up in a fresh sheet of plastic wrap and then put into bags or jars. Glass gallon jars work well for storage.

Apple - For apple leather, the process is a little different.  It’s easiest for us to make it when we make applesauce. We cut the apples, cook them up, and put them through the Victorio Strainer. A blender can be used if the apples are peeled and cored first.  Then we add just a little bit of sugar, and it’s ready to spread out on the sheets.

Try sprinkling some cinnamon on the leather before drying, or mix it right in. Some people like to sprinkle jello on to add flavor and color, but to me it’s just more sugar, and it doesn’t go as fast as regular apple leather around here. Perhaps it would taste more like apple pie if cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves are added.

Apricot - Use above directions. It has plenty of flavor all by itself, and even people that aren’t really fond of apricots seem to still like this.

Plum - Use above directions. This is the prettiest leather, because the skins make the leather somewhat speckled.

Peach - Use above directions. It’s lighter in color, very pretty. Be sure to add the lemon juice so it doesn’t brown, because then it would look very unappetizing.

After you have tried the basic leathers, try some other fruits such as bananas, cherries (makes a very sticky leather, harder to work with), pears and pineapple.  There are some fruits that don’t make good leathers due to their consistency or taste. Rhubarb is a little too sour, but might work well if blended with another fruit. I find that berries have lots of little seeds that interfere with the finished product. Watermelon isn’t good alone, nor is cantaloupe or other melons, but try mixing it with apples or some other fruit.

Here are some combinations to try:
Peach and plum
Apple and apricot
Apple and plum
Peach and pear
Cherry and apple
Cherry and peach
Strawberry rhubarb (2 c. strawberries and 1 c. rhubarb, can also add a little pineapple or orange peel)

Even if there isn’t a lot of a certain variety of fruit available, it doesn’t take a lot to make leather, and it
can be combined with other fruits, so don’t let anything go to waste! You just might find a new family
favorite.

One of the best things about leather is that it is so portable. They go in lunch boxes, on trips, on picnics, and just for between meals snacking. If we send them with the children on field trips, we have to send a lot, because everyone in the class wants some.

So if you think your child won’t eat leather, think again! Your child may have tried some of ours!

By Donna Howard

56 East Main Street
Rexburg, ID 83440
info@basicliving.com
888-656-0411

www.basicliving.com
www.survivalsuperstore.com
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