Keeping ingredients fresh is critical in making and selling delicious juice. That’s why juice bars, restaurants, and other businesses that sell fresh juice must learn how to store their produce safely. Smart storage techniques preserve your fruits and vegetables and minimize wasted ingredients. Boost efficiency, maximize profits, and keep the kitchen running smoothly with these proper ways to store fruits and vegetables for juicing.
Always Juice Cold
One key thing for businesses to remember is that they should always juice fruits and vegetables while they’re cold. Whether they store their produce in the fridge or not, ingredients should always have the chance to chill before going into a professional juicer machine. Cold ingredients make cool, refreshing drinks that businesses can then serve as soon as they make them.
Some Produce Juices Better at Room Temperature
While many ingredients should be cold when they go into the juicer, some fruits and vegetables do better when stored at room temperature. Examples of these include:
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Stone fruits
- Melons
- Pineapple
When storing these products at room temperature, make sure to keep them in a cool, dry place. Never let produce sit in the sun or near water sources like sinks or dishwashers.
Maximizing Fridge Space
If storage is tight in a business, maximize refrigerator space by keeping certain fruits and vegetables at room temperature for a brief period. Hard fruits and vegetables like apples, citrus fruits, beets, and carrots can stay in a cool, dry place while a business works through the stock in its fridge. This is also a good way to let certain produce ripen quickly before juicing it.
Slow Down Ripening To Make Produce Last
In addition to these ways to store fruits and vegetables for juicing, there are also several tricks that can slow down the ripening process and make certain produce last longer. For root vegetables like beets and carrots, trim the greens before placing them in the fridge. Wash and dry leafy greens, then wrap them in a damp paper towel and refrigerate them.
Another tip to keep in mind is that produce tends to ripen together. If you keep a fast-ripening food, such as bananas, next to other produce, the entire group will ripen faster. Separate the produce by type to maximize the storage time for every ingredient.
At Juicernet, we have a lot of expertise on how to get the most out of the produce you juice. Are you looking for more tips to run your juicing business successfully? Learn more by browsing our juicing blog. And shop the Juicernet site to find all the juicing equipment you need to succeed.