A steam juicer is a stacked cooking vessel that looks a bit intimidating but is very simple to use. The bottom chamber holds water, the middle chamber collects juice which then flows through a plastic tube, and the upper chamber holds the fruit and/or vegetables you are juicing. As the water boils, steam is created causing the fruit/vegetables to release juices. The juices then flow into the collecting chamber. The collected juice is ready for canning, freezing, and making into a jelly. And the residual pulp can be put through a food mill, sweetened, and dehydrated making great fruit leathers!
Preparing Fruit:
Wash all fruit. You don’t need to remove smaller stems, but in the case of apples/crab apples, it is best to remove the hairy end, so the littles hairs don’t end up in your juice. Large fruit can be quartered, but smaller fruit may be left whole or simply halved with pits removed. The upper chamber can be filled to the top as long as the lid fits firmly.
Boiling and Juicing:
Fill the lower chamber with water according to manufacturer’s instructions. It’s about 3 inches of water. Bring the juicer to the boil. In general, it takes one to two hours to extract the juice depending on the density of the fruit/vegetable. The process is complete when the juice coming out of the plastic tube diminishes and when the fruit appears pale and compressed. Most juicers have a metal clamp on the plastic tube that can be turned on and off when you are ready to put the juice into a heat proof container (8 cup Pyrex measuring cup for instance). I find the clamps get very hot, so I let gravity do the work. I place my Pyrex measuring cup on a cutting board sitting on a stool that is lower than the stove. I simply open the metal clamp and watch the juice come out. My method avoids burns but you do have to watch the pot!
Preventing Crystals
Some fruit and vegetables are prone to producing tartrate crystals which appear as sediment. Grapes are particularly inclined to do this. To ensure a clear juice, allow the juice to cool and place in the fridge overnight. The crystals will sink to the bottom. Decant the juice avoiding the sediment or pour juice through a dampened coffee filter.
Preserving Juices
Pasteurization: Even juices you will be immediately consuming should be pasteurized by heating the juice to 160F. This avoids risk of E-coli or salmonella that have been associated with extracted juices.
Freezing: Juices can be frozen. Ensure you use a freezer container and leave a 2 inch headspace for expansion.
Jelly-Making: The extracted juices can be used to make jelly. Use a reputable recipe to determine sugar, lemon juice, need for pectin and processing times.
Long-term Storage: Juices should be water-bath or atmospheric steam canner processed. For a 500 ml jar leave a ½ headspace. Process jars for 10 minutes adjusting for altitude. Rest for 5 minutes. Label and enjoy all winter long!
The steam juicer makes quick work of juicing almost any fruit and vegetables. Cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, blueberries, cranberries, apples, rhubarb, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, and the list goes on. Create your own preservative-free juices, jellies, and leathers. The steam juicer can also be used for steaming or blanching vegetables by removing the centre section of the appliance for this purpose.
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