Juicing technology has come a long way and your juicer can do much more than just juicing. It is important to remember that not all juicers come with the functions that I am about to discuss, so if you are looking for a juicer with plenty to offer then we recommend buying a single auger horizontal juicer, such as the Hurom GH Chef, Samson Advanced and the Omega 8006 as these offer the most versatility.
Your Juicer Can Do More than Just Juice
Homogenising Blanks and Nozzles
The homogenising blank and nozzles allow you to create a range dishes and most horizontal juicers come with these attachments. However, twin gear juicers tend to sell the homogenising blank separately.
Pasta and Noodles
A unique feature of most horizontals is that they can produce pasta and noodles with the homogenising blank and pasta nozzles that are usually included.
The Hurom Hurom GH Chef, in particular, is a good juicer for making pasta as it has the ability to knead the pasta or noodle dough.
TIP: When making the dough of the pasta, be sure to add the ingredients in small quantities as you may experience an uneven knead.
Sorbets and Ice Cream
These sweet treats are great if you fancy a little something after dinner and when your sorbets are 100% fruit, you won't feel like you've had something to indulgent. To make a delicious sorbet freeze small chunks of fruit overnight and then get juicing. If you have a range of colourful fruit, be sure to layer the fruit so you get a great colour effect. We love banana, mango and strawberries.
TIP: Adding Bananas are great if you want a creamy consistency like ice cream. Adding honey can also help combine the ingredients together.
If you are wanting ice cream then add coconut milk to any of your sorbets. This will give it a great Mr Whippy texture with an undertone of coconut.
Cocktails
Even though cocktails aren’t the healthiest, they are a fun treat once in a while. Surprisingly adding fruit juice to a little alcohol gives it a great twist, start by trying to recreate a bloody Mary or if you're not into vegetable juice try a Pina colada. Creating a cocktail is as easy as throwing your fruit and veg into your juicer and then pouring your fresh fruit juice over ice and the alcohol of your choosing. Voila, you’ve just created a cocktail without half the sugar!
TIP: Keep all of your ingredients in the fridge so you can create a refreshing alcoholic beverage.
Nut Milk and Nut Butters
These types of milk are becoming increasingly popular as people are becoming more and more intolerant to dairy produce. Nut milks are a great healthy alternative to dairy milk and can add a great taste to any dish. Almond milk is really easy to make as you soak your nuts in water to soften them and then add them to your juicer. Another great advantage of homemade nut milk is you get the option to add spices or vanilla to make things a little more interesting. Nut milk can be created in vertical juicers too. Angel juicers, in particular, are great for butter and milks as they extract the highest yield from most ingredients because of their stainless steel twin gears.
TIP: The pulp from the almonds can be used to add flavour to curries, cereals and baking recipes.
Nut butters are great for dipping fruit in or spreading in sandwiches, but store-bought nut butters can contain a lot of preservatives, so it's best making your own. Simply add half your nuts to the juicer, then add oil (we like coconut oil) and add the rest of your nuts. Depending on how you like your consistency depends on how much oil you add.
TIP: Peanut butter is a firm favourite but why not try hazelnuts, cashews or almonds.
Grinding
Another great feature of most horizontal juicers is the grinding function. This will allow you to grind coffee beans, nuts, parmesan, minced meat and vegetables. But remember you will need the correct nozzle and the homogenising screen, otherwise, your juicer will try and juice your ingredients! The grinding feature will enable you to prepare your ingredients quickly and easily.If you are interested in grinding in particular, then the Samson Advanced is outstanding quality and good value for money which has resulted in the Which Best Buy being awarded to them. With this juicer, you can create all of the homogenising ideas above and below. When purchasing this juicer you do have the option to add a salad slicer and ice shaver attachment, which lets you shred you salad with ease and crush ice within seconds, all within the same attachment.
Sauces and Dips
Sometimes you can’t beat homemade sauces so using your juicer to make the base of sauces couldn’t be easier. Simply, put your tomatoes and garlic into your juicer and sauté some onions and you’ve got the base to a delicious tomato sauce. Why not try creating salsa as this has the same process as the sauce dressing, but you will need to reduce your salsa before adding chopped onions and vegetables of your choice. The Omega 8006 is great if you are looking to create homemade sauces as it’s straightforward to use and even easier to clean
Hummus
Smooth homemade hummus isn’t always the easiest dip to make, but when using your juicer you will be surprised how smooth and creamy your hummus is. Make sure to Add lemon, salt and pepper, cumin, Tahini and olive oil and you won't be disappointed.
Baby Food
Making your own baby food can give you peace of mind that your baby is eating fresh and digestible food. You can create baby food by using the homogenising blank and this will help give your homemade baby food a smooth consistency. It can be rewarding knowing that you’re giving your child the best possible start with just a simple step.
Oil Attachments
There are many proven health benefits from eating healthy oils and you can extract oils from seeds, for example, flaxseed oil is very high in omega 3 which is a good fatty acid the body needs. With the Sana Oil Extractor attachment you can now make your own oil at home with the following nuts: - sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, rapeseed, hemp, poppy, evening primrose, black cumin, coconut (dehydrated shreds), almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, cashew nuts, brazil nuts, pistachios and macadamia nuts. This attachment will fit the following juicers: Omega Sana 707, Omega Sana 606, Omega 8006/4, Vidia SJ-002, Hurom GH Chef and all Samson Juicers.
TIP: Larger nuts such as almonds and walnuts need to be chopped so they can be processed properly.
Citrus Attachments
A citrus attachment is great if you tend to juice a lot of citrus fruits, as it does all the hard work for you. It is able to extract higher yields from the likes of lemons, oranges and grapefruit than the standard juicing process and makes for much less preparation and cleaning. Furthermore, a citrus attachment removes the need for manual turning and the spinning bulb will be able to gain optimal extraction with just some pressure from above.
Coarse Screens
The coarse screen allows more pulp into your juice which basically means slightly thicker juicers. Another great use of the coarse screen is making soup, as you can juice your chosen veggies and then put them on the hob to simmer, this will help thicken them. These usually come with your juicer as an accessory.
Pulp
Many people throw the pulp away but it can be used in soups, stews, muffins and bread. The pulp will add great texture and give you extra nutrients and fibre. If you're not big on using the pulp in your meals then instead of just throwing it away use it in your garden. Adding the pulp to your garden soil will give you great compost that’s enriched with nutrients.
We hope we have inspired you to use your juicer to its fullest extent and as you can see there are so many dishes you can create with your horizontal juicer. We do recommend thoroughly washing your items before juicing as there can be unseen bugs and pesticides lurking on your produce. But the most important part is to have fun experimenting with your juicer as the possibilities are endless.