topic Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer. in Kitchen

Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

Lorik62 — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 21:06:13 GMT

I recently purchased an expensive juicer. I am trying to use kale but get very little juice out of it. I am getting less than a tablespoon for several large pieces of kale. I guess I expected to get more but wondered if this is normal? Thanks for any advice.

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

carrob — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 21:10:45 GMT

I don't think you get get much liquid from kale using a juicer, might be better off blending it up in a blender.

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

terrier3 — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 21:10:50 GMT

I use my Vitamix, so everything gets pulverized and I get all the nutrients.

Kale doesn't seem "juicy" at all....maybe you can whirl it in a blender and then mix it in your drink.

In the winter, I just use a tablespoon of the green powder you can get at Trader Joes for $9.99 or anywhere else for a LOT more!

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

Happy Elizabeth — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 21:13:38 GMT

Yes, that's normal. It takes a lot of kale to make a glass of juice, which is why kale juice is so expensive and/or mixed with other things. For greens, you're better off using a vitamix.

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

sidsmom — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 21:16:52 GMT

Just because you don't eek out a lot, doesn't mean you get a punch of minerals/nutrients! Doesn't take much....here's a YouTube vid showing a grape/kale juice called "The Holy Grail". Kale juice by itself can be pretty strong...the grapes sweeten it up nicely!

http://youtu.be/NxPAvA_jABE

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

Lorik62 — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 21:36:43 GMT

I do have a Vitamix which I use a lot for myself but my husband isn't big on the texture from drinks made in it. He prefers the taste of drinks made in the juicer.

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

wagirl — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 21:43:12 GMT

Maybe try steaming the kale first. I do this for my smoothies. Pre cooking some greens like spinach and kale, tomatoes and carrots actually release more of the good nutrients than raw does. I use a Vitamix for my smoothies as a juicer is way to much hassel cleaning and you throw out all the good fiber. I also freeze my greens so I can buy alot at once and not worry about them going bad. I micro steam the greens for about 40 seconds and it comes out limp and juicy--maybe that would help you get more juice from kale when you juice.

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

SurvivedOne — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 21:45:42 GMT

I don't find kale strong at all whether I use it for making green smoothies or using baby kale in a salad. I always use either kale or swiss chard, spinach, sometimes red cabbage, an apple for sweetness for making green smoothies in my Vitamix. You wind up only tasting the apple. If you used something like brocolli, you taste it due to its distinct flavor. Leaf veggies that are not "wattery", you would have to use alot to get any juice in a juicer. I prefer green smoothies. However, when I did just juice, I chose high water content vegetables. There is lots of info online so you get the most bang for your buck in terms of nutrients and best items to juice.

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

depglass — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 22:07:18 GMT

I don't like the taste of kale, surprisingly, because I like most vegetables. I mix it with yogurt and a fruit in the Vitamix, adding a liquid if necessary.

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

jerseygirl1 — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 22:18:05 GMT

What kind of juicer do you own? A masticating or centrifugal juicer? I think the masticating juicer is better for leafy greens and it is recommended for wheat grass.

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

SnuggleBunny — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 23:26:24 GMT

I use Kale in my Vitamix which pulverizes it - great for my green drink! I doubt it would juice - it seems dry.

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

Bobkats — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 00:50:48 GMT

Just use a handfull kale FIRST, and add 1/4 cup of coconut water, or bottled water and then mix that.

Then you can add all of the fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds with more moisture in them.

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

redtabby — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 17:53:47 GMT

Kale does not provide much juice, we use cucumbers to provide the liquid base.

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

Dal1 — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 17:57:57 GMT

I have 2 juicers, a breville and an omega. If I want to put kale in a juice blend in the breville (centrifugal juicer) I put it through at the same time as cucumber since it has a lot of water in it and I get a good amount out with it. If I wanted the most out of it I'd put it in the omega (masticating or slow process juicer) - that one does very well w/ greens and gets the most out of them. We bought the omega to juice wheatgrass mostly as that type of juicer is the only one that will juice wheatgrass. A vitamix would also process the kale nicely into a juice or smoothie but I don't have one of those.

