A juicy post - What to know about juicers

 I've finally invested in a new juicer and I'm really excited about it. Is that bad? Is that too Naturopathic? Well , if it is, I don't care, because I have a new juicer! Squee!

There are many juicers out on the market at the moment and so I thought I would tell you about the 2 most common types, just in case you are thinking of investing in one of these for your kitchen. Now, some people work a lot better with a video to show the demonstration, so I have a video for you to explain it all...

For those who want a written bit of info, here's what I'm talking about.

The Centrifugal Juicer

This is your stock standard juicer which you can purchase at department, appliance and electrical stores. These are the Brevilles, Philips, Moulinex, kambrooks, etc. They work by grinding the fruit & vegies using blades, then pushing the juice through a very fast spinning strainer (a bit like a washing machine, or a salad spinner). The pulp is disposed of out the back of the juicer and your juice should neatly be disposed of out the front.

Pros for this juicer:

• This is a fast and cheap juicer which is a good option for those who are not die-hard juicer fans or are newbies to making their own juice. 
• Some models allow you to put a whole piece of fruit into the feeder, so you don't need to spend time cutting up fruit for the whole. 
• They normally juice most fruits & vegies, except bananas, avocados and leafy greens.

Cons for this juicer:

• The amount and quality of the juice isn't fantastic. 
• The juicer generates heat which can oxidise the fruit & vegies, plus and the way the food is minced also oxidises the juice. If you make juice in it, you should drink it straight away or it may go brown. 
• This juicer will not handle leafy greens so well. You can put a bunch of spinach into it and be lucky to get a few drops of juice. 
• You will notice in the pulp, that it is still quite wet, meaning it didn't extract all the juice.
• Cleaning it can be an absolute bitch. The centrifugal unit needs a thorough scrubbing and straight away or it sticks and goes hard.
• They can be very noisy!

The Slow / Cold Press Juicer

Rather than grinding the fruit & vegies with a blade, the slow juicer uses a spiral gear which rotates and presses the juice out of the produce. Some units are designed also to make baby food, nut bitters, sorbets and sauces. They are available in both single and twin gear types.

Pros for this juicer:

• The quality of the juice is superb and it doesn't oxidise, meaning it can last a lot longer.
• These juicers will juice all fruit & vegies, including leafy greens, wheatgrass and herbs.
• It's nice and quiet to operate.
• Very easy to clean - just a rinse on water through the unit, then pull it apart and run the gear under the tap. 

Cons for this juicer:

• These units can be an expensive bit of hardware, so it shouldn't be purchased under a whim.
• You need to cut up your fruit and vegies before feeding them into the juicer, which can be annoying for those who are in a hurry.
• The unit works a bit slower than the centrifugal machines.

Slow /cold press juicers are available through health foods stores, online stores such as Vitality 4 Life, or even myself, as I am a stockist of their juicers (mention this blog to me for a special 10% discount on a juicer!).

If you want to see the juicers in action, there is a demonstration in the video above, it'r roughly 5 minutes into the video.

So both of the main juicer types have their own pros and cons and when choosing a juicer, you should find one which suits your lifestyle and budget. There is no right or wrong juicer.

Photos from the juice experiment

Here is the juices straight after making them. The one with the clear swizzle stick is the centrifugal juicer, the orange swizzle stick is the slow press juicer. And the woman in the background is my mother in law :)

The juices after 10 minutes:

You can see that the centrifugal has separated into a very clear juice and a large amount of foam onto top, whereas the slow juicer has a small amount  of foam and the juice is quite dense.

Here is a picture of the leftover pulp:

The one on the left is from the centrifugal juicer. As you can see, there is a bit more leftover and its a bit squishy/mushy to touch, which means not all the juice may have been extracted. The leftovers on the right are quite dry and compacted.

A note for juice newbies...

Not sure what to juice with your new contraption? The list is endless, it just depends how brave you're willing to be! I never give amounts of ingredients with juicing, because everyone has their own individual tastes, which you get the taste for after having a few, but here are some favourite mixes of mine...

• Apple, orange, carrot, ginger
• Apple, beetroot, carrot, celery, lemon
• Watermelon, apple, mint
• Pineapple, apple, lemon, orange
• Spinach, pineapple, cucumber, mint
• Everything you have in the fridge - for the truly daring!

Happy juicing! :)

Refreshilicious is a real word - and a drink.

Here's a refreshing summery drink for the Febfasters and those looking for a non-alcoholic option to wind down and watch the sunset...

Squeeze of half a lemon, a spring of rosemary, a handful of fresh mint and topped with soda water. Truly refreshilicious.

Thank you to Heather for this sparkly inspiration! :) xo

Summer meal favourites - exotic barbeque and salad

Summertime in Australia calls for the numero uno cooking device to come out and play - the barbeque. While charring meat is not good for you, the slow grilling of meat can be very healthy. And barbeques don't need to be all about sausages! You can make a barbeque an exotic affair with a bit of imagination and motivation, which hopefully this meal will inspire!

It was a gorgeous summer evening in Melbourne, so it calls for a meal to match it - barbequed turkey steaks marinaded in my own home made thai marinade, charred asparagus and zucchini spiced with cumin, mango, spinach & mint salad and a glass of Queensland mango wine. 

A healthy, whole food meal and would be great for a detox (minus the wine!)

My favourite summer salad - mango mint nom nom

This combination of flavours has to be my all time favourite summer salad and is very popular amongst my family and friends. The best part? It's really super easy to make!

Toast some pine nuts in a fry pan with a little oil. Watch them carefully - they go from nicely toasted to burnt very quickly. When they start to smell fragrant, toss them around to brown both sides. Remove from heat when cooked and allow them to cool on a plate.

Slice a mango, wash spinach leaves, tear up mint leaves, chop up a capsicum and combine with the pine nuts. add some cracked pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and toss. The flavours of the fruit and vegies are so strong, a potent dressing isn't needed.

Don't feel obliged to stay with just these ingredients - depending on what is in the fridge, I may add extras - spring onions, avocado, cucumber and sundried tomatoes have all made guest appearances to the salad.

The mango and mint hit is so refreshing and summery, it is great with barbeques and grilled fish or meats.