Preparing Produce for Juice
The way you prep certain items will depend on functionality and your personal preferences. Here are some tips to help guide you. General Tips: Always wash produce thoroughly and use a produce or antimicrobial wash – when serving a raw, unpasteurized juice, you want to make sure the product is as clean as possible. If the peel doesn’t affect the flavor or color of the juice – don’t peel it! There is a large concentration of beneficial nutrients in the outer layer of many fruits and vegetables. If the seeds are the size of a cherry pit or larger, remove them – pits and large seeds can lend a slightly bitter flavor to juice, as well as wear down or even damage blades. For large items (pineapples and larger), I prefer to cut into quarters – this will make it easier to process the produce at a more consistent rate. Apples: You can keep whole and unpeeled. Beets: Remove the top ends and clean the bottoms thoroughly. If they are small in size, I remove the bottom skinny part as well. Berries: These small, fleshy fruits have a soft texture and do not contain a lot of liquid. I recommend using a blender to blend into a puree, then add it to the juice. To use more as a color and flavor infusion – lightly process, then press with your other recipe ingredients. Carrots: I like to remove the top ends of the carrots due to the fact that it’s tough to remove all the dirt. Cucumbers: Clean with antimicrobial wash to remove any wax. For light colored, non-green juices, I peel the cucumbers – otherwise I leave the skin on. Leafy Vegetables: In general, do not remove the stems – they typically contain a lot of flavor and juice. Coming from the farm, leafy greens usually have the most dirt on the leaves and need to be thoroughly washed. Lemons & Limes: For stronger flavored or full bodied juices, I like to grind these with the peel on – this is a preference where some might disagree – but when juiced whole, I find the peel not as bitter than it is with oranges and grapefruits. Mangos & Papayas: These are a little pricey in most locations and do not contain a lot of juice – I recommend to blend in a blender and then add to the juice. Melons: You can either peel or keep the rind on watermelon, if it is not that sweet, I would definitely peel. I like to de-seed honeydew and cantaloupe, as you get a slightly bitter flavor when you grind or process the seeds. Nuts: In general, remove shells – however, keep or order with the skins on if possible, nuts such as almonds contain a lot of flavor in the brown skin. Oranges & Grapefruits: I prefer to peel these items and then grind & press due to the bitter flavor in the peel. Pineapples: Remove the green crown and cut into quarters, but leave the skin on. Passion Fruit: In most areas these are a bit pricey, I like to add this to finished juice by scooping out the seeds and mixing them into the juice. Download Preparing Produce Guide
Cleaning Procedures for All Goodnature Machines and Accessories
Avoiding Press Overflow
Cold pressing the perfect batch of juice takes a bit of technique. Here are a few tips to avoiding press overflow. Just like learning how to make the perfect shot of espresso – there’s a bit of a learning curve. One of the biggest struggles of learning how to cold press is trying to press certain ingredients and ending up with the press overflowing and the ground-up produce ending up on the counter. This can be extremely frustrating to the beginner cold presser. Avoiding press overflow – The Mushy Spectrum Press overflow— or as we call it in the industry, “losing the press”— is almost always due to attempting to press a full batch of soft, mushy fruits. When you’re designing a recipe – you want to keep in mind that you’re going to be applying thousands of pounds of force onto the mixture. If the mixture doesn’t form a fibrous cake so it can be pressed, it will end up squeezing up and out of the press instead of allowing the juice to be extracted. If something’s soft enough to mush in your hand, it probably won’t press very well. The perfect mixture includes some soft, some fibrous items. Think a green recipe – apples, leafy greens, ginger, a small bit of citrus. This recipe will press perfectly every time without worry. On the mushy end of the spectrum would be a recipe that’s 100% citrus, pineapple, and berries. This recipe will overflow from the press bag every time without fail. The ingredients in this recipe are better off being a small part of different recipes, or processing them in small batches. Whenever there are some ingredients of the “mushy” type – you must make sure to limit the amount in the recipe. Below is a list of fruits that must take special care:
Preventing Press Bags From Breaking
Bursting or breaking your press bags can be caused by a number of things, but we have all the solutions on how to prevent breakage and increase the longevity of your press bags. ***This article pertains to pressing on the Goodnature X-1 and larger machines only*** Breaking or bursting press bags can be caused by the following: Over-filling or under-filling the press bag Pressing too quickly Pressing with clogged press bags Pressing with too much pressure How to prevent these issues The press bags should always be filled 50-75% full. Press slowly whenever possible. The press is equipped with a flow control valve to allow the user to slow the speed of the press down. With a slower setting, your cake will come out dry, your yields will be maximized and you will ensure good bag performance. You may speed up the press when desired, but be aware this can cause the bag to break at the seams and may decrease yield. Clogged press bags can be prevented by proper cleaning, and always using a fine weave bag when pressing a finely ground or very soft fruit or vegetable. Attempting to press a finely ground product with a medium or wide weave bag may cause the bag to clog, which can cause the bag to break.
