4 Ways to Use Pulp from a Slow Juicer
When you use a slow juicer like the Kuvings (also known as a cold-press juicer), you’ll see two spouts. One is for the smooth, refreshing and colourful juice you’ll drink, which has more nutrients than standard juice due to the machine’s lack of heat. The other is for the pulp—all the tough, fibrous, solid parts of the fruit and vegetables that have been pressed. You’ll get less of it in a Kuvings than other juicers, thanks to these machines’ high juice-to-pulp ratio, but you can’t have cold-pressed juice without pulp.
You can, however, give the leftover pulp a new life by incorporating it into many foods, from Parmesan crackers to homemade broth. After all, one of the best parts of having a Kuvings is its willingness to save unused herbs, ginger and other product from going into the waste or compost—reusing the pulp is just one more way to do that.
Another benefit? The pulp is just as full of flavour and nutrients as the juice; it’s the texture that makes it unpalatable. But if it’s zhuzhed up and re-purposed, it eliminates that issue. Think of it like eating a whole fruit or vegetable, in two different forms.
Here are four suggestions, below. Experimentation encouraged.
1. Burgers and Fritters
Most vegetable burgers in the grocer's freezer section use finely processed vegetables similar to the texture of juice pulp. Just add a binder (eggs, mayonnaise, or hemp), spices, salt, and another mix-in like chopped onion, canned or cooked beans, corn kernels, or even minced meat for half-veg burgers. Form into burger patties. Once formed, it helps to refrigerate the patties so they stay together.
If you want to go even more freeform, or are avoiding bread, don’t bother shaping and just throw spoonfuls of your veggie burger/fritter mixture into a pan of hot oil and press down with the back of a wooden spoon. Enjoy with a nice sauce and a side salad.
2. Parmesan Crackers
There are healthier ways to make juice pulp crackers, but for us, Parmesan is key. Mix the pulp with finely grated Parmesan, ground or crushed nuts and seeds, a glug of olive oil, salt and spices. Mix together, adding a teaspoon of water at a time, until the mixture sticks together when you press it. Flatten it onto a parchment lined baking tray, then add another piece of parchment over it and press even more, until it is as flat as possible (but still sticks together). Bake at a low temperature (like 120°C) for 30 minutes, then flip over and bake for another 15. Keep an eye on it—if it’s getting too dark, lower the temperature; if it is too soft, increase the temperature and leave for longer. Let it cool before breaking.
3. Vegetable (or Any Other) Broth
Most stock recipes call for odds and ends in the kitchen like chicken bones, onion skins and Parmesan rinds. So juice pulp is a natural fit here. Make stock however you like, then add the juice pulp in the last hour. (Adding vegetables and salt at the beginning of making stock is a common mistake—one of the tips we picked up in our cook school’s Mastering Classic Sauces, Stocks & Emulsions class.) Strain and use.
4. Cream Cheese and Dips
Walk into any bagel shop in New York City and you’ll see different options of cream cheese, mixed with scallions, olives, jalapeños, or an option called ‘veggie cream cheese’. Juice pulp is perfect for that! Just mix it into plain cream cheese and you’re set. Use it to fill bagels, top toast, or thin out with yoghurt or crème fraîche for a dip to go with potato crisps.
