As a home canner, I’m always looking for ways to short cut the task of home preserving. One of the most time consuming of all tasks is making grape juice.
The popular old fashioned way of juice making is to strain the boiled grapes through layers of cheesecloth. This process is messy and can take up an entire afternoon just to put up a few quarts of juice. An easier method is by using a steam juicer, such as the kind made by Back to Basics.
A steam juicer is a 6 piece vessel not unlike a 3 tiered double boiler. The principal behind steam juicers is that they use steam to extract the juice from the grapes, which collects in a separate reservoir to be decanted later.
Review of the Back to Basics Steam Juicer
Steam juices start at $55 and can go as high as $179. For a piece of canning exhibit that will only be used for one week out of the year, I wasn’t willing to spend big bucks on a steam juicer. The Back to Basics Steam Juicer offered by both Walmart and Amazon was the least expensive of all the juicers available on line, and priced in the neighborhood of $55.
My juicer arrived a few days ago, and here’s some of the features I noted:
1. Tapered base. Most juicers I’ve seen are cylindrical in shape, and tend to be some inches larger than the diameter of standard range top burners. The Back to Basic steam juicer is the only model I’ve seen that tapers towards the base to match the size of the burner. This is a total plus.
2. Extra large size. Having used other models of steam juicers in the past, the Back to Basic unit appears to be a larger than most other models. The extra large sieve means that larger quantities of grapes can be processed at a time.
3. Can be stacked for storage. When fully assembled, juicers can be quite tall and take up a lot of space. With the Back to Basic steam juicer, the steaming reservoir tucks neatly inside this sieve for easier storage.
4. Made of aluminum for lightweight handling. Stainless steel steam juices can be quite heavy, especially when loaded up with juice. The Back to Basic steam juicer is made of aluminum, which is extremely lightweight and easier to carry.
5. So-so quality. The only thing that was disappointing about the Back to Basic steam juicer was the quality of construction. The exterior of the steam juicer was not well polished and machine marks could be seen on the outside of the main reservoir. Also noted were “pinched” pleats from improper molding within the reservoir itself which looked like tiny dents.
While none of this has an impact on the functionality of the Back to Basic Steam Juicer, it is noticeable and could bother a person who prefers their kitchen tools to look “picture perfect.” My opinion of this product? I can live with a few imperfections when it comes to a steam juicer that’s half the price of the competition. What’s important is that the Back to Basic Steam Juicer does what it’s suppose to, which is to eliminate the drudgery of making grape juice.
Juicer Reviews
Juicing for health benefits is making a comeback. Health and Fitness guru Jack LaLanne introduced the idea of juicing for weight loss in the 1950’s. It was a short-lived idea then, but now days it is becoming popular since many people are following vegetarian, vegan and raw food diets.
Detoxifying the body.
Every one has heard of the Master Cleanse Diet by now. This was once referred to as The Lemonade Diet because it uses the juice of lemons to help the body flush out harmful toxins and waste build up. The Acai Berry Diet was based on the same principles with an option to drink the juice or swallow the capsules. Juice has a calming effect on the digestive system because it makes it easy for the body to break it down into nutrients. The body uses a lot of energy digesting the food that is eaten. Meats take the longest to digest and fruits and vegetables are the fastest.
Weight loss.
Celebrities are making juice fasting popular again. Stars like Beyonce Knowles and Gwyneth Paltrow swear by juice fasting to lose the excess weight. This type of juice diet requires a variety of liquids to maintain a good fluid balance. Besides the juice, you also need 8 glasses of water to stay hydrated and increase circulation. Green teas are good for weight loss and can count as part of your water requirement. Pregnant women who suffer from water retention need to drink more fluids to encourage the body to flush out the excess fluid from the tissues in the legs and feet.
Good way to increase your fruit and vegetable intake.
It is hard for the average person to get 5 servings a day of fruit and vegetables. Everyone is on a time schedule and often do not have time to cook healthy meals three times a day. Juicing for health is a good way to get those servings of vegetables even when you have no time to cook a meal. The juice can be made ahead and packed in a thermos. Experiment with different vegetables for a delicious vegetable juice or add a fruit and vegetable together. Try one combination at a time until you find flavors that you like. Fruit juice is good with breakfast and mid- day snacks and vegetable juice makes a great afternoon beverage.
Better absorption of vitamins and minerals.
The vitamins purchased in grocery stores and pharmacies only contain a small amount of the nutrients the body needs to be healthy. Making juicing for health a regular part of a healthy lifestyle will assure the freshest form of vitamins and minerals right from your garden. Expressing the juice from the freshest produce ensures better absorption of vitamins since the fruit has already been crushed and pureed and is ready to be digested and used by the body.
Conclusion
There are many benefits of juicing for health. Ridding the body of harmful toxins, shedding excess weight and increasing your vegetable intake are just a few benefits of ,making your own fresh fruit and vegetable juices.
Resources:
US Magazine: Gwyneth Paltrow: Three Week Juice Diet Worked Wonders
http://www.usmagazine.com/healthylifestyle/news/gwyneth-paltrow-three-week-juice-diet-worked-wonders-200997
JuiceFasting.org: The Juice Fasting Site for Health and Weight Loss
http://www.juicefasting.org/
Juicing for Weight Loss
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/JuicingWeightLoss.htm