# Does anyone have a steam juicer and any tips would be great!



## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

I just got mine yesterday to do jellies and I was wondering if anyone else used one and had any tips for them!

Thanks!


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## WildernesFamily (Mar 11, 2006)

I only have an enamel one, but I have found this pdf/ebook very useful:

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/steam-juicers/Mehu-Liisa-Recipes.pdf

It has a lot of wonderful recipes and good tips for using a steamer juicer 

HTH!


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## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

Thanks!


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## quiltingfarmer (May 17, 2011)

I purchased a steam juicer last year. Have only so far used it for juicing fruits for jellies. WONDERFUL!!! Most important thing to remember is to keep check the bottom pan so you do not run out of water. I love it. The smallest berry I got juice out of was elderberries. Worked great. So much easier. I plan to take the juice this year and also make syrups for waffles and pancakes. I have not tried vegetables yet other than tomatoes.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I'm considering getting one; but I need to know for sure it will make juice out of hard vegies like carrots.


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## sweetbabyjane (Oct 21, 2002)

I bought a brand new one and only used it a few times. It works great but it does give the juice a "cooked" taste. If you run the juice out of the tube every 10-15 minutes instead of waiting until the whole batch is done it tastes better.

For me it was an expensive purchase that mostly sits on the shelf. My grape juice turned out brown and that was the main thing I bought it for. I should go open a jar and see if it's any better than I remember.

Maybe you will have better luck...

SBJ


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## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

I did strawberries on Sunday and they did awesome. One of the tips I received was the same as yours about not letting the juice sit in the collector. The color was beautiful and the flavor was very good. I'll have to say that jelly that has been waterbathed takes on a cooked flavor to me so I do alot of freezer jams. I wanted it more for juice though for making fizzies and soda, but I also want to make blueberry/blackberry jelly!


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## deb_rn (Apr 16, 2010)

I use mine to make wine. Rhubarb works especially good for juicing. I put it straight into sterilized jars and they seal themselves! Elderberry works great as well. We make small jars of syrup. Elderberry is good for your immune system. I use the syrup, honey and hot water to treat colds.

Debbie


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## sweetbabyjane (Oct 21, 2002)

I had a bunch of blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, mulberries, plums and grapes I needed to do something with in the freezer, so after reading this thread I got the Mehu-Lisa steam juicer out and tried it again. (Hate to blow that much money!) 

Instead of letting the berries steam for 40 to 60 minutes and then drawing off the juice, I took the clip off of the tube and just let it drain into a big stock pot. It stayed steaming hot but did not have that nasty boiled tasted to it! 

The jellly came out very clear as was the syrup. The pie filling (with Clear Jel) turned out great! I am soooo happy!

Even the grape juice came out good!  I steamed both bronze scuppornongs and dark scuppornongs together and got a beautiful rose colored juice. Drank a small cupful and it was intense but good. Not cooked tasting at all. I did hot water bath all the juice just to be safe.

Still have half a pillow case of grapes left to do. I think I will try it the way the Mehu-Lisa book says to do it: Drain the juice directly into the jar and seal. No water bath. The jars are washed and kept hot in the oven, the juice is steaming hot from the steamer, so it should be fine. Where I messed up last time is I tried to wait until there was enough juice to fill 7 quarts at once, then water bath them (didn't trust the directions). In the time it took to get enough juice it got that cooked taste. 

Thanks so much Bella for posting this thread and prompting me to give the steamer another shot! Now that I figured out how to do it this thing is wonderful!


SBJ


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

My steam juicer sat on the shelf during the off season, THEN I had a thought...That is one big STEAMER!!!!!!! It now gets used all year long!
(I make large batches of vegetarian sausages and instead of having to do two batches in my regular steamer I can do ONE in my Steam juicer minus the middle!!!)


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

We did wild blueberries in my neighbor's steam juicer last year... worked beautifully. We used the juice for jelly and jam, as well as reserving some as concentrate for syrups. We also did wild cranberries in her juicer which worked equally well. Mixing the two together... YUM!!


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

So glad I opened this thread! We picked up a steam juicer at an auction two years ago, but I never could figure out how it works. That PDF is great!


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## kenworth (Feb 12, 2011)

Made the plunge and purchased one a week ago. It's still sitting in the box. Anyone done watermellon or watermellon jelly? That's what needs immediate attention.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Hmmm the only watermelon stuff I've done is pickled watermelon rind and a pickle rind marmalade that my SIL sent me. I'll dig around and see if I can find the recipes. Don't think watermelon has enough pectin to do anything on it's own, you'd have to add something to it to get it to set.


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## kenworth (Feb 12, 2011)

Thanks PlicketyCat. I usually add pectin to jams and jellies anyhow, my pectinless jams or jellies are like rubber so I just add it.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

You guys/gals are still only using it to steam fruits, which would take much less time than steaming vegies.

