Yes, folks, there is a big difference between the 2 nutritional culinary terms know as Juicing and Juice-Blending. This fact occurred to me today, as I thought about this week's Steemit Culinary Challenge because the theme is:
My good friend @woman-onthe-wing asked me if I would be this week's Steemit Culinary Challenge's Guest Judge.
I was honoured as this week is dedicated to thanking @smooth for providing sponsorship in terms of 1st place prizing for the last 32 weeks! (Please don't hold your applause, I hope you are all clapping and whistling. Woot! Woot!)
I don't care who you are, that a lot of Steem Backed Dollars, freely given to help others to establish themselves on the platform.
@smooth, we are forever grateful to you for your generosity, commitment and support. On behalf of all of us who have benefited from the SCC, we thank-you.
I really thought about this week's theme and about the skills necessary to execute this particular challenge.
Then, I thought about my other really good friend @amy-goodrich because Amy makes gorgeous, highly nutritious smoothies almost everyday and if you are sitting on the fence about entering the challenge, go right now to Amy's blog and follow her ( if you're not already). She's warm and funny and has made a name for herself on Steemit with her delicious and nutritious recipes. All, complete with matching food photography which, can only be described as a feast for the eyes.
I'd say the exact same thing about our new 1st place sponsor @gringalicious and @englishtchrivy who has also stepped up to offer regular prizing sponsorship. If you haven't found their blogs yet, please make sure you check them out too. You'll not be disappointed. @sirwinchester also continues to be an original prize sponsor and we would like to thank you too, for your generosity and commitment to the SCC.
After thinking about the challenge, I thought that, although it's not too tough technically, it does require very specific tools.
It was then, that I thought maybe @woman-onthe-wing did make a sound choice asking me to judge because I haven't been quiet about my unforgiving addictive love for acquiring small kitchen appliances and gadgets.
Yes, I freely admit it, I'm secretly a kitchen-tool hoarder.
It is unclear (even to me) if this love is for the hunt of finding the ideal kitchen gadgets, the ease that they "promise" to bring to my kitchen-life or the health-benefits that they "ensure" will become more accessible, once used.
Regardless of the driving force behind this addiction, my attraction to them is unstoppable.
Let me present exhibit number 1, 2, and 3:
The first appliance (from left to right) is a machine that is known as a "juicer".
In true juicing, a machine is used to break the cell walls of the plant material and separate almost all of the plant matters' fibre from its liquid or juice. It is supposed to be highly concentrated in terms of its macro nutrients, meaning that the juice contains a very high concentration of vitamins, minerals and enzymes. The juicing appliance will contain an auger or centrifuge to separate the plant fibre from the plant juice. The fibre will be caught in some type of reservoir so that it can be re-purposed if the desire is there to use it in another recipe.
In this photo, I have taken the hopper off so that you can get a better look at the auger and the screen tray, which collects the plant fibre and strains the juice. The juice is collected in a small container underneath the screen tray and can easily be poured straight into a glass and consumed immediately.
It generally takes a large volume of plant material to produce "a single cup of juice" when you are "juicing".
If you take carrot juice for example, you would have to use 6 large raw, carrots to produce a small glass of finished carrot juice. This juice will be exceptionally thin, incredible flavourful and sweet because it is highly concentrated and contains next to no plant fibre.
In the raw food world, people who regularly juice make all kinds of delicious culinary delectables out of seemingly left-over, fairly dry plant fibre. (Raw veggie burgers would be a good example of the type of secondary food item, made as a direct by-product of juicing efforts.)
The benefits of juicing are evident when people are really, really ill and need to recovery from a disease where their intestinal tracts have been so damaged that they have difficulty absorbing nutrients from the food that they are eating.
Let me be clear here, it's not that these people aren't eating food, generally they really try to eat, but the walls of their intestines can't absorb any sustenance in the food and they basically waste away before the eyes of their loved ones. Advanced cancer would be a good example of a disease where juicing would be recommended (if the person is being treated holistically). If they're not, unfortunately juicing is discouraged with the explanation that the ability of chemotherapy to kill cells will be diminished due to the high vitamin content in vegetables and fruit.
As sad as that is, it's the truth. People are routinely advised (in Canada anyway) not to juice or take high doses of vitamin supplementation if they are taking chemotherapy.
To recap, when people refer to "juicing" they are referring to creating a thin liquid that contains hardly any fibre and needs to be consumed immediately for maximum benefit.
This brings me to the second appliance, which is a high-speed, high powered blender. It allows you to put whole foods into it and blend it smoothly, altogether with incredible velocity.
Fibre, seeds, juice and all. It's the loudest appliance that I own.
When we do this, we are actually juice blending and making what is affectionately known as:
Smoothies contain every component of the plant matter that was originally put into it and as a result are often quite thick. They should resemble a "milk shake" in finished texture. The quality of any finished smoothie is directly proportionate to the power of the blender that was used to make them. Often, regular house-hold blenders are not powerful enough to blend whole foods and will require the acquisition of an appliance that has been designed specifically for this job. If you try to use an "under-powered" blender to make "milkshake quality smoothies", you will over heat the motor and potentially damage the appliance beyond repair.
Smoothies are a great option for people who have built up the health of their guts and have enough digestive enzymes and gut flora to break down the food matter contained with in them. (If they don't smoothies will cause digestive upset including gas, bloating and cramping.)
Smoothies are exceptionally filling because of the high amount of fibre that they contain. This means that they are satiating and can be used in place of whole meals. I have found that when people first get started with juice blending, they get caught up in adding a lot of fruit so that their smoothies taste sweet and milkshake-like. If you are using smoothies to lower inflammation and improve the over-all health of your body, use the least amount of fruit as you can.
Sugar, even if it comes from fruit, causes inflammation in the body. It is also not uncommon for a fruit smoothie to contain 50 grams of sugar or more, per 1/2 a litre or 16 ounce serving size. That's a lot of sugar and in that concentration everyday, it isn't healthful. It will eventually lead to the formation of visceral fat around all your organs and atherosclerosis.
Awareness is the key.
When it comes to adding fruit to your daily smoothie, "less is more" is a wise rule to follow.
I generally drink a litre or 32 ounces of "green" smoothie, everyday.
Smoothies are best, consumed shortly after they are blended but they will keep in a refrigerator in a sealed container for 24 hours. They will oxidize with time and will look darker as a result.
I let this one sit for about 6 hours in the refrigerator. You can see that it is darker in colour and that there are 2 layers present. The fibre is floating on top of the plant juice. When this happens, you can simply shake the container and it will re-blend again. Smoothies require a large straw to consume and I would recommend using one in an effort to minimize the fruit, plant acids and sugars from making prolonged contact with your teeth.
The third and last appliance in my juicing collection is a vintage citrus juicer called a "Jucit".
It's designed to push the juice out of citrus fruit with pressure and speed. For example, you simply cut an orange in half and place the cut side down against the reamer while applying some pressure. This will trigger the white porcelain reamer to turn quickly. The juice falls, is strained and gets dispensed straight out of the spout and into a glass. It's a beautiful piece of engineering and makes quick work out of whipping up freshly squeezed orange juice, as if it was nothing.
I hope you will consider joining the Steemit Culinary Challenge this week. The contest post can be viewed here for more details: https://steemit.com/steemitculinarychallenge/@woman-onthe-wing/steemit-culinary-challenge-34-new-theme-and-updates-everyone-welcome-to-join
I'd love to see your smoothie creations.
I welcome your comments and invite you to follow me on my journey.
~ Rebecca Ryan (and her hoard of kitchen appliances) :D