Read The Complete Book of Raw Food Online
Authors: Julie Rodwell
The Complete Book of Raw Food (6 page)
Twin-Gear Press
juicers have two gears that work together to press out the juice from produce. The gears first shred the produce, then squeeze out the juice. The twin-gear press juicer is best for juicing vegetables because it relies on the fibrous material of their cell walls to push the pulp out of the machine. Twin-gear press juicers tend to be more expensive
than other types, but they have one bonus: they can juice wheatgrass, and save you the trouble of having to buy a separate wheatgrass juicer. Also, like masticating juicers, you can use a blank plate to block the juice spout to produce raw condiments such as applesauce and nut butters. This feature is not available with the Green Star juicer.
Examples:
Green Star, Green Life (an older model).
I
n recent years, numerous food safety scares have put people on edge. Because a raw food diet doesn’t involve meat, the chances of your food making you sick are greatly reduced. However, it is important to note that, because raw food preparation does not involve the heating that one would otherwise count on to kill harmful bacteria, extra precautions must be taken to ensure the safety of your food. We suggest that you buy organic produce whenever possible, and carefully wash all fruits and vegetables before consuming them (scrubbing vegetables with a vegetable brush is a good way to make sure you get them extra clean). Always wash your hands before preparing food. Most importantly, make sure to clean your equipment (juicers, blenders, etc.) after each use.
Now that you know all about juicers, which type should you choose? Though the main consideration should be what type of produce you plan to juice most, there are also special considerations to keep in mind when buying a juicer for a raw food diet. Because many recipes require you to run ingredients through a juicer with a homogenizing function, we suggest you buy either a masticating or twin gear press juicer.
Any juicer you buy will come with extensive instructions, but to help you get acquainted with the ins and outs of juicing, we’re including instructions on how to use, clean, and assemble a Champion juicer. This is the most popular of the masticating juicers—so popular that many of our chefs mention it by name in their recipes.
The following are some rules and tips to help you get started, courtesy of Champion Juicers and the Living and Raw Foods Marketplace:
For best results
, use fresh, crisp, pre-cooled vegetables. If you find yourself with too much fresh produce to use at once, cut it into pieces small enough to fit in your juicer’s chute, then freeze it for later use. Keep in mind that freezing only slows the aging process. For best flavor, use frozen produce within two to three months.
Clean the vegetables
before you start juicing. Even organic produce should be washed thoroughly. Root vegetables, such as carrots, should be scrubbed carefully to remove any dirt (plastic mesh pot scrubbers are especially good for cleaning carrots).
Apple seeds contain
some cyanide, so be sure to core apples and remove seeds before juicing.
Do not juice carrot greens
, rhubarb greens, or the skins of oranges or grapefruits, because they contain toxic substances. However, the white pithy part of citrus just underneath the skin is very nutritious. To benefit from this pith, grate the skin off oranges and grapefruits instead of peeling.
The leaves of celery
are often bitter, so you may wish to remove them before juicing.
CHEF’S TIP
When you make green juice, the machine may make a lot of foam. Place the foam in your blender on high for two seconds only, and it becomes liquid.
—Robert Angell
The skins of fruits
such as kiwi and papaya should also be removed prior to juicing, but the skins of lemons and limes may be left on.
All pits
, such as plum pits and peach pits, should be removed before juicing. However, the seeds of lemons, limes, grapes, and melons may be put through your juicer.
Form leafy vegetables
into compact balls or rolls before inserting them into the juicer’s feed chute.
Juicing avocados or bananas
produces a purée rather than a juice. We recommend blending them instead, or bananas can be frozen.
The softer the texture
of a fruit or vegetable, the thicker the juice produced. Apricots, peaches, pears, melons, and strawberries are soft-textured fruits. The juice that is extracted from these fruits is very thick and is known as nectar. It is best to combine these juices with thinner juices, such as carrot or apple.
Beet greens, parsley
, spinach, and watercress yield very rich and thick juices. They are very strong-flavored and taste best when combined with other fruits and vegetables. For example, green vegetable juice mixed with carrot juice provides a sweeter vegetable flavor.
