Should I juice every ingredient separately?
This is definitely one of the most frequently asked questions regarding the Goodnature X-1 Cold-Press Juicer.
In general, it is best to combine ingredients prior to grinding. We have found that when there is a nice mix of soft and fibrous fruits and vegetables, one can achieve at least 5% greater yield out of the produce, compared to grinding each ingredient separately.
There are some things, in my opinion, that should always be mixed. I always mix my leafy greens with something soft like apples or cucumbers. I’ll throw in a couple bunches of kale, followed by a couple apples, and repeat. The grinding process is easier this way, and more juice is ultimately extracted from the kale.
Consistency:
It’s true, if you are mixing your recipes prior to grinding, they won’t be as consistent compared to juicing the ingredients separately. Produce can vary from day to day, and the amount of juice you get from 20 lbs of carrots today may not be the same as next week due to ripeness, variety, and seasonality. Whether or not you require ultra consistent juices is up to you, but my feeling is that raw juice should be expected to vary, as the produce does going into it.
Join Our Mailing List
Get juice business insights and educational materials sent directly to your inbox.
About The Author
Charlie Wettlaufer
President and CMO - Goodnature
Host - Cold Pressed Truth and Goodnature Radio
Creator - JuiceCon
I’ve been around juicing all my life. My Dad built his first hydraulic juice press in 1976 and founded the company Goodnature Products, Inc. I have incredible memories of having “cider parties” when we would invite all the people in our rural neighborhood over to make apple juice. To this day, when I taste apple juice made on a Goodnature press, a rush of nostalgia runs through my body.
I pride myself on guiding our clients into the world of cold-pressed juice and showing them how much fun this industry can be. I love talking business, technology, and marketing. My missions is to carry on my Dad's goal - one day make Goodnature a house-hold name.
Comments
Hi I wanted to know yield factors affecting Kale Juice. I am currently using the X1 and get about 32 oz of juice from 3.7 lb Kale, 1.23 lb Cucumber, 3.08 lb Green Apple, 1.23 lb Celery, 0.62 lb Lemon and 0.33 lb Ginger. Something doesnt seem right about juicing Kale? Most places I have seen have had much higher yield. Is there some way to improve the yield? This recipe is listed on your recipe and yields 1 gallon but I am getting only 50% of that.
That certainly doesn't sound right! I will have our chef reach out to you.
Hi! I'm trying to find a blog post on your site that talks about market size in terms of qty and $. Can you please suggest where to gather the most reliable 2019 raw juice market data nationally and also by state and city. I live in Miami, Fl and I'm currently working on a raw juice new venture project. If you have it on your site please send me the link, I'm sure you post a lot of helpful info. Thanks a lot! Diana
Hi Diana, this information isn't available since ALL of the raw juice is sold by small, private businesses. Most market data reports you can find about industries are based on public companies or large private companies that release revenue data.
Hi Charlie, thank you. I read fruits shouldn’t be cut before washing them because the knife can transfer any contaminants to the fruits inside. Can you also wash open fruits? I’m a little confused.
Yes, you can wash produce that has been cut already.
Hi 😄 I’m looking at your cold press kitchen layout, and it seems it’s wrong because #3 should go before #2, as you need to wash your produce before you cut and prepare it to cold press. Please clarify.
Hi Diana, it actually be done either way, as long as the produce gets washed before juicing!
Got it, but I've read the HPP process kills the pathogens and extends the life of the product. That's why I was confused about the HACCP, why would it be required if the HPP kills pathogens. Would the HPP facility check for pathogens before doing the HPP process?
HACCP is just a hazard analysis for many special processes and taking the proper preventative measures not just for juice. For the HPP process, it involves testing using a third-party lab to test for pathogens before a product is processed for consumption.
Thank you Ari, Please let me know the difference between HACCP and HPP process. I thought at the HPP facility they would do the HACCP before HPP. Please explain that.
HACCP is a sanitation plan used to achieve a certain level of risk or pathogen reduction to be able to use a certain process, HPP is a type of equipment to process juice and other various products to extend the shelf life.
Hi 😄 I see you suggest to use the cambro pans to wash produce. Do you use any produce wash or just plain water? Please let me know the best way to wash produce to make the juice safer. Also I was looking into the hpp process, could you please let me know how this works for fresh squeezed juice, can you just take your fresh juice bottles to the hpp facility, or is there anything that needs to be done in between? Thanks!
Hello, Cambro's work great. Yes wash until cold running water first then an antimicrobial wash. For bringing your bottled juice to the hpp facility, Typically you would be required to have a HACCP plan in place to transport the juice from your production facility to the hpp facility.
I correctly understood that all fruits except orange can be better thrown into the juicer with the peel? or is there, besides orange, fruits and vegetables that are best cleaned before a juicer?
I generally recommend to peel all citrus, because there is a bitter oil in the peel. But if there is only a small amount of citrus in the recipe than you can leave the peel on.
Hello, do you think we can juice pineapples with the rind using the x1 ? Will it affect the taste or color in any way ?
