As I mixed one of the last jars of Concord grape juice from last year with seltzer water it occurred to me that there would not be any of this homemade soda if it weren’t for the steam juicer that I brought back from Germany. Therefore I simply must rave about this wondrous invention.
A steam juicer is a large pot where the base is filled with water and the top colander holds the fruits or vegetables. As the water boils and softens the fruit, the juice drips down from the colander into the juice kettle, from where it is released through a drain tube. The drain tube has a clamp so for the first hour or so, depending how hard and juicy the fruit is, you let the juice accumulate in the kettle, then open the clamp and let the juice run into a bowl placed underneath. I’ve had the steam juicer for several years yet I still relish the moment when I open the clamp – it feels a bit like digging for water or oil when a jet of the precious good eventually comes bursting out of the ground.
The yield is much bigger than with a jelly bag, it takes a fraction of the time, and it is no hassle at all to clean, just make sure you wash the steam juicer right after using; only the colander needs a bit of soaking sometimes. Except for grape juice, which I can as is with about ¼ cup sugar per quart of juice, I use most of the juice for making jelly.
The drawback: in the United States, steam juicers are expensive, especially the stainless steel models cost $100 and up. I do not recommend aluminum because it reacts with acid. A steam juicer is a small investment but for me it is an essential canning tool, just like a few good tools are essential in the garden. A rototiller for the garden? Never! A steam juicer for the kitchen? Absolutely. I cannot do without it.
Photos by Ted Rosen
Green Card Gardener 
Starting reading your Spoonfuls blog by way of an Eli Quark alert. Can’t leave message there.
You can get Dr. Otker pectin at GermanDeli.com in Texas. Also try Dr.O out of Canada or here. Both have websites. Hope you do some soup recipes later. Love lentil—first time had was December 1966 in Frankfort. Thanks
Thanks Donna. Yes, I have seen German pectin on the sites you mention, yet in a recent testing with a friend I have found that the American pectin for low-sugar recipes is just as good. – Glad to hear you have such good memories of lentil soup, there is a recipe for Lentil Soup with Frankfurters in my book Spoonfuls of Germany.
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I’ve never seen one of these before – what a great idea. It’s funny when you think about the gadgets we can’t live without once we’ve sampled what they can do!
Seems to me that a steam juicer is another typical “German tool”: when I asked my French friend Cécile what her wish for her wedding present was she replied: “A steam juicer like my Grandma brought along from Germany” She left a lot behind when she got divorced 20 years later, but not the Steam Juicer! Yeah!
Yes it is! I bought my steam juicer in Germany, it is more common there (and cheaper) than in the US.
Now I understand better how it works! Wonderous tool.