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Squeezing pomegranate juice at home is not that difficult. This natural drink is useful not only for adults, but also for children. In addition, you can be sure that the drink will be beneficial and will cost an order of magnitude cheaper than store-bought products. Bottled drinks are not always useful, since most often stores sell nectars and colored water with additives.
Features of making pomegranate juice at home
It has always been believed that homemade drinks made from berries and fruits are much healthier than store-bought ones. When preparing pomegranate juice at home, you need to follow some rules. This will allow you to obtain a natural product in which all the beneficial properties of the fruit will be preserved:
- You need to choose dense grenades without damage or rot.If there is even a small hole on the pomegranate peel, the inside is not only unsuitable for obtaining useful liquid, such a pomegranate is dangerous to health, since harmful bacteria develop in it.
- The fruits should be washed in several waters to remove dust, grains of sand, and dirt, then wipe dry with a napkin.
- Peel the pomegranate peel and white veins. During this procedure, you need to be careful not to damage the integrity of the berries. You need to work with a sharp knife.
- Experienced housewives recommend knocking out pomegranate seeds by diligently tapping the peel with a spoon.
You need to clean the pomegranate so that the partitions and white films do not fall into the cup with the grains. The fact is that these internal parts of the fruit, once in the squeezed juice, give it bitterness.
How many pomegranates does it take to make a liter of juice?
The fruits have different weights. From one pomegranate weighing 200 g, you can squeeze about 150 ml of liquid. According to average indicators, the yield of squeezed juice from one pomegranate at home is about 80%.
To obtain 1 liter of a healthy and healing drink, you will need about 2.-2.3 g of ripe fruits. Although most often the average family's need is no more than a glass.
How to squeeze pomegranate juice at home
Natural juices obtained at home differ not only in taste, they retain useful substances and vitamins. You can get the drink in different ways.
Many people squeeze pomegranate by hand at home. But when using a juicer, the process happens faster. Anything that remains after the drink is made does not need to be thrown away. Pulp is an excellent additive in cooking.
How to squeeze juice from a pomegranate without a juicer
You can use different methods to squeeze a pomegranate. There are many options, first about manually squeezing juice from fruits.
Using the package
This is a convenient way to squeeze natural pomegranate juice. To work, you will need a knife, a rolling pin and 2 freezer bags. They have a convenient lock that allows you to tightly close the grains so as not to stain the kitchen.
Washed and dried pomegranates are peeled, separated into individual berries and placed in a bag. It is closed tightly so that liquid does not leak out. In addition, carefully squeeze out the air, otherwise the bag may burst.
Then you need to put the bag on the table, take a rolling pin and start squeezing out the juice. It's easy to do, just press on it like you're rolling out dough. Gradually, liquid accumulates in the bag, and grains without pulp remain. Now you need to drain it into a clean container.
Through gauze
To squeeze a delicious drink from a pomegranate, you will need ripe fruits without damage to the peel and gauze. You need to prepare:
- grenades - 2 pcs.;
- boiled water – ¼ tbsp.;
- granulated sugar – 1 tbsp.
How to properly squeeze juice from a pomegranate:
- First, the washed fruits are cleared of hard skins, then divided into individual berries, each of which is cleaned of fibers and films.
- The berries are placed in a clean container. Pour the grains into cheesecloth in small portions (it needs to be folded in several layers) and, pressing on them, gradually squeeze out the liquid.
- You need to work carefully so as not to splash everything around. The process is lengthy, since the pomegranate is carefully squeezed until all the grains are crushed.
- Do the same with the remaining pomegranate seeds.
- If you want to drink the drink without suspension, you can preserve it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.During this time, the drink will become transparent, and the sediment will appear at the bottom.
- Before drinking pomegranate juice, the liquid is diluted with clean water, since an undiluted drink has a negative effect on the gastric mucosa due to its high acid content. Especially if the juice is intended for children.
Caucasian way
To squeeze the juice out of pomegranates by hand, you can use the oldest method. The only condition is that the peel must be undamaged, otherwise the juice will flow out spontaneously.
Stages of work:
- Rinse the whole fruit, dry with a towel, then place on a clean table.
- Start rolling the pomegranate on the table to crush the grains.
- You need to press on the fruit until it becomes soft.
- All that remains is to cut a hole and pour the squeezed juice from the pomegranate into a glass.
Using a puree masher
To squeeze pomegranate juice by hand at home, you can use a regular mashed potato maker.
To do this, place individual pomegranate seeds in a high saucepan so as not to splatter everything around, and begin to crush them. You need to squeeze out the liquid intensively for at least 15 minutes.
After this, the squeezed out bright red liquid is filtered using a fine sieve. Before use, dilute with water.
How to make pomegranate juice in a juicer
Using technology to squeeze pomegranate juice at home is convenient and quick. One ripe fruit is enough for one person. It is thoroughly washed with clean water to remove dirt and germs from the surface of the pomegranate. Then wipe dry with a towel.
After this, use a sharp knife to make an incision, being careful not to touch the grains. To quickly separate the berries, tap the peel with a spoon. In this case, they will spill out into the dishes, and the white films and partitions will remain in the pomegranate.
Place the grains in small portions into the opening of the juicer. Depending on the type of juicer, juice is made using electricity or mechanical action.
The liquid will flow out through a special hole. Pomegranate juice, squeezed using a juicer, comes out with pulp. To obtain a clear liquid, the mass is settled and filtered through a sieve.
How to make pomegranate juice in a blender
Modern housewives have many devices that make their work easier. A blender is a great option for making natural juice from pomegranate seeds. The drink is prepared from two pomegranates, boiled water, granulated sugar or honey (to taste).
Choose solid grenades that have no damage. Then they are thoroughly washed with warm water. The washed fruits are dried with a towel, cut and peeled.
Then separate the grains into a blender bowl. Add water, turn on the blender and start making juice. After 2-3 minutes, place in a colander lined with several layers of gauze. This will separate the pulp from the resulting drink.
If desired, the squeezed liquid can be sweetened with sugar or natural honey.
How to properly store pomegranate juice
Making natural pomegranate juice at home is easy. The product can only be stored in the refrigerator. In some cases, when there are a lot of pomegranates, housewives preserve the squeezed liquid.
To prepare squeezed pomegranate juice for the winter, you can bring it to a boil, then pour it hot into sterile glass jars or bottles. Close the containers tightly and turn them upside down. Place under a fur coat until it cools completely. Store in a cool place: in the cellar or refrigerator.
How long does freshly squeezed pomegranate juice last?
Squeezed pomegranate juice, unlike other fresh juices, is not recommended to be stored for a long time. In order for the body to receive all the vitamins and nutrients, the squeezed liquid must be drunk immediately. The shelf life of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice is limited to 1-2 hours.
The best pomegranate juicers
Pomegranate juice has been squeezed at home at all times. To make the process faster, people created special devices - juicers. They can be mechanical and electrical. To quickly make pomegranate juice at home, you most often use a juicer. Since there are many of these household appliances, you need to figure out which ones are best to use.
Juicer options:
- citrus juicer;
- Auger juicer;
- juicer-press;
- electrical devices with power from 20 to 100 W.
Conclusion
Even a child can squeeze juice from a pomegranate at home. You just need to remember that it is better to drink it right away, as the beneficial substances quickly disappear. In its pure form, the liquid can cause damage to the stomach and intestines. Therefore, boiled water is added to the concentrated pomegranate drink.
