Smooth SmoothiesForget spending cash for healthy beverages. Make your own at home and get it just how you like it. by Kareem Marashi
For the price of two shots of wheat grass at the neighborhood smoothie chain, the juice connoisseur can purchase his or her own blender if they don't already have one and create their own original masterpieces that are better tasting and cheaper. Many blenders can be purchased nowadays for just around ten dollars and with the right amount of instruction, even the weakest of blenders can create the heartiest of mixed drinks.
The first thing to remember before promising your kid a smoothie franchise instead of a simple lemonade stand is that your drink doesn't necessarily even have to look like your typical smoothie. The original smoothie isn't God, so you aren't bound to create yours in its likeness. You are creating a drink that is limited only by your own imagination. For variety, try blended fruit and juice simply served over ice cubes or crushed ice. Another refreshing idea is brewing herbal or fruit tea and then blending it into your own unique concoction.
But if you know what you want and what you want is a good ol' smoothie, then pay attention. The most common complaint in creating the "home smoothie" is that consumer grade blenders can't handle the task of crushing ice to a descent consistency and any attempts at such instead come out more like cold lumpy sludge. Well, the first remedy to this is to simply buy an industrial quality system. However, this isn't always practical and when you learn the following secrets, it won't be necessary either. Here are five possible options:
1. Use frozen juice concentrate. These are found in the cylindrical containers in your grocer's freezer section and come in a variety of flavors not limited to basic juice flavors, but also available in a assortment of lemonade combinations and mixed drink concentrates which are used for cocktails. (A word of caution: