Can I juice without a Juicer?

by Ylonda
(Oklahoma City)

Q: All that I have in my cupboard is a stick blender, and would like to try juicing.

Some veggies that I would want to try, include broccoli, carrots and cabbage. As these are rather tough and fiborous, can I steam them first, making these easier for my stick blender to puree, without losing the effectiveness of the vitamin content of the juice?

A: Hi Ylonda, This is a great and very common question. It is a yes and no answer. You can make a "juice" but it is not the type of juice that comes from a juicer.

The juicer machine squeezes, crushes and extracts the liquid nutrition from the fiber material. Only juicers can do this. Blender machines can also blend the produce together to make a blended drink, but it is different then what a juicer would produce. Thus, a stick blender would make something similar to a blender juice. You would be blending the fiber with the juice, essentially making a smoothie. The downside is that you can't juice just anything; watery fruits and vegetables work the best. Produce like pineapples, papayas, tomatoes & watermelons. It's great if you want to see if you'd like fruit drinks.

I personally make blended smoothie juices and regular juices every day.

In either a smoothie or a juice, you never want to cook the produce. Juices and smoothies are best made with raw fruits and vegetables. if you cook the produce, yes, you will loose a significant amount of nutrients.

Here's an article on blending and juicing so you understand the difference.

And if you decide to make some blender juices, here are some recipes.