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Equipment for
Raw Foods Prep |
Taken from the Raw Gourmet, by
Nomi Shannon
Sharp Knives: If
you don't already own some, invest in a good set of sharp knives
to make cutting vegetables fast and easy. It could make the
difference between staying on a raw food program or not. You
will need at least 1 paring knife and 1 large knife. Buy knives
that can be sharpened at home!
Cutting Board: There is
a lot of controversy over whether wood or plastic is more
hygienic. While plastic can go through the dishwasher, new
evidence seems to suggest that wood has some special
"disinfectant" properties. Whatever you decide, scrub the board
until it is scrupulously clean each time you use it.
Blender: Make this one
of your first purchases, after a grater and some sharp knives.
An important piece of kitchen equipment, and relatively
inexpensive, a blender is useful for purees, dressings, soups
and more. Benders are used when liquid is involved or soft
smooth results are desired. For mixing large quantities of foods
that are not liquid based, such as pie fillings, pates, and
loaves, a food processor is a better choice. The most
important feature to look for in a blender is a strong motor.
Often, older models are more powerful than more recent models.
Many a newer model has had its motor burned out when attempting
to blend soaked nuts or seeds. Garage sales are a great way to
find an older blender with a powerful motor.
While you
can function indefinitely with a traditional blender, the
Vita-Mix brand is the ultimate in versatility, power and
durability. This powerful machine can blend or puree just about
anything, including dry grains and nuts. This an expensive
machine and not essential. Buy one only after you already own
the necessities: a good regular blender, a juicer, wheatgrass
juicer and a good food processor.
Juicer: Perhaps the
most important piece of equipment you will buy. There are many
juicers on the market but few that do an adequate job. Some
juicers waste food, leaving behind a lot of wet pulp. Others
heat up the juice from too much friction, damaging the delicate
nutrients. Resist the temptation to buy a juicer from a
department store or large discount store. To date, there are no
juicers available from these sources that will serve you well.
There are
several types of juicing machines. A centrifugal juicer expels
the pulp into a basket as it spins. This type of machine does
not do an adequate job of extracting the nourishment from the
food and results in a lot of waste. Another type of juicer is a
triturating or masticating machine that crushes the food,
rupturing the cells and extracting high-quality nourishment.
Slow-moving machines that use an augur do an adequate job,
especially for wheatgrass. A meat grinder is an augur-type of
machine in face, an old meat grinder will do a good job on
wheatgrass if you happen to own one.
A tried and
true juicer on the market is the trouble-free Champion. It is a
masticating machine that will make juices, pates, ice cream,
finely grated vegetables and more. The only thing the Champion
cannot do is juice wheatgrass, certain herbs and other grasses.
The only changeable parts of a Champion are its filters. The
blank is used for pates and ice cream, and the screen is used
for juicing. By not using any filter at all, you can finely
grate vegetables. Using the machine without any filter is not
recommended by the manufacturer because when the blade is
exposed, it can be very dangerous.
The newest
juicer on the market is the Green Life machine, a simplified
version of the popular Green Power Juicer. It has a twin-gear
design, where the food is pressed and crushed between the gears.
It is expensive (more than twice the cost of the Champion) but
it does all that the Champion does (except a fine grate) plus it
will juice wheatgrass and all types of herbs and greens.
(Attachments for pasta making and other processes can be
purchased separately.) It operates at a much lower speed than
the Champion so it doesn't create heat from friction. Oxidation
is further minimized by a feature that magnetized the juice. The
juice remains fresh much longer than with other juicers. If you
are starting out with no equipment and are planning to use
wheatgrass juice, it is worth the extra money to purchase either
a Green Power or a Green Life machine. In the long run, you may
save money because of the superior job it does extracting the
juice, thereby needing less produce.
Wheatgrass Juicer: To
properly extract the juice from wheatgrass, an augur-type,
slow-moving machine (or the twin-gear method as described above)
is necessary to avoid creating heat from friction, If you won a
juicer that doesn't work with wheatgrass, buy an inexpensive
electric wheatgrass juicer, not a manual one (too much work!) A
decent home-use wheatgrass juicer is less than $150. An old meat
grinder might work, as well as the Wheateena, which was once
very popular for wheatgrass only. Keep your eyes open a garage
sales.
Food Processor: This
multi-purpose machine saves a lot of time, especially when you
are preparing for a crowd. It comes with several blades that
allow you to shred, grate and slice very quickly. But the most
important feature is the steel blade, called the "S" blade, used
for cutting, chopping and mixing. It makes all sorts of
procedures virtually effortless - from chopping nuts to mixing
all the ingredients for a pate or loaf.
Dehydrator: Dehydrators
are used to partially or completely dry or warm food, while
leaving the enzymes intact. Certain recipes for cookies, fruit
leathers, stuffed vegetables, fruits, crackers, breads and many
other items rely on the dehydrator for their texture, taste and
shelf-life. Using a dehydrator can greatly expand your
repertoire of delicious recipes, but it not the first thing you
need to buy.
The most
important feature of a dehydrator is temperature control. Your
dehydrator should also have a way to deliver the warm air as
efficiently as possible so that your food will dry or warm
evenly. The Excalibur 9 tray model is a good choice, as it gives
you 15 square feet (4.5 meters) of drying area, along with an
efficient fan and a thermostat that allows you to set the
temperature. It is also quite compact. The dehydrator comes with
tray liners that resemble a plastic screen. Buy the solid
liners, too, for cookies and fruit leathers. The Excalibur
manufacturer calls them teflex liners.
Food Mill, Coffee Grinder or Spice Mill:
A small electric
coffee grinder comes in very handy
for grinding small quantities of nuts and seeds. Although you
can grind nuts and seeds in a food processor, you can't always
adequately work with small quantities in a processor, nor does a
processor grind them as finely as a mill. An electric coffee
mill will cost less than fifteen dollars and is perfect for a
few tablespoons of nuts or seeds.
Hand Grater: The old
standby Grandma used to have still works just fine. The type
that is just one flat piece of metal with several cutting sized
is good because you can work directly into a serving bowl. A
hand grater can be indispensable when preparing food for one or
if you do not own any other equipment.
Peeler: A high-quality,
sharp vegetable peeler is essential.
Garlic Press: There are
several different types on the market, all of which are capable
of extracting small amounts of garlic, ginger or onion juice.
Choose one that appeals to you.
Apple Peeler-corer-slicer:
A fun but non-essential gadget to have, this will
make apple pie a snap. Use it to peel, core and slice apples and
vegetables like turnips very quickly.
Mandoline: This
stainless steel, French-made piece of equipment can take the
place of graters, cutting blades, salad shooters and a lot of
hand-slicing, dicing and julienne. Professional chefs use the
mandoline extensively to make short work of mounds of
vegetables.
The
mandoline is a rectangular piece of equipment with changeable
blades that the food is drawn across, quickly cutting it into
various shapes. Country fairs and kitchen equipment stores often
sell inexpensive plastic versions. But, be warned that the
mandoline is an extremely dangerous piece of equipment; its
razor-sharp blades are not for the novice or the average home
cook. However, if you are preparing large quantities of food and
have skilled hands and a careful nature, a mandoline is a
time-saving piece of equipment.
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