I recommend always leaving the rind on the pineapple when using the X1. This allows the pineapple to grind and press better, creating a higher yield of juice from the pineapple. It will slightly make the color darker, but the quality is still very good.
How can the amount of juice yield from 20lbs carrots today may not be the same for tomorrow? How great is the difference?
The difference would come mainly from using a different variety of carrots, or using carrots that are more or less ripe. Maybe using the word tomorrow wasn't the best choice. "The yield you get from 20 lbs of carrots today may not be the same as next week" would be more accurate. Actually I'll probably edit the post. Thanks for bringing that up 😄
Where are the drain inserts from in the picture? What do you suggest for washing produce?
The plastic pans are called Cambro pans. I suggest these for washing produce.
Charlie, thanks for the tips. My question is: if you combine all 25lbs at once i.e. grind and press and then it comes out, do you just have to use extra large containers to collect the entire 25lb juice batch in one go? How do you mix it so that all the different juice are evenly distributed before bottling? Thank!
25 lbs of produce will make 2-3 gallons of juice, so it will all fit in the standard 3 gallon juice container that comes with the X1. You can give it a quick stir before bottling to ensure nothing has settled.
I was suggested this blog by mmy cousin. I am not sure whether thos post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my difficulty.You are wonderful! Thanks!
Im trying to decide whether or not to buy a citrus juicer or just use the X1 for everything. What is the yield of citrus (lemon/orange) of the X1 compared to an actual citrus juicer? Thanks!
Bryan, it can be done both ways. The yield is higher in the X1, however it is a bit time consuming for oranges since you have to peel the oranges and clean the bags. This is not required in a traditional style citrus juicer. The juice is of a higher quality (in my opinion) if it comes from an X1.
In one of the comments it asks about carrot yield. My question is if you are using a "highspeed" to grind the carrot. Isn't that missing out the "cold-pressed" part of the process?
Codi, the blade of the grinder / shredder does not get hot. The produce passes through very quickly and falls into the press bag before it is pressed. In contrast, a centrifugal juicer or a blender get hot because the motor is located closely to the processing chamber, and the product sits in the chamber for an extended period of time. You can actually make hot soup in a blender just by leaving the product in for several minutes.
Hi i was wondering if you try to mix in powder supplements to your juice like chlorella or moringa extract...what is the best way to do that? i usually add some water to it and put it in a mixer and then add it to my juice but it gives a powdery taste? is there anyway to do it better so i can avoid that? thanks!
Disha, I'm a bit unexperienced on adding powders to juice. Have you looked to see if you can find the same extracts in liquid form?
What is the approximate percent yield of the pulp when finished? That is how much is left and what do you do with it? Compost or worm bins? Fruit leather? Other? Thanks!
Depending on the fruit, the remaining pulp will be between 10% - 30% of the starting weight. Juicy items like apples will have less pulp left over than something like kale or leafy greens. Many farms will take the pulp and use it as fertilizer. The pulp isn't often used to make food items, because once you extract all the juice from fruit it doesn't taste very good (all the good tasting stuff is in the juice).
Can you juice oranges, lemons & limes in the x1? I can't afford a citrus press like zumex and the X1 right now
Jess, yes you can certainly use the X1 to press citrus fruits! You will need to peel some of them (like oranges), since the rind is very bitter.
Thanks very nice blog!
Is there any way to get a better yield out of carrots, I was used to the yield of the norwalk made more of a mash from the grinder. As opposed to the shreds which give a far lower juice yield. Any suggestions?
Hi Malikha, Have you tried using a small-tooth grinder blade at a very fast speed? This will grind the carrots into a fine pulp instead of long shreds. Use the 3/16" blade or smaller, at the speed of 55-60 Hz on the grinder. You might want to use the fine weave bag, since more of the pulp will get through the larger weave bag. That is your choice though!
Do you grind the lemons with the rind on? Isn't it too zesty?
When you leave the rind on you can actually use less lemons in the recipe, because the taste is stronger. Also the rind contains a lot of good nutrients. However, there will be some oil from the rind that separates to the top of the juice after it sits for a while. So for that reason, some people prefer to peel the lemons. It is really a matter of preference. I am aware of successful companies that use each of the different methods. I recommend trying it both ways and deciding which method is right for you.
where did you get the plastic trays?! I've been trying to find some to make the washing process easier
Hi Marysa, They are called cambro pans, you can buy them at most restaurant supply stores.
but how do you know how much of every ingredient to put in, to get the same flavor and amount of liquid for each bottle?
Hi Laura, That is a great question. If you weigh each ingredient before combining them all together, the juice will be fairly consistent, but actually not quite as consistent as juicing each item individually then mixing the liquids by the ounce. However, real organic juice will always vary a bit with seasonality and ripeness of vegetables, so it's impossible to get 100% consistency in your juice no matter how you do it. I would recommend experimenting and tasting you recipes and deciding for yourself which way is better.
I wasn't combining my produce, but I followed your advice and all I can say is ... awesome!
So happy to hear it Dave!
Dave, are you finding it best to combine the ingredients for each recipe?? Thanks!!
Comment