I am wanting something to juice carrots and spinach together without pulp and thought the steam-juicer spoken of in here might work. Not sure now as it would take a great deal more time to steam the harder vegies and I guess the cooked taste would ruin it.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

kenworth said:


> Made the plunge and purchased one a week ago. It's still sitting in the box. Anyone done watermellon or watermellon jelly? That's what needs immediate attention.


A full container of watermelon will be done juicing in about 10 minutes of steaming. Mine was for watermelon wine but never made jelly from it. Did make grape, currant, and raspberry jellies from steamed juice. It's pure sterile juice and ready for making into whatever you want to use it for.

Martin


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Two watermelon marmalade recipes I've tried that are really good:
Rind: http://www.food.com/recipe/Watermelon-Marmalade-10648
Flesh: http://italianfood.about.com/od/preservesetc/r/blr1572.htm

Still can't find my pickled rind marmalade recipe, I think it might be in the cookbook that's gone missing since our move. I'll see if my SIL will send me another copy.

On veggies - I always found it easier to juice them up raw in a juicer or blender since I like to keep the pulp in those. Never really tried the steamer since I don't really prefer my veggies cooked (cooked carrots - blech!, cooked carrot juice -- double blech!!).


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Steam juicers are not used for carrots or greens. Different appliances are used for that purpose.

Martin


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

motdaugrnds - Just aw that you wanted the pulp removed from your veggie juice... I suggest you look into a mechanical juicer with a fine strainer like Omega. Most mechanical juicers make short work of raw veggies, and you can use the pulp in recipes, feed it to critters, or compost it (which is what I usually do if I can't be bothered to skin/top/core my veggies first).


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Inasmuch as I've used a steam juicer longer than anyone else here, and on just about every fruit or berry that I could get my hands on, I'll say that only one additional piece of equipment is required and that's a potato masher. The initial juice that comes out contains most of the pure water that is in any product. Mashing one time breaks up any thick skins on such as grapes, currants, blueberries, etc. But only mash once and not with any great force. Too much force and then you could have solids in the juice. That's OK for simple juice but not for clear jellies and wines. Some things can take heavy mashing but generally it's only enough to break the fruit a little more than the steam did. Berries and grapes may take a good mashing and still turn out clear juice. Mash plums too much and the solids end up in the juice. You'll learn with experience since I can't tell how much force to use with the potato masher. 

During apple and pear harvest in the fall, I figure on 5 or 6 batches per day with each giving about 5 quarts of juice. Each fruit is cut into about 16 pieces. Skin, seeds, stems, all in. As soon as they have produced about 3 quarts, they are mashed once and left to steam another 10 minutes or so. The tube is draining into a plastic gallon milk jug at the time and will fill during that 10 minute period and need a second one or a clamp.

Since there is still a lot of pure juice left at the end of that 10 minutes, I go one step further. I have a 3-gallon plastic pail which nicely nests on a 5-gallon pail. 3/32" holes are drilled every inch around the bottom perimeter. The hot pulp is dumped into that and proceeds to drain further and usually left overnight. Gives an extra quart of juice for every batch and it is the purest. Two years ago, as documented on HT, made over 75 gallons of pear and apple juice in about 3 weeks time for winemaking. 

In addition to a lot of carboys of wine, some of those same apples and pears still remain in the pantry. Those were cored and did not undergo the secondary draining. Their pulp went straight into a large pot and then pressed through a chinois sieve. That became pear and apple sauce. (Also have done the same with rhubarb.) When planning to use the pulp from apples or pears, that's the only time that most of the seeds are removed before steaming. Otherwise, only the worms fail to be included. 

As mentioned, watermelon is the easiest fruit to extract. Hardest that I've found is rowanberry/mountain ash. Takes forever for those cells to break down and release their juice. Don't try bananas unless they are mixed with something like apples just for a different taste. Don't do elderberries unless they have been removed from their little stems or you'll have one helluva cleanup mess! Some instructions may call for quartering hard fruit such as apples and pears but smaller pieces work just as well and supply more juice for the amount of steamer capacity and energy used. 

When doing non-stop apples and pears, I'll have one batch steaming while working on the next by filling a 3-gallon pail with cut fruit. Hot batch is dumped into secondary draining pail, more water added to lower pan, fresh batch introduced and heat turned back on. Max that I ever did was about 12 batches in one day with each taking about an hour. 

So, to answer the question about anyone here using a steam juicer, someone has to be the master at it and I guess that I'm it on this forum! 

Martin


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

PlicketyCat, I am coming to that conclusion myself. Seems ashame to have to purchase two major appliances just to get "juice"


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

I've got plans to juice Elderberries, good thing I'd already taken them off the stems before freezing them. Took me all freaking day, good thing I had several episodes of Battlestar Galactica to get caught up on.