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

Lorik62 — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 20:16:20 GMT

My juicer is a centrifugal Breville. Lots of great ideas, thank you!

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

Bird — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 12:30:21 GMT

I will only buy organic kale, whether for eating raw in salads, cooking it, or juicing, so it is quite expensive. I've been frustrated about the amount of juice my juicers get from the kale as well.

I have a Breville and the Lalanne, and both just eke out a little juice like you said, but, like sidsmom says, it is powerfully nutritious.

BTW, if the kale is anything but robust when I buy it, I put it in a glass of warm water before I wash it and store it, to rehydrate it. This helps a bit. - Bird

P.S. These people who are pushy about not juicing and only using the Vitamix do not understand the reasons behind juicing. Don't let them sway you. I juice, then I VM as well. Two different processes, two different ranges of benefits.

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

wagirl — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 17:58:11 GMT

On 3/4/2014 The Bird said:
I will only buy organic kale, whether for eating raw in salads, cooking it, or juicing, so it is quite expensive. I've been frustrated about the amount of juice my juicers get from the kale as well.

I have a Breville and the Lalanne, and both just eke out a little juice like you said, but, like sidsmom says, it is powerfully nutritious.

BTW, if the kale is anything but robust when I buy it, I put it in a glass of warm water before I wash it and store it, to rehydrate it. This helps a bit. - Bird

P.S. These people who are pushy about not juicing and only using the Vitamix do not understand the reasons behind juicing. Don't let them sway you. I juice, then I VM as well. Two different processes, two different ranges of benefits.

So bird--what are the benefits of both juicing and VM-ing? I have done both for years and prefer the VM to the juicer. I know the basic things but do you know something we don't know?

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

wagirl — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 18:04:14 GMT

On 3/2/2014 SurvivedOne said:
I don't find kale strong at all whether I use it for making green smoothies or using baby kale in a salad. I always use either kale or swiss chard, spinach, sometimes red cabbage, an apple for sweetness for making green smoothies in my Vitamix. You wind up only tasting the apple. If you used something like brocolli, you taste it due to its distinct flavor. Leaf veggies that are not "wattery", you would have to use alot to get any juice in a juicer. I prefer green smoothies. However, when I did just juice, I chose high water content vegetables. There is lots of info online so you get the most bang for your buck in terms of nutrients and best items to juice.

I have to jump in here to defend broccoli in a smoothie--I use the broccoli slaw mix, which also has cabbage in it as well as other things like carrots and there is no strong flavor from it. I only use 2 fruits in my smoothies and a small amount of 100% apple juice as a base along with sparkling water. Too many fruits add too much sugar, natural or not. Now the slaw mix is only from the stem of the broccoli--I've never used the flower end of broccoli in a smoothie--that may be the strong flavor you taste.

Re: Question for anyone that uses kale in their juicer.

Lacey1 — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 18:24:42 GMT

On 3/4/2014 wagirl said:
On 3/4/2014 The Bird said:
I will only buy organic kale, whether for eating raw in salads, cooking it, or juicing, so it is quite expensive. I've been frustrated about the amount of juice my juicers get from the kale as well.

I have a Breville and the Lalanne, and both just eke out a little juice like you said, but, like sidsmom says, it is powerfully nutritious.

BTW, if the kale is anything but robust when I buy it, I put it in a glass of warm water before I wash it and store it, to rehydrate it. This helps a bit. - Bird

P.S. These people who are pushy about not juicing and only using the Vitamix do not understand the reasons behind juicing. Don't let them sway you. I juice, then I VM as well. Two different processes, two different ranges of benefits.

So bird--what are the benefits of both juicing and VM-ing? I have done both for years and prefer the VM to the juicer. I know the basic things but do you know something we don't know?

I would also like to know the benefits of juicing vs. total juicing, (Vitamix). The Vitamix will break the cell walls on tough vegetables, making the nutrients available for digestion. IMO-traditional juicing just produces expensive sugar water. It causes a blood glucose spike. You are losing all the valuable pulp and fiber. I've used both a traditional juicer and a Vitamix. They make two completely different products.