How to Make Cold-Pressed Nut Milks
Almond milk or other nut milks can be made on the Goodnature equipment using a simple process: Soak nuts in water (12-24 hours depending on recipe) Blend nuts and water into a slurry using a blender or a food processor, adding other ingredients for taste Press the mixture using the press, bypassing the grinder See the nut milk recipes we made on the Goodnature M-1: Nut Milk Recipes For a complete recipe and how-to guide on making nut milk on the Goodnature X-1, read this blog article: How to Make Nut Milk on the Goodnature X-1 Learn how to make nut milk on the Goodnature X-1 Mini Pro:
Choosing the Best Grinder Blade and Press Bag
Which bag, blade, and grinder settings should you use? This is a basic guide for the EG-260 grinder used with the X-1 and X-6 presses. If you are mixing ingredients, usually the best combination is the 1/4″ blade at a speed of 40 Hz, and the medium weave press bag. We recommend mixing ingredients, since it makes the grinding process easier and you can achieve a better yield. General rules of thumb are: For firmer fruits and vegetables a smaller holed grinder disc is recommended. For softer fruits and vegetables a larger holed grinder disc is recommended. The size of the disc can be found stamped along the outer edge. For fine grind use 3/16″ or 3/32″ tooth grinder blade, medium grind – 1/4″, coarse grind- 1/2″ or 5/16″ Speed also affects the grind. Use a faster speed on the grinder for a finer grind. Trial and error is a good approach simply for learning what works best for your business and specific recipes. If you are juicing ingredients separately, this is what we recommend: Apple – Med bag / coarse grind Beet – Tight bag / fine grind Carrot – Tight bag / fine grind Celery – Med bag / medium grind Leafy Greens (kale, spinach, etc.)- Med bag / medium grind Cucumber – Med bag / medium grind Ginger – Tight bag / fine grind Grape – Tight bag / mix with other ingredients, or do not grind Pear – Tight bag / coarse grind Pineapple – Med bag / coarse grind – do not remove the rind Pomegranate – Med bag / do not grind Romaine Lettuce – Med bag / medium grind Wheat Grass and Herbs– Med bag / grind with other produce or using separate food processor Almonds and other nuts – Monofilament Nut Milk bag / soak in water and grind using a blender or food processor (don’t use the EG-260) Download Bag & Blade Guide To order new parts and press bags, visit the Goodnature shop.
Goodnature Glass Bottle Care
Washing and Sanitizing Press Bags
These procedures will guide you through the steps to washing and sanitizing your press bags for your Goodnature cold-press juicer. Applies to Goodnature juice presses that use reusable cloth press bags. PURPOSE: To prevent foodborne illness by ensuring that all food contact surfaces are properly cleaned and sanitized. Warning: Always follow regulations stated by local health services. When to wash, rinse, and sanitize press bags: After each use Any time contamination occurs or is suspected Every four (4) hours of constant use for all food contact surfaces Wash, rinse, and sanitize press bags using the following procedure: Wash bag with water and brush to remove all surface food particles Wash surface with detergent solution Rinse surface with clean water Sanitize surface using a sanitizing solution mixed at a concentration specified on the manufacturer’s label. Keep bags soaking in sanitizing solution overnight to assist with keeping bags white. Place wet items in a manner to allow air drying before use. We do not recommend machine drying as this can result in shrinking and will lessen the lifespan of the press bags. Pro Tip: If not using that often, store dry bags in a sealed container to avoid exposure to dust or build up. Then do a quick wash before use. Do not store damp bags in a sealed container – it will make it easier for bacteria to grow. If a 3-compartment sink is used, setup and use the sink in the following manner: In the first compartment, wash with a clean detergent solution at or above 110° F or at the temperature specified by the detergent manufacturer. In the second compartment, rinse with clean water. In the third compartment, sanitize with a sanitizing solution mixed at a concentration and contact time specified on the manufacturer’s label or by immersing in hot water at or above 171° F for 30 seconds. Test the chemical sanitizer concentration by using an appropriate test kit. If a dish machine is used: Check with the dish machine manufacturer to verify that the information on the data plate is correct. Refer to the information on the data plate for determining wash, rinse, and sanitizing (final) rinse temperatures; sanitizing solution concentrations; and water pressures, if applicable. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for use. Ensure that food contact surfaces reach a surface temperature of 165° F or above if using hot water to sanitize. To order new parts and press bags, visit the Goodnature shop.