FRESH ORANGE JUICE

     Today is a special day, I am writing my 700th Blog Post and today happens to be my Son's Birthday.  Five and a half years of blogging and I have finished writing 700 Posts/recipes in my Blog.  Wanted to commemorate the milestone.

     Thinking about the number of posts I have written so far.  Most of the recipes in Essence of Life - Food, are related to memories, tastes and occasions.  When I started the blog, I was even wondering about how long I can keep afresh with the content I have.  The number of frequented recipes, family favourites, new trials & experiments were all in my mind, but I still remember how I felt during the initial days about which recipe to write.  It was like feeding the beast, my brain child.  Now, after five long years of blogging and writing 700 recipes on my blog, I feel I still have quite a number of frequented & favourite recipes missing from the blog.  And least to mention the time, effort and passion it takes to keep up the spirit.

      I wish I could read all the books I want to read and write all the recipes in my mind - may be, a lifetime is not enough. I may not be able to finish off the task wholeheartedly.  But it has been an amazing journey overall, and I am thankful to all who have come across my blog, took time to read, try my recipes, and I am overwhelmed by a few readers who send pictures of the recipes they have tried from my blog.  People around me, who knows me or even new acquaintances have started to relate to me as a Food Blogger.  Simple comments like, You have a wonderful Blog out there, the photographs are good, the way you write is amazing etc., & etc., thanks for noticing and encouraging. 

     Until recently, I was even reluctant to say that I am a Food Blogger, but now when somebody asks, I say, "I am a Food Blogger."  And the questions that follow sometimes cringe me (when it comes to how much you earn out of it?), but this brain child of mine is a product of passion & my hobby.  So I enjoy doing it, and I am sure it has turned into an addiction.  So once again, thank you all for being my readers and motivating me.

 

FRESH ORANGE JUICE

 

     700th Post on a special day.  But a simple recipe - Fresh Orange Juice - my all-time favourite.  What's about writing a recipe on Orange Juice.  But I thought of writing about it because, sometimes, a fresh home-made Orange Juice can turn out too tasty or nasty.  The bitter taste it leaves into the Juice can spoil the whole new refreshing feel of an Orange Juice.  And this has happened to me during my college days, that's my initial days of cooking.  Peeling off an Orange and just dumping it into the Mixer grinder, straining off and then there you go with an Orange Juice.  The preconception missed to the core.  It turned out to be bitter.  The white pith and the seeds make Orange Juice Bitter was a hard revelation.  Then I started peeling off all the unwanted parts, I used ONLY THE ARILS for making a fresh Orange Juice.  Years after this, still when it comes to making fresh orange juice, I do it meticulously.  Depending upon the variety of Orange I am using, I choose the method to squeeze out fresh Orange Juice.

      So, here you go, Orange juice recipe with 3 easy juicing methods. There is nothing quite refreshing like a glass of freshly squeezed home-made orange juice. Bright and sweet with just the perfect amount of acidity; a glass of orange juice is refreshing, rejuvenating and loaded with vitamin C, a natural Immune booster.  Oranges are loaded with vitamins and minerals, it helps to improve immunity naturally. Home-made fruit juices if consumed in moderation are healthy.  Use them Diluted or Undiluted, sweeten it if you prefer, and there you have a glass of fresh home-made Orange Juice without any additives or artificial colouring.

What type of oranges are best for Orange Juice?

 

ORANGE

      When deciding what type of oranges to use for making orange juice, you should select the fruit that will yield the most juice. I personally like Valencia oranges for the very best juice, the next variety which I like are navel oranges. Easy when it comes to cleaning, cut the oranges into two, just slice off the rind & the white segments and mostly this variety has very less or no seeds. I grind them in my mixer grinder juicer jar with a strainer attached to it.   Next when it comes to Orange varieties like Clementines and Tangerines you will get a sweeter beverage. I juice it with a hand Manual Juicer/Squeezer for making Orange Juices with these varieties. 

     You can get easy with whatever oranges that you happen to have on hand, but keep in mind that a fresh orange will be the juiciest and the sweetness depends on the variety of the fruit you are using.

