Buzz
I’m all about new kitchen gadgets—hello, specific ice machine—but spending on a Juicero just doesn’t add up. I enjoy fresh juice just like anyone else, who sips it to feel slightly better about their choices, but a $400 juicer isn’t something I can justify.
Fortunately, there are ways to get fresh, somewhat healthy juice without needing a juicer, fancy bags, QR codes, or even Wi-Fi. Here are my top picks:
Blender Magic
Blenders are excellent at extracting liquid from juicy fruits and veggies, and you can make plenty of juice with this method. It takes a little extra time and effort compared to grabbing a bag from the fridge, but unless you’re saving the world from Captain Orange Crush, it’s doable. To make juice with a blender, you’ll need:
A blender
A fine mesh strainer
A bowl
A rubber spatula
Place your juicy plant bits in the blender and blend them until you have a smooth, pulpy liquid. Set the strainer over the bowl, pour the pulpy mix into the strainer, and let it drip for a while. Use the rubber spatula to press down on the pulp to extract every last drop of juice, then pour it into your cup and enjoy.
I’ve used this method to make fresh pineapple juice (for pina coladas), fresh cucumber-tomato juice (for Bloody Marys), and not much else. If you're making juice from more fibrous plant parts—as The Minimalist Baker does here—you might need to add a splash of liquid, like water or unfiltered apple juice, to help things along. (Alternatively, you could blend a Juicero bag's contents, though they’d prefer you didn’t open the bag.)
Citrus Reamer Time
If you’re after citrus juice, grab a reamer and get to work. Slice the fruit in half to expose the segments, place the reamer in the center, and twist to crush the cells and release the juice. Unless you have one of those reamers with a built-in bowl, you’ll likely need a receptacle underneath. Alternatively, use a fork. (Or, you could open a Juicero bag and mash the contents with a fork, though it’s not a particularly efficient way to extract juice—it’s just an option.)
Make Use of Your Hands (or Feet!)
If there's one lesson to take away from the Juicero debacle, it's this: our hands—perfectly capable of squeezing juice—are a far more efficient tool than any contraption. With the added bonus of feet for extra squeezing power, we've been making grape juice for ages. Just grab a piece of fruit, press it with your hands, and enjoy the refreshing juice, whether straight into your mouth or into a cup if you're feeling fancy. (Or, if you're inclined, you can use Juicero’s soft, pre-packaged fruit bags, which surprisingly don’t require much effort to turn squishy fruit into juice.)
