juice equipment Archives

How to Clean a Commercial Juicer

March 24, 2023

If you are running a corner coffee shop, a healthy smoothie stand, a cool cafe, or any kind of food service location that serves juice, odds are that you have at least one heavy-duty juicer on site. If you are new to the world of commercial beverage systems and machines, then you might be a little afraid to start using it to its full potential. Let’s see how to clean a commercial juicer.

How to Clean a Commercial Juicer

It is important that you make good use of the equipment that you invest so much of your time and money in. As long as you know how to properly use and maintain it, you should have no problem providing delicious juice for your returning patrons. Today, our SC Beverage pros will show you how to clean a commercial juicer quickly and effectively.

Get the Best Cleaning Equipment

To give your juicer the best clean, you need to be investing in the best products. Many commercial juicers come with a list of recommended cleaning products and tools that will effectively clean every inch of the machine. If you use your juicer on a daily basis, it is important that you get your hands on cleaning supplies that will help you exceed hygiene standards in your area.

Always Read the Manual

Your equipment will come with an instruction manual or even a short guidebook to help you navigate your new machinery. Whether or not you have cleaned a commercial juicer before, it is a good idea to read the manual thoroughly before attempting to clean it on your own.

More often than not, our SC Beverage pros have seen one of our clients try to come up with their own cleaning methods for their machines, and it always ends up causing unnecessary damage over time. In the event that your machine did not come with a manual, you should at least look at some legitimate online cleaning guides before attempting to scale the machine yourself.

Clean It Out Multiple Times Per Day

If you own a commercial juicer, you are probably using it all day, every day. One popular feature in restaurants nowadays is the ability to let customers juice their own beverages. This can cause the machine to get messy pretty fast, so you need to keep up with the fast pace of your restaurant by cleaning it out once every 4 or 5 hours. It might seem like a minor inconvenience to shut the juicer down for a few minutes, but this will keep it running smoothly and for much longer periods of time without any issues.

Implement Cleaning Procedures

In order to ensure that your commercial juicer and all of your other high-usage equipment get cleaned on the regular, you can incorporate some new tasks into your process and procedures. Make sure that all employees end up trained to properly use and clean the juicer before you put that machine to work. A lot of managers have solid cleaning practices for other parts of the facility. That includes the floors and the dishes. However, machinery tends to end up neglected. It is used just as often as everything else, so it is important to maintain it daily.

Learn More With SC Beverage Today

We offer a wide selection of industry-grade restaurant machines and appliances, including commercial juice equipment designed for daily use. Have you recently gotten your hands on a juicer? But you don’t feel sure how to thoroughly clean it? Then keep an eye out for the equipment manual. You can also contact any one of us at SC Beverage and we will help you clean your professional juicing products.

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How to Juice a Healthy Way

September 28, 2022

Juicing can be a great tool for improving your daily nutrition and gut health, but it really only works if you know what you’re doing or follow the instructions of someone who does. Without proper guidance, juicing is more likely to spike your sugar intake without a requisite improvement in your daily intake of vitamins and minerals. Let’s see how to juice a healthy way.

How to Juice a Healthy Way

To help improve the nutritional aspects of your juicing journey, let’s look at some of the top tips for creating healthy juice blends.

Don’t Skimp on the Veggies

The best juices include a healthy dose of a variety of vegetables. While leafy greens may not provide the juice volume you need for more than a shot glass, there are plenty of vegetables that will provide plenty of juice and nutrients.

Carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, and celery are all great options for including more vegetables in your juice without overpowering the flavor profile.

Include Seeds

You should never put seeds through your juicer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t mix them in afterward. Adding in a tablespoon of chia seeds and some flax seed is a great way to boost your omega-3s for the day with little to no effort.

Keep in mind that chia seeds do become gelatinous when exposed to liquid, so your juice may be a little more like a smoothie if you let it sit or blend it. This is normal, but can be unpleasant if you aren’t expecting it.

