The main purpose behind most kitchen appliances is to help make everyday kitchen tasks simpler, and if there’s one appliance that is more convenient to use than the rest, it’s certainly a citrus juicer.
In comparison to a traditional citrus press, juicers are specifically designed to get the most out of a lemon, lime, or even orange, giving you access to zestier flavor than ever before. If you’re new to the world of juicing and are wondering how to use citrus juicers, this guide will surely help.
What Type of Juicer Do I Have: The Two Types
The first thing you need to know is the type of juicer that you have as there are two main designs for working on citrus. First, you have a regular citrus juicer, and second, there is a more heavy-duty multi-purpose juicer.
1. Regular Citrus Juicer
Also referred to as an automated citrus press, these machines are designed for the sole purpose of working on fleshy fruits that have a rind. When you first see one, you’ll notice that it will have a head that spins in an effort to get rid of all of the flesh inside of the fruit, a grate that helps to separate seeds, a pulp, and a bucket to collect all of the juice. Similar to multi-purpose juicers, a regular citrus juicer needs to be plugged into electricity to make the head spin in order to extract the juice.
One of the things you might appreciate about a regular citrus juicer is how easy they are to use. There’s no need to worry about a variety of different parts that need to be put together in a specific way.
They’re also relatively easy to clean, and they help you to extract juice without having to remove the rind of any citrus fruits. However, they’re not recommended for other fruits, such as apples, strawberries, or pineapples, as the head is designed explicitly to core lemons, limes, oranges, mandarins, etc.
2. Multi-Purpose Juicer
The next type of juicer is a multi-purpose one, and depending on what you intend on using the juice for, this may be the better alternative. A multi-purpose juicer can work with a wide variety of fresh ingredients ranging from spinach to lemons, giving you the ability to make your own fresh pressed juice first thing in the morning. Just like a regular citrus juicer, you’ll be able to extract as much juice as possible from the flesh of the fruit, but it keeps all of the dried material in a separate compartment for you to either throw out or use as garnish in your recipe.
Multi-purpose juicers also work incredibly quickly, working through all of the ingredients you’re using in a matter of minutes, if not seconds. The only hassle with these appliances is they can be difficult to clean, and they have to be regularly maintained in order to make sure it’s ready to use for your next juicing adventure.
How to Use Citrus Juicer: The Steps
Since regular citrus juicers and multi-purpose juicers work slightly differently, it’s best to have two step-by-step guides to help you know exactly how to use the appliance you have in your kitchen.
A. Regular Citrus Juicer
- Step 1: Prepare the Fruit
Once you’ve assembled the juicer as per the juicer model’s instructions, it’s now time to prepare the fruit, and let’s use oranges as an example. You will want to take a whole orange and slice it in half while holding the orange horizontally, giving you a circle rather than an oval. It’s best if you prepare one orange at a time so that you have the ability to know when you have enough juice without having to waste extra fruit.
- Step 2: Adjust Pulp Settings
The majority of citrus juicers allow you to adjust the pulp-catching grate depending on how much pulp you want in your mixture. In most cases, the grate will either slide to where the juice holes are bigger or larger, based on your pulp preferences.
- Step 3: Juicing the Fruit
Now, you’re going to want to take the cut or open side of the orange and place it on the head of the citrus juicer, then turn the machine on, and allow the juicing head to extract all of the flesh from the inside of the orange. You should be able to remove the orange to check and make sure all of the flesh has been taken out, but make sure you turn the juicer off before removing the half of the fruit.
- Step 4: Disassembling and Cleaning
Once you have collected all of the juice that you need for your recipe, you’ll have to unplug the device, disassemble all of the parts, and make sure that you clean it thoroughly. Remember, citrus juice is very sticky, and so you’ll want to make sure that you soak the components in hot soapy water first.
B. Multi-Purpose Juicer
- Step 1: Inspect the Fruit Chute
With multi-purpose juicers, you’re going to have to take a look at the chute where the fruit is added in order to figure out how you should prepare the fruit. Ideally, the fruit chute should give you the ability to add an entire lemon, lime, or orange without having to cut it, but even if it looks a little too small, it’s always better to be safe rather than have an entire orange stuck in the chute.
- Step 2: Prepare the Fruit
If you have a multi-purpose juicer that can take a whole fruit, you’re going to want to make sure that you wash your ingredients thoroughly, as you don’t want any bacterial or harmful chemicals entering your fresh juice. If you find you have to cut the fruit, still ensure that you clean it and then slice it into the ideal size.
This step may also take a little longer depending on the type of juicer you have as not all juicers can handle the rinds of citrus fruits. You may have to remove the rind prior to juicing, but take a look at the operating instructions of your juicer model.
- Step 3: Turn the Juicer On
The first thing you have to do before adding any fruit is to turn the juicer on, allowing the spinning grate to work on its own for a few seconds. You should then be able to add the fruit to the chute, with the pusher (the device meant to encourage the fruit closer to the spinning grate) right behind.
In between each fruit, give your juicer a few seconds to work through all of the material until the grate has been completely cleared of the previously added ingredient. This process should only take a few minutes, especially if you’re working with only a few ingredients.
- Step 4: Dismantle and Clean the Juicer
Similar to how you would maintain your regular citrus juicer, you’re now going to need to take apart your multi-purpose juicer and make sure that you thoroughly clean all of the parts. The majority of juicers come with specialized cleaning brushes that are designed to get into all of the nooks and crannies of the juicer.
Final Thoughts: Using a Citrus Juicer is Easy!
With the help of the instructions given to you with your juicer and this guide, you’ll be well on your way to knowing how to properly operate both a regular citrus juicer and a multi-purpose juicer. The only thing left is to grab your ingredients and get started on creating your next culinary masterpiece!