Pulp from the first
two or three fruits or vegetables fed into the juicer may contain more moisture than normal. Refeed wet pulp to obtain the maximum amount of juice.
The flavor, color
, and consistency of fresh juice will be different from that of canned juices.
If you desire a clear juice
, filter your juice through layers of cheesecloth or a nut milk bag. This will also remove any foam that forms during juicing. You may also strain the juice through a fine mesh strainer (often included when you buy your juicer) to further reduce pulp and foam.
Serve juices immediately
, as the flavor and nutrient content decreases rapidly when juices are stored. If it is necessary to juice fruits and vegetables some time before using them, store the juice in an airtight container with no
extra airspace (you can add filtered water to take up the extra airspace) or, better yet, use a food saver to remove all air. Do not store homemade juice for more than 24 hours.
To keep juices from discoloring during storage
, add a few teaspoons of lemon juice before storing them.
The juicer is one of the most useful pieces of equipment in the raw food kitchen. Here, courtesy of Champion Juicer, is an overview of how to assemble and disassemble its juicer
.
Make sure the juicer is unplugged before you begin.
Make sure the shaft is greased with olive oil or coconut oil. Do not use other liquid oils, butter, or petroleum jelly. Slide the cutter into the shaft. About ¼ inch into the shaft, the cutter may stop; turn and jiggle the cutter slightly in either
direction so that the flat edge of the shaft will match the flat edge of the cutter hole. It will then slide on easily.
Slide the body over the cutter, holding it in a horizontal position, with the feeder throat down.
Place the juicer screen into the recessed grooves and hold it in position with one hand. Now slide the juicer screen holder over the screen. Hold the edge of the screen down for an easier start. (Note: the screen holder will slide over the screen only one way. The raised lip indicates the front and the flat portion is the starting end.) The screen holder should be level for easier starting. The nylon blank is inserted in the same manner. Once the screen holder is over the screen, slide the holder completely forward until the raised lip makes contact with the body.
Pull the body forward slightly, so it is completely clear of the prongs in the hub. Turn the body one notch to the left, counter clock-wise, and match the openings in the back of the body with the prongs on the hub. Slide the body all the way back and turn it to the left until it stops. It is now locked in position for use.
The juicer is now in the proper position to juice. To homogenize, replace the screen with the blank.
Add the funnel when feeding small materials such as berries and nuts. Never use the funnel when juicing.
Before disassembling the juicer, turn it and disconnect the electric cord. Turn the body one notch to the right, clock-wise. Jiggle the body slightly and remove.
The screen, blank, and cutter will slide off easily. However, if the cutter becomes vacuum locked, place a small screwdriver at the back of the cutter and push it forward slowly.
S
prouts are a staple food to raw fooders, who extol their nutritional virtues as concentrated natural sources of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, trace elements, amino acids, and proteins. Not only that, but sprouts are crunchy and flavorful, too. You can buy sprouts at many grocery stores and markets. But it’s easy to grow your own at home. One benefit of sprouting at home is that you can prepare just as much as you need, and that means less waste. On the following pages, our raw food pros offer all the know-how you’ll need to grow plenty of healthy, delicious sprouts—in almost no time at all.
SPROUTING AT HOME
Growing your own sprouts at home is an easy, three step process:
Clean and soak the seeds.
Rinse and thoroughly drain the seeds for the suggested time.
Harvest and store sprouts.
When you think of sprouts, what comes to mind? For most people, it’s the thin alfalfa sprouts you’ve probably eaten in sandwiches. For others, it’s the thicker, white mung bean sprouts found in many salad bars and in Asian cuisine. Though these two are the most popular varieties of sprouts, many home sprouters like to branch out and experiment with other types, such as broccoli, clover, onion, and radish. These seed varieties are available at health food stores and many on-line seed companies. Many sprout seed suppliers also sell seed mixes made up of combinations whose flavors complement each other.