In addition to seeds, you can add a teaspoon of grated ginger or nutrient-dense spices to your smoothie for an extra kick. Things like matcha, turmeric, and cinnamon all have awesome health benefits that you can easily blend into your daily juice.

Use Strong Fruit Flavors

The biggest mistake people make with juicing is relying too heavily on fruit. Fruit is an excellent source of essential vitamins, but it’s also naturally high in sugar. Fruit sugars play their role in your diet, but a big glass of pure fruit juice can be too much.

By choosing strongly flavored fruits like citrus, dark berries, and some variety of apples, you can easily cover the flavor of everything else in your juice without surpassing your sugar goals for the day first thing in the morning.

If you’re struggling to get the balance right, experiment with your commercial grade juice machine. Gradually add my pre-made fruit juice to your vegetable juice medley until the flavor is to your liking. Keep track of the ratio for future juices.

Opt for a Morning Juice

Drinking juice on an empty stomach helps to improve absorption and primes your digestive system for the day. While you can certainly still choose to have your daily juice in the afternoon, it’s always best to drink it while it’s fresh.

Again, if you don’t have time to make juice fresh each morning, something is better than nothing. However, it may not be as potent after being refrigerated.

Add a Good Protein Source

Adding a healthy protein source to your morning juice is a great way to provide yourself with fuel first thing. Powdered essential amino acids or powdered pea proteins are both great options, but they aren’t the only way.

There are a ton of different protein sources that can be easily added to your morning juice. Just keep in mind that many marketed protein powders contain excessive calories and additives that could undermine the nutritional balance of your juice.

Applying Juicing Tips to a Commercial Setting

If you’re looking to build up a juice bar offering at your restaurant or cafe, then all of these tips are essential to offering your customers the best possible product. To learn more about how you can maximize the use of your Southern California beverage systems, contact Southern California Beverage today.

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How to Clean Juice Equipment

December 29, 2021

three types of juice from clean juice equipment

Restaurant juice equipment isn’t the easiest to clean. There are so many little nooks and crannies where bits of pulp can hide. However, you cannot afford to slip up when it comes to maintaining proper restaurant hygiene and customer safety. That is why it is so important to have an established cleaning guide that follows a scientifically supported schedule.

How to Clean Juice Equipment

Every establishment’s cleaning guide will look a little different depending on the normal flow of customers. Ideally, the most thorough cleaning will occur during slow or closed hours. With that said, the frequency and steps involved in your cleaning schedule should look about the same if you’re going to ensure that your equipment is safe for your customers. Here are some tips on how to establish a cleaning schedule that works.

Use Separate Juicers

Whenever possible limit each piece of restaurant juice equipment to one product. Having separate machines for each of your primary ingredients will reduce the need to wash in between drinks, as the risk of cross-contamination is essentially eliminated. You may keep one juicer for your less common ingredients. This machine will need to be washed in between each drink.

Washing Between Drinks

If you’re processing more than one ingredient in a given machine, then you will need to wash the primary pieces in between each drink. For traditional juice equipment, a quick scrub with soap and water followed by a thorough rinse is fine. For juice equipment that processes whole fruits and vegetables, you will need to use a nylon bristle brush to remove pulp from the basket and blades. Other machines that are only used for a single ingredient should be washed in the same way every few hours to prevent the growth of bacteria.

Wash Produce First

For restaurants using whole fruits and vegetables, it is important to thoroughly wash produce prior to juicing. Check with your local government body to learn more on the approved washing methods for the produce you regularly use.

Thorough Daily Washing

Owners should thoroughly wash juice equipment after closing each day. This typically includes soaking any spouts or tubs in warm water and soap prior to sanitization and rinsing. This process is designed to ensure that your equipment is squeaky clean at the end of every day, preventing bacteria from growing overnight. As a bonus, it means you get to start each day fresh.

Weekly System Flushes

Small, individual juicers don’t usually have water or syrup lines. However, the professional equipment provided by SC Beverage Company will have these extra lines in most cases. Healthcode guidelines can vary by area, but the typical rule is that these lines should be flushed once per week. The process for flushing these lines is fairly simple, just time-consuming. However, the process will vary depending on the manufacturer, so check with your user guide to ensure it is done properly.

Maintaining Standards

Maintaining a clean and safe restaurant is not easy. It is a constant, uphill battle that never ends. Therefore, it is vitally important to start with a cleaning schedule that keeps you on top of the most pressing items on a day-to-day basis. Remember that you can always make small adjustments to account for changes in traffic, but you will need to establish those changes with your employees to make sure that your restaurant never suffers from poor hygiene.

For further advice regarding equipment maintenance and regular cleaning schedules, talk to your representative at SC Beverage Company. They will be able to provide targeted advice that’s specific to your business and your equipment.

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Healthiest Types of Juices

August 9, 2021

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of our diet because they are a major source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. As a result, juices and smoothies can pack in the nutrients if you know what to look for. With that in mind, let’s have a look at the healthiest types of juices that you can offer using your commercial grade juice equipment.

Healthiest Types of Juices

Cranberry

For people who suffer regular urinary tract infections, cranberry juice is probably already one of your best friends. In addition to helping prevent UTIs, cranberry juice is also great for your general health. It boasts a healthy helping of potassium as well as Vitamins C, E, and K.

Tomato

Tomato juice isn’t for everyone, but there are plenty of people who do like it. Whereas cranberry juice has higher concentrations of Vitamins E and K, tomato juice has enough Vitamin C to meet your daily requirement and then some. It also contains more potassium as well as a helpful little nutrient called folate. Folate is an important nutrient for pregnant women, so tomato juice is good to have around.

Cherry

If you aren’t a fan of tomato juice, then cherry juice is a great alternative for getting your daily helping of Vitamin C. This juice is also high in Vitamin E, but keep in mind that you’ll want to look for a low sugar variant, usually tart cherry juice to get the most nutrients with the least amount of additives.

Beetroot

Beetroot isn’t for the faint of heart and should only be offered in its pure form as a form of punishment. If you’re going to include beetroot on your menu, we strongly advise selling it as a “shot” that can be added to other, more palatable juice options in addition to selling it in its pure form for the truly bold.

Apple

This childhood favorite has gotten a bit of a facelift with the growing availability of all-natural options. Apple juice is still pretty high in sugar, but it does contain a lot of useful nutrients as well. It contains some essential vitamins, but the real show-stoppers are the flavonoids and chlorogenic acid that help to neutralize free radicals.

Prune

Although we may make jokes about prune juice, the truth is that it contains a lot of important minerals. It’s a reasonable source of iron, magnesium, and potassium along with B2, B3, and B6. As a result, prune juice hits a lot of boxes that other juices don’t. However, it does contain a lot of natural sugar, so it is best served in smaller amounts.

Pomegranate

Despite pomegranate juice’s rise in popularity, the truth is that many juices contain a much wider variety of nutrients. Pomegranate’s one major claim to fame is its Vitamin K content, which is considerably higher than most.

Acai Berry

Acai berry juice contains many of the same components as apple juice, including flavonoids and chlorogenic acid. It doesn’t stand out from many of the other healthy juices listed, but it is a trend that a business offering juices could certainly use to their advantage.

Orange

The king of Vitamin C, orange juice is one of the most popular juices available, thanks to its robust flavor and refreshing aftertaste. It can be used in practically any mixed juice or smoothie to create a more flavorful drink.

Grapefruit

Grapefruit juice is a great alternative for people who prefer a flavor that’s more tart. This juice may not have as much Vitamin C as tomato or orange, but it is very near what you need for the day. In addition to Vitamin C, grapefruit juice contains folate, potassium, and Vitamin E.