Martin...thanks for being here to lead us through the process!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

With elderberries, you freeze the whole clusters in a paper bag. When frozen, shake the berries off the stems and then shake the heck out of them again. The berries will separate from their little stem. Pick a cool windy day and winnow those stems out. Have to work fast as they won't stay frozen for very long. Using a fork to clean them off is OK for a small batch but not when you're dealing with a garbage bag full!

Martin


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## Mickey (Aug 28, 2002)

Martin do you mean you mix the apples and pears together to juice them?
Thanks,
Mickey


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

That particular batch started with just Seckel pears since they were ripe ahead of the apples in that orchard. About 15 gallons into it, several apple trees began to ripen and there was another 15 gallons of both apple and pear mixed but the pears and apples were juiced separately. Only reason for their being separate is that they weren't mixed when picked. Next 30 gallons were mixed apples and the 60 total gallons were all planned to eventually be blended into an apple and pear wine. The final 15 gallons were all from Golden Russet apple and something told me that that one was worthy of keeping separate and it was. 

Anyway, pears and apples could indeed be steamed together. I've done fruit cocktail mixes and have added bananas with apples. Blackberries and chokecherries have been steamed together. Red raspberries and rhubarb plus strawberries and rhubarb have been done together. 

As mentioned in ads for such steam juicers, the juice is ready for canning and in theory may go directly into a jar and the 2-piece lid put on. It's already sterile and close to the boiling point. The only juice which I have canned was pear although I did BWB for 15 minutes or so. Right now, I'm watching an unknown early long-necked red pear tree which is loaded this year. Thinking of converting most of those fruit to juice and sauce. The Seckel is having an off year and wine made from those takes a long time to clear for me. If stuck with choice of leaving them to rot or bringing home 4 or 5 pails, I'll juice them and can it. Everyone at the garlic farm loves it. 

Martin


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## Mickey (Aug 28, 2002)

Thanks Martin. I can't wait to try to mixed fruit juices this year.
Mickey


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

I've done a number of large juice batches over the years since there is a local market which takes advance orders for bulk frozen fruit, berries, vegetables, etc. From the start of my winemaking, only 5-gallon or larger batches so a minimum 15 to 20 pounds of fruit was required. Nice to start with a big tin of cherries, strawberries, cocktail mix or whatever. Or, local Piggly Wiggly once had an overstock of peaches which also were overripe and priced at 10Â¢ a pound. Manager dropped his jaw when I said that I'd take 50#! 

Incidentally, every steam juicer you see is stainless. The first one I used was made in Finland and was hand-carried from Germany in 1982 or 1983 by a Bavarian neighbor. For next 3 or 4 years, it was circulated between her, her daughter, and myself. It was annealed aluminum. As soon as I saw an ad for a stainless one in the US, I immediately decided that I didn't need the hassle of who had the original and when I could use it. For certain, I had the stainless one in 1986 when the local winemaker supply shop stopped listing my latest batches since they were far in excess of the legal maximum for a 2-person household! 

Martin


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## Lucy (May 15, 2006)

I had an aluminum one and a speckled enamel one. Now I have a stainless juicer.
The only juice that should not be canned while fresh is grape juice if you want to avoid tartaric acid crystals. They can be sharp like glass and cut your tongue. 
Better to put the grape juice in the fridge overnight and then pour off the top part of the juice or put through some cheesecloth. There is usually some sediment in the bottom of my grape juice if I don't strain it.


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## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

Thank you everyone! So far I've done 8 quarts of blueberry juice and 4 quarts of frozen blackberries I found at the back, they were last years so they were juiced and jellied the same day. I am going to do peaches next for syrup and jelly. 

I have been emptying the juice as I go along and it's been doing nicely. I want to do vegetable stock for the winter and will do that once peach season is done.

As for watermelon jelly, I just puree it and add a liquid pectin. I'll have to get out the recipe. It's very good!


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## kenworth (Feb 12, 2011)

I would say that my watermellon juice was a flop. It tasted faintly of squash, and that was it. Not appealing at all, so I dumped it. Auntie's got raspberries coming on, hopefully I can get some.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Belladulcinea, how do you work up your vegetable stock? I am interested in making some V-8 type juice as it works well to keep my system balanced.


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## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

I have not done vegetable stock as of yet! I'm still doing fruit. The booklet that is at the top of the thread has great information in it about veggie stock and meat stock.


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## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

Ok, I just looked at my grape juice and there is no sediment or crystals. Should I strain it anyway just to be sure?


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## tallpines (Apr 9, 2003)

Fleet Farm had an aluminum steamer on sale a couple weeks ago so I bought it. Never used one before!

So far I'm lovin' it.

Used it for Blackberry and Tomato juice.

Are there any precautions to be taken using aluminum rather than stainless steel?


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## Stephen in SOKY (Jun 6, 2006)

Love mine for apples, berries and the like, but hate them for tomatoes. Would you share your positive experiences with tomatoes so I can learn from them?


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