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Recipe Type - Drink
Difficulty - Medium
Serves - 1-2
Author - SM  

Preparation Time - 25 -30 Minutes

 

HOW TO MAKE FRESH ORANGE JUICE

FRESH ORANGE JUICE

 

INGREDIENTS:

Oranges - 4 Nos.
Sugar/Honey - 1 Tablespoon (optional)
Water -1/ 2 - 1 Cup

Add-ons (If preferred) :

Mint Leaves/Basil - a Few

METHOD:

     Depending on the type of Kitchen equipment you own, you can make Orange juice in a number of ways.  I use a simple blender (Indian Mixer-grinder) which has a Juicer Jar with fitted strainer in it, which makes my work easier.  You can even simply squeeze out the Orange or use a Citrus Juicer.  But the total concept of juicing fresh Oranges is to extract maximum juice out of it. No wastages whatsoever, trying to make the juice without any bitterness which is a hit or miss, when it comes to certain Orange varieties.

FRESH ORANGE JUICE

 

Method 1 – Manual Juicing/Squeezing:

     This method requires no special equipment for the purpose.  An age-old method and the simplest Juicing techniques of all time.  Oranges with thinner skin like Tangerines and Clementines suit well for this method. Oranges with thin-skins can simply be squeezed without expressing too much of the bitter oils contained in the skins.  Note that it is hard to juice a lot of oranges this way, and some amount of pulp remains in the fruit.

But first,

• Rinse the fruit well under running water and pat dry them with clean kitchen towels. 
• Cut the fruit into 2 parts.
• Remove the seeds with the help of a knife.
• Squeeze the halved oranges over a glass, to extract the juice. 
• Simply remove any seeds left in the juice. 
• Dilute or use as it is.  Can add any sweetener of your choice, if preferred.
  

NOTE:

• This method works for Fresh thin-skinned Oranges.

Method 2 – Orange Juice with a Citrus Juicer

This is probably the most obvious way to juice oranges. With either a handheld juicer or an electric model, this method is quite effective. Simple wooden citrus reamers work just fine too.

• Rinse the fruit well under running water and pat dry them with clean kitchen towels. 
• Cut the fruit into 2 parts.
• Remove the seeds with the help of a knife.
• Gently press the cut oranges onto a circulating reamer and squeeze out the juice by simply rotating the Orange halves through the ream.
• If you are using an electric Citrus Juicer, the job gets easier.
  
• Strain or simply remove any seeds left in the juice. 
• Dilute or use as it is.  Can add any sweetener of your choice, if preferred.
  

 

NOTE:

• Citrus Juicer yields a good amount of juice with less effort.

 

FRESH ORANGE JUICE

 

Method 3 – Orange Juice in a Blender

     One best way to make fresh Orange Juice is using a Blender.  This seems to be a great option because this method leaves you with very less wastage and more juice.  But you have to be very careful to remove all the white segments and seeds before adding the Peels into the blender.  Otherwise, the Orange Juice can turn out to be bitter.

• Rinse the fruit well under running water and pat dry them with clean kitchen towels. 
• Peel the Orange.
• Remove the white pith or white membrane. Orange pith is nutritious and is a rich source of fibre, however it imparts a bitter taste, so I try to remove as much as possible.
• Cut the fruit into 2 parts.
• Then, remove the seeds with the help of a knife.
• Take the Orange pulp and discard the rinds and linings.
• Add Orange pulp along with some water into a blender.
• Blend until all the Orange pulp is well blended.
• Pour the Orange Juice through a strainer. 
• I use my juicer jar (which came along with my blender) for the purpose, which has a strainer within, which makes the process easier.
• Collect the strained Orange Juice in a bowl. 
• Add Honey/Sugar to sweeten up the Juice.
• Pour it into a tall glass and serve the Orange Juice chilled or at room temperature.
• Muddle a few Mint Leaves and pour chilled Orange Juice over it for a mint flavoured Orange Juice.

 

 NOTES:

• I have used 4 Navel Oranges and I got nearly 3-4 medium-sized glasses of Orange Juice out of it.
• I added very little water while blending the Orange Pulps.
  
• Adding Sweeteners to the drink is purely optional.
  
• Adding Mint Leaves/Basil Leaves to the juice can give you an extra note of taste and flavour to Orange Juice. But it is purely optional.

 

HOW TO STORE FRESH HOME-MADE ORANGE JUICE?

• It is best enjoyed shortly after it is made. 
• However, you can keep it in your refrigerator for 2–3 days in a glass bottle or jar.  Keep it covered.
• Freshly extracted Orange Juice (without added sweeteners) can be stored in the refrigerator for about 2 days. 
• Do not dilute it with water if you're storing it.