Regardless of your client base, Southern California Beverage can help you to integrate any of these juices into your current menu with ease.

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7 Best Mixers for Vodka

October 17, 2019

Hands with colorful best mixers for vodka in glasses

As far as alcohol goes, vodka remains one of the most versatile bases for a wide range of mixed drinks. Although the vodka soda will remain a standing favorite for people looking for a light complement to their drink, the gorgeous simplicity of vodka lends itself to more flavorful and bright combinations. What are the best mixers for vodka?

Picking Your Vodka Mixers

Typically, juices are the best mixers for vodka. Fruit juices, arguably, makes for the best vodka mixers due to the wealth of flavor and the range of possibility that they bring. Almost any juice you enjoy will do, but it is important to keep in mind how much of the vodka you would still like to taste. The stronger the juice, the more dangerous the drink. To learn more about commercial-grade juice equipment, make sure to take advantage of SC Beverage’s 20 years of experience!

1. Cranberry

Cranberry juice is a no-brainer when it comes to classic vodka pairings. The juice is strong enough to mask a sub-par vodka if you’re not feeling like splurging. However, if you reduce the ratio of juice to vodka, then the cranberry becomes a delicious highlight to an excellent bottle as well.

Top Rated Vodka/Cranberry Cocktails: Cosmopolitan, Cape Codder

2. Grapefruit

Grapefruit juice can be a difficult mixer for vodka to get right due to its high acidity. However, it can create a brilliant kick when mixed correctly, especially if you’re using a second, sweeter fruit juice to balance your flavors.

Top Rated Vodka/Grapefruit Cocktails: Greyhound, Blushing Lady

3. Pineapple

Whether crushed or juiced, pineapple is sure to give your cocktail a tropical feeling right off the bat. Like vodka cocktails that use grapefruit juice, most of your pineapple-based cocktails will be trios, meaning they will use two or more fruit juices to achieve the desired flavor and consistency. If you want mixers for vodka that will give you an island vibe, pineapple is for you.

Top Rated Vodka/Pineapple Cocktails: Pearl Harbor, Bay Breeze

4. Orange

Orange juice is, without a doubt, one of the most widely used mixers for vodka cocktails. Although the screwdriver, fuzzy navel, and kamikaze have been highlighted here for their massive popularity, the list of possible cocktails is enormous. Orange juice is rather unique in its balance of sweet and sharp flavors, so it’s no wonder that it remains the juice most often associated with vodka.

Top Rated Vodka/Orange Cocktails: Screwdriver, Fuzzy Navel, Kamikaze

5. Tomato

If you aren’t a fan of savory cocktails, you may want to skip this one. Tomato juice is the key ingredient in the iconic Bloody Mary vodka cocktail and remains one of only a couple of drinks you can graciously order over breakfast or brunch. This mixer for vodka is a wonderful, vitamin-enriched way to get through an early breakfast with family even if you don’t have a sweet tooth.

Top Rated Vodka/Tomato Cocktails: Bloody Mary

6. Lemon

If you’re surprised to see lemon on this list of mixers for vodka and you’re over twenty-one, then you haven’t really lived yet. The lemon drop martini is a classic party drink that will elevate even the smallest of get-togethers. It’s essentially your chance to go full James Bond without having to drink a flavorless cocktail with an olive in it. Just enjoy the sugared rim and your new-found elegance.

Top Rated Vodka/Lemon Cocktails: Lemon Drop Martini

7. Lemonade

Most of us are familiar with the classic Arnold Palmer, a mix of lemonade and sweet ice tea. There are few things more refreshing on a summer’s day, with the possible exception of the John Daly. Named after another famous golfer, this drink spices up the traditional Arnold Palmer with a shot of vodka to make for a delicious and dangerously sneaky cocktail. If you’re looking for a simpler mix, then opt for a sweet tea flavored vodka.

Top Rated Vodka/Lemonade Cocktails: John Daly

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