Orange Juice

At risk of sound like a complete idiot --
Has anybody ever done the math about the cost of making orange juice yourself (we have some electric juicer) as opposed to buying it off the shelf?
Also, any idea how long it will last in the fridge?
Anything else I should know about the process?
My kids are starting to go through a lot of it and so I'm thinking of making my own.

Once you make your own, you'll never go back to buying anything in a can, carton or bottle again; regardless of the price/performance ratio or any other cost consideration.

If you buy whatever the cheapest Florida oranges are at a Mexican grocer (typically around 10 little ones for around a buck), you will save money and drink fantastic juice.

Kennyz wrote:If you buy whatever the cheapest Florida oranges are at a Mexican grocer (typically around 10 little ones for around a buck), you will save money and drink fantastic juice.

I would submit that Florida Oranges make inferior juice to their California brethren, but even the lowly Florida valencia is better than the pre-packaged stuff.

stevez wrote:

Kennyz wrote:If you buy whatever the cheapest Florida oranges are at a Mexican grocer (typically around 10 little ones for around a buck), you will save money and drink fantastic juice.

I would submit that Florida Oranges make inferior juice to their California brethren, but even the lowly Florida valencia is better than the pre-packaged stuff.

Maybe, but the Florida ones at Mexican grocers tend to be really cheap, and plenty good enough for me.

DML wrote:At risk of sound like a complete idiot --
Has anybody ever done the math about the cost of making orange juice yourself (we have some electric juicer) as opposed to buying it off the shelf?
Also, any idea how long it will last in the fridge?
Anything else I should know about the process?
My kids are starting to go through a lot of it and so I'm thinking of making my own.

You may come out ahead on flavor, but not on price. The better commercial brands are blended for consistent acidity and flavor (straight Valencia can sometimes be too sweet) so doing it on your own in small batches will have flavor variation from day to day. In any case, when you can get a half gallon of the non-concentrate variety for about $3, you won't compete for price with homemade.

spinynorman99 wrote: In any case, when you can get a half gallon of the non-concentrate variety for about $3, you won't compete for price with homemade.

This is what I meant to imply upthread however, price considerations aside, I find it impossible to drink even the most "pure, pasteurized" orange juice in a bottle. It just doesn't taste right and is frequently too acidic. That's one of the reasons I never order orange juice in Florida even when it says fresh squeezed on the menu. In Florida, the pasteurized stuff in a bottle is what they consider to be fresh squeezed. For me, it's fresh squeezed California orange juice only. If that's not available, water will do quite nicely.

stevez wrote:

spinynorman99 wrote: In any case, when you can get a half gallon of the non-concentrate variety for about $3, you won't compete for price with homemade.

This is what I meant to imply upthread however, price considerations aside, I find it impossible to drink even the most "pure, pasteurized" orange juice in a bottle. It just doesn't taste right and is frequently too acidic. That's one of the reasons I never order orange juice in Florida even when it says fresh squeezed on the menu. In Florida, the pasteurized stuff in a bottle is what they consider to be fresh squeezed. For me, it's fresh squeezed California orange juice only. If that's not available, water will do quite nicely.

Agreed. It's always cheaper to buy the stuff than make it at home. That said, if you buy a store's fresh squeezed juice, Treasure Island, Whole Food, & occasionally Stanley's, (it will be in the produce section & will not be pasteurized) it's joy.

That's all I ever buy for our household.

If you insist on making your own, don't squeeze more than can be consumed in about 8 hours.

I have to disagree. While it sounds more "foodie" to say that fresh is better than prepackaged, I simply do not find that true. They are brands out there that I believe are not good at all, I suggest brands like simply orange. For me, I'm going to pick and choose my battles on what I want to spend time on.

gocubs88 wrote:I have to disagree. While it sounds more "foodie" to say that fresh is better than prepackaged, I simply do not find that true. They are brands out there that I believe are not good at all, I suggest brands like simply orange. For me, I'm going to pick and choose my battles on what I want to spend time on.

