So, you’ve crushed your apples to the perfect consistency, but what next? It’s time to press your fruit and extract the delicious juice from it! In this guide we’ll talk you through how to press, the equipment you’ll need and give you some helpful tips to make the process easier.

The Advantages of Pressing

Pressing your fruit as opposed to using a bladed electric juicer provides juice of a much better quality. More of the nutrients are preserved which means the juice is healthier and tastes far better. Not only this, but hard fruits (including apples) place a lot of stress on an electric juicer and run the risk of breaking it. In fact, many juicers will struggle to process apples at all! It is much better to crush and press them.

Pressing Your Apple Pomace 

A note before we start: All presses are different and some operate differently from others, though there are a few universal concepts which will be covered here along with some general guidance. All our presses are simple to use and fairly self-explanatory, for others please refer to their instructions. If you’re still stuck, give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.

Once your press is set up and ready to go, make sure you’ve got the rest of your kit to hand! The only other essential item you’ll need is a clean, sterilised vessel to catch the juice in (a large bucket works well), but there are a few optional things to consider. Firstly, a straining bag for your press, which will result in less mess and less chunks of pomace getting into your final juice, though some debris is normal and actually adds to the flavour! You can also consider the addition of pectolase to your pomace which will assist in breaking down the cell walls of the apples and  results in a less hazy juice. Finally, keeping a few cloths to hand in case of a spillage is always a good idea.

If using a straining bag, fit this first and then fill your press with pomace. As each type of press is different it is hard to explain a general method for all of them, but we will cover how to use a traditional spindle press or cross beam press here. These the type most commonly used by beginners and those with a relatively small amount of fruit to press and they operate in a similar fashion. Look out for our other guides on how to use each different type of press.

If using a spindle press, once the press basket is filled with pomace, assemble the two half-moon shaped pressure plates around the spindle and thread the pressing mechanism onto it. Our spindle presses are supplied with additional wooden blocks if you need extra leverage. If you have a cross beam press then you simply need to fill the press cage with pomace, ensure the pressure plate is fully retracted and swing the beam into position, locking it in place with the nut provided.

Now you’re ready to begin pressing. Position the vessel you’re collecting the juice in under the spout of your press and begin to turn the spindle or cross beam. It is best to apply pressure gradually, waiting until the flow of juice stops before adding more. This will help to increase your juice yield as well as reducing the amount of effort required! Be aware that excessive pressure shouldn’t be needed and once you start to feel a lot of resistance from the pomace it is best to stop pressing as it’s unlikely you’ll get much more juice and you are risking damage to your press.

When you have finished pressing, you will have what is known as a ‘cake’ of spent pomace. This can be used for cooking or as a delicious treat for animals! Our sister company donates all their waste pomace to local farmers to give to their cows and pigs. It can also be composted, or if needed simply disposed of in normal household waste.

From this point it’s really just a case of repeating the above. With practice your speed and efficiency will improve and you should be able to achieve around 3 pressings per hour, so you’ll soon have plenty of fresh juice to enjoy.

Once your pressing is complete, make sure to wash your press thoroughly so no food waste is left that could go mouldy. Plenty of clean, fresh water is all that is needed and then a small amount of grease or oil to lubricate the pressing mechanism once the press is dry. Store your press in a cool, dry place and it will be ready to go again as soon as you need it.

We hope you found our guide to pressing useful. Be sure to browse through our other guides and check back as we frequently publish new ones.