The French Press Trick For Making Affordable Fresh Juice

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The French press was designed for brewing delicious cups of coffee, and we have plenty of tips on how to brew the perfect cup. But the ingenious design of the press can be used for many different purposes that aren't brewing a cup of coffee. And one such use is for making an affordable cup of fresh juice.

The filter and mechanism of a French press is perfect for both extracting the juice from the fruit and straining the juice from the muddled fruit pulp left behind. The hack works best with softer fruits like berries, watermelon, citrus fruits, and stone fruits like peaches, plums, and cherries. You'll need a pestle or even the back of a large wooden mixing spoon to execute the French press juicing trick. First fill the press nearly all the way up with the fruit of your choice, using a pestle or spoon to mash the fruit in the jug so it'll release its juices. After a minute or two, when the fruit has released as much juice as possible into the vessel, take the plunger and begin to slowly push down. Just as with the coffee grounds, the liquid separates from the solids — in this case fruit pulp — and you can pour the juice into a cup to enjoy. You might not get all of the juice after the first plunge, but you can always pull the plunger back up, mash a little more, and repeat the plunge for a more complete extraction.

A French press is a great tool for making servings of fresh, pure juice with seasonal bounty. Of course, the juice will be the sweetest if you're using fruit at the peak of its season and ripeness. That said, you could also use thawed, frozen fruit to save time and money. Most bags of frozen fruit are significantly cheaper than their fresh counterparts with year-round availability. You can also mix and match fruit or add flavor agents like fresh ginger root and herbs. For example, you can use the French press hack for a serving of this watermelon lime agua fresca recipe; once you've peeled and chopped the watermelon, add it along with the juice of a lime and a pinch of salt to mash and strain. You can also make a summery blueberry lemonade with fresh mint.

Softer fruits are the easiest to juice because they break down with the help of a simple kitchen tool and minimal elbow grease. But you can still use a French press for tougher, harder, and more fibrous fruits and vegetables. You'll just need to whizz them in a blender first. For example, you can cut an apple into chunks, add it to this Ninja Fit bullet blender with a bit of water and blitz to make a pulpy puree. Then, add the puree to the French press to separate the apple-infused water from the pulp. The same goes for carrots, beets, and even spinach.