Raw Tools
Kitchen tools are a blessing to the culinary-minded raw fooder. By having a wide range of tools to work with, you can create gourmet meals to live
for. Knowing what kind of equipment is right for you can help you get the results you want in the kitchen. This chapter lists the common types of tools
found in raw food kitchens. For some items, I suggest both types and brand names.
Utensils
Household kitchen utensils such as bowls, knives, cutting boards, countertops, spoons, spatulas, and so forth are made from a variety of
substances in our modern age. Some are better than others.
GLASS: A very inert substance; great for bowls.
CERAMIC: Natural earthenware; very pure.
STAINLESS STEEL: Very durable and easy to clean.
PLASTIC: Can affect the flavor of food.
WOOD: Best material for all utensils; great for flavor.
ALUMINUM: Extremely toxic. Watch out!
Juicers
Juicers separate organic liquids from foods. Fruits, vegetables, soaked nuts, and sprouts can all be juiced. Juicing concentrates the food’s
nutrients while removing its fibers, thus providing us with more energy that’s more readily absorbed by our bodies (meaning more energy from less
food). Be sure to juice only organic or unsprayed foods since otherwise the juicing process will concentrate any pesticides or other chemicals along
with the food’s nutrients.
CENTRIFUGAL: Centrifugal or spinning juicers are juicers that have a spinning metal blade in their upper chamber that shreds and spins off juice.
These are the most common juicers available on the market. They are often cheap, easy to clean, and compact. Two recommended brands are
Miracle and Juice Man. These juicers lack in efficiency, though; they extract only 60 percent of the juice. (To improve this rate, try running the pulp
through a second pass.) Centrifugal juicers also cause the juice to quickly oxidize, and the juice may require straining.
HOMOGENIZING: These juicers use the process of mastication to grind and press juice from its source, much like our own teeth. The Champion
Juicer (my favorite) is one masticating juicer available today; it grinds its little teeth on a hub and presses the fruits, vegetables, nuts, or seeds up
against a screen or blank plate. Any homogenizing juicer can masticate (homogenize) foods into paste or a pulp as well as juice them. Masticating
juicers are 80 percent efficient and produce juice that is much slower to oxidize.
JUICE PRESSES: Juice presses are one of the most efficient ways to extract juice. A press ruptures the cells from within. The juice produced is
barely oxidized, tastes the best, and has the longest shelf life and stability.
Automatic: The Norwalk juicer is an electric press, much like the hand press. This machine also comes with a built-in grinder
attached to the side for mashing harder vegetables or grinding sprouted grains.Citrus juicer: Used to press the juice out of citrus fruits.
Hand press: These presses are made from two-ton hydraulic car jacks and stainless-steel screws, plates, and bowls. The juicy pulp
of fruits or veggies is placed in a cloth bag inside a bowl and the juice is then pressed out by pumping a jack. Harder vegetables
must be ground before hand juicing.Juice bag: This simple juicer is inexpensive and lightweight, making it perfect for travel. Shred hard vegetables or fruits (juicy fruits
can just be cut and inserted whole), then place in a mesh sprout bag or cloth. Squeeze over a bowl to catch the juice. This juice has
the slowest oxidation rate, but unfortunately the method isn’t very efficient.Screw presses: Available in manual and electric varieties, these have a spiral screw that presses against a screen, forcing foods
through the top, squeezing the pulp and juice. A wheatgrass juicer is one type of screw press.TRITURATING: A triturating juicer is one that uses two gears to grind and press foods for homogenizing. This process is very similar to mastication
yet happens at a slower speed. Trituration provides juice that oxidizes very slowly and is 90 percent efficient or better.