Steamers for Juice Extraction? Worthwhile?!

[jamesbsmith]

The elderberries are almost now in season, and I managed to buy a cheap 2nd hand steamer juice extractor, which some people swear by.

I am just wondering about how good these are compared to just bringing the berries to the boil to kill germs for a second, giving them a quick mash, then sieving?

I know that the problem with elderberries is how tannic they are, and it is stated that the steaming process reduces the tannin content. To me I would have thought that the determining factor to the amount of tannins picked up, would depend on the period of pulp fermentation?

I am also wondering whether the belief of steaming = less tannins, might due to steamers extracting less juice other methods, hence less tannin / acid / juice / flavour. I have heard that one "steamer" uses 3Kg of elderberries per gallon! If the steamer does collect less juice, then this may also explain why he has to use so many berries!

Thoughts and experience please?!

 

[oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer]

I never needed one and could not justify cost. When my fruit comes out of the primary there is not much left except pits or seeds. Pretty sure I am getting it all.

 

[jamesbsmith]

I agree bud. I bought an aluminium one second hand for £6 but it looks now like more bother than its worth! I have just picked a load of blackberries today, I have carefully placed them in water with a little campden. Ill then strain them and freeze them. Ive got the grape and sugar bubbling away, Ill wait until that's stopped, and then thaw out the berries, add them in, strain, and ferm to dry!

With my elderberries, Im going to briefly bring to the boil, cool, strain, and then add to pre fermented grape and sugar. I hear that they need a quick boil to break down slight poisons they contain, but I have also hear that this is nonsense. If they don't kill birds, they should be OK for human consumption, but I don't know for certain!

 

[Yooper]

I used one once. Well, actually I didn't use it, but a friend asked me to make chokecherry wine with his steam extracted chokecherry juice.

I did it two batches side-by-side. One was 3 gallons of his steam extracted juice. One was 3 gallons of my traditional chokecherry recipe.

It started at the same OG and it ended at the same FG. But the differences in the wine were remarkable. His had a definite cooked fruit/jam type of flavor to it that I did not care for. However he loved it and preferred it over my traditional batch.

 

[jamesbsmith]

Great comment! That makes perfect sense!


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[Fatherof4]

To each their own I guess. I process several bushels of a variety of apples for several years. I have tried it with a press before and while the juice was good, I find the quality of juice from a stainless steel steam juicer to be just as good. The pro is the ability to let the apparatus work over the course of time without you in close attendance.


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[Fatherof4]

The juice yield is very good, though the ratio differs depending on the fruit, or apple in this case. A con is the amount of fuel consumed while rendering out the juice. I suppose it is vaguely comparative to the energy you physically exert while using a press. A positive from my perspective is that I have been able to can the renderings quite easily right out of the steamer, to enjoy soon after or much later as I want. Something that cannot be done with a press alone. The mess is easy to clean up when done too, I should add. When doing the volume I do, I can say that you have to go through the effort of adding water so the steaming may continue, but other than that it isn't nearly as exhausting as a ratchet press or even a balloon press too I imagine.
It was a investment at a $100. After several years though it had paid for itself in quality of product produced at a good efficiency that has resulted in several batches of very good wine.
I hope you get the chance to try it for yourself.


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Fatherof4