I'm with you - especially since the 'fresh' oranges you buy are sometimes anything but. They'll also have different amounts of water, sugar, and acid from one to the next; to me, it's just not worth the extra cost and effort for a juice that is only sporadically superior to the commercial stuff.

Independent George wrote:

gocubs88 wrote:I have to disagree. While it sounds more "foodie" to say that fresh is better than prepackaged, I simply do not find that true. They are brands out there that I believe are not good at all, I suggest brands like simply orange. For me, I'm going to pick and choose my battles on what I want to spend time on.

I'm with you - especially since the 'fresh' oranges you buy are sometimes anything but. They'll also have different amounts of water, sugar, and acid from one to the next; to me, it's just not worth the extra cost and effort for a juice that is only sporadically superior to the commercial stuff.

That's why the commercial juices are blended. As I mentioned, something like Tropicana's premium 100% Valencia, while really excellent for commercial juice, is much too sweet for my taste. On the other hand you can also get an occasional (unintentionally) sour orange or two from the store which will give an awful taste to your juice.

spinynorman99 wrote:That's why the commercial juices are blended. As I mentioned, something like Tropicana's premium 100% Valencia, while really excellent for commercial juice, is much too sweet for my taste. On the other hand you can also get an occasional (unintentionally) sour orange or two from the store which will give an awful taste to your juice.

You've actually got me wondering now... Instead of making your own juice, you should theoretically be able to make your own blend from the commercial brands.

Independent George wrote:

spinynorman99 wrote:That's why the commercial juices are blended. As I mentioned, something like Tropicana's premium 100% Valencia, while really excellent for commercial juice, is much too sweet for my taste. On the other hand you can also get an occasional (unintentionally) sour orange or two from the store which will give an awful taste to your juice.

You've actually got me wondering now... Instead of making your own juice, you should theoretically be able to make your own blend from the commercial brands.

CI ran an article, I think in the last few years about why OJ taste better when the variety of oranges is mixed. Can be used at home.

I rarely disagree with SteveZ's tastes, but on OJ I guess I'll make an exception. As with wine/juice grapes, sour pie cherries, canning tomatoes and other stuff, fruit that makes for a great OJ might not travel well or at all. If you look at the sweetness charts for orange varieties, Valencias are tops. (From Sunkist, the hand-fruit company whose core product is navels.) http://sunkist.com/products/flavor_wheel.aspx As I undestand it, juice Valencias tend to go from grove to factory pretty quickly when they are perfectly ripe. Walk through a grove a day after harvest and you'll see that the few remaining fruits are heavy, soft and literally bursting with sweet juice, making for great projectiles. They'd never make it to the Jewels in any shape to sell. Good luck finding perfectly ripe anything in a supermarket (Mexican supermercados excepted).

The superior consistency/quality of supermarket navels (compared to bitter bagged Valencias) is pretty obvious and probably reflects the stronger market for navels as hand fruit plus horticultural breeding to produce a thick-skinned, bullet proof, and IMO bland product that travels and keeps well. Navels might well be the best bet for fresh squeezed OJ in Chicago, but I'd say not if comparing "oranges to oranges" at their best for juice. I'm more a tangerine man myself anyway.

I'm really not fond of any store bought orange juice and so I decided to make my own occasionally. I don't drink it every day as its high in sugar. But its great.
I was squeezing by hand and found you could make a very small glass of juice with two oranges and nicer sized glass with three. I bought a Citrus Star juicer that I love which is great for making juice and easy but there are many kinds.

I also found the bag of oranges sold by Aldi is real cost effective. Its a four pound bag and costs either 99 cents or 1.49 and the oranges are good and also make good juice. Its not cost effective to make juice from oranges that cost a dollar a piece. Fresh squeezed orange juice tastes so good and its got a lot of nutrients too.

Newly-discovered source for fresh-squeezed juice at a bargain price: The Grand Food Center, in Winnetka. A quart of wonderful juice goes for $3.49, and a half-gallon for $5.99. (!) Highly recommended.

The Grand Food Center
606 Green Bay Road, Winnetka
847.446.6707