Making own pomegranate juice?

[Kujiraya]

I'd like to make own pomegranate juice (for a pomegranate jelly to be served with a smoked duck). Would there be a good home-appliance type juicer that can do this properly without needing to remove the thick skin and all the white pith around the juicy seeds first?

 

[CharlieD]

If you have a good press, that would be just what you need.

 

[Kujiraya]

Ok, thanks, I will try juicing pomegranates with an orange press!

 

[buckytom]

i saw a trick on a cooking show recently about how to remove the little pomegranate fruits/seeds that's help you when it comes time to press them for juicing.

here's a vid of pretty much the same method:

Pomegranate Pomegranate: How To Cut Open a Pomegranate - Secret Pomegranate Seeding Trick - YouTube

 

[Kujiraya]

OK, thanks, I'll have to try whether putting in the effort to only juice the pomegranate seeds pays off in yielding a better-tasting juice...

 

[Addie]

I have never had a pomegranate. Do you chew the seeds? Are they soft? Please enlighten me.

 

[CharlieD]

Wow, it really surprises me how many people I've met here in the States that never had pomegranate, it is so healthy and so good for you. I don't know how to describe the eating process outside the fact that I will eat as many pomegranates as many as you peel for me. Thank G-d for my mother she has whole day to herself so during the season she will seat and peel pomegranates.
Orange juicer will not work. I am talking about real press. Maybe like press that is used for wine making. Though I never have seen one.
To juice just a one pomegranate I keep squeezing it with my hands until it is really soft, then carefully poke a hole in the skin and squeeze the juice into a cup. It is a somewhat tedious job and would not be very suitable if you need a lot of juice, because with this method one is not able to get all the juice out.

 

[Kujiraya]

Hi Addie, pomegranates are one of these "superfoods", which are rich in phytonutrients and anti-oxidants, that people have popularized a couple of years ago, so bottles of pomegranate juice carrying multiple health claims are now very expensive. Pomegranate fruits themselves are not cheap, but much less expensive than the extracted juice. Pomegranate fruits have been eaten and pomegranate skin have been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Pomegranates have a hard skin on the outside and a bitter, white pith inside which roughly separates the fruit into somewhat variable and irregular segments. Lots and lots of seeds are embedded in these segments, somewhat hidden amongst the white pith. Each of these seeds is surrounded by a ruby-red drop (called an aril) of luscious, pomegranate flesh. These juicy drops around each seed are the tasty, delicious parts of the pomegranate. Some fussy eaters will spit out the seeds after sucking out the juice from around each seed, but the seeds are also edible and most people would probably just crunch through them as well. A scattering of the ruby-red arils of pomegranate flesh look awesome on a dish, and boiled-down, concentrated and tart pomegranate juice is called "pomegranate molasses", which is a well-known ingredient in Persian and Turkish cookery.

 

[Kujiraya]

OK, thanks for the clarification, CharlieD. It seems that good quality pomegranate juice is a little bit fiddly to make, but then, top quality ingredients do deserve the respect and effort, after all.

 

[ShellyCooks]

Remember that pomegranates stain clothes and anything that is porous. I live in CA and we always have had pomegranates. They are originally from the middle east, probably brought to Europe by explorers such as Marco Polo and then eventually to North America. Anyway, we used to seed each one by scoring the outside skin and peeling it back. Then we would put them in a large container of water and separate all the seeds from the white membrane (the membrane is very bitter). We would then put the seeds in a pot with just a little water and boil them. We would strain the juice from the seeds by letting everything drip through cheesecloth overnight. We would drink the juice or make jelly. It is a tedious process, but worth the delicious juice. Also, as kids we would chew the seeds and then spit out the hard core. Many people eat the whole seed -- great fiber!

 

[Addie]

How to juice a pomagranate

Make your own pomegranate juice! - YouTube

Pomegranate Juice - YouTube

How to Seed and Juice a Pomegranate - Clean and Simple

Take your pick.

 

[Siegal]

Whatever you do don't try to make it in a juicer!! Haha ruined a few expensive pomegranites that way. If you have an orange press that's what they use in the "shuk" anyway.

 

[Addie]

I looked at several instructional YouTubes and most of the used the blender and then strained it through cheese cloth. I gave her the two that made the most sense and was the easiet yet more complete with instructions.

 

[Kujiraya]

Thanks, Addie! It was very interesting and useful information in the video that the pomegranate arils will sink and the white pith will float!

 

[Addie]

Thanks, Addie! It was very interesting and useful information in the video that the pomegranate arils will sink and the white pith will float!

One of the things they could have done to remove the pith with ease is use a tea strainer or slotted spoon to pick it up while it floats. I liked the idea of removing enough of the top so you could see where the sections are and then make your cuts right there so you can remove the arils easier. Lets us know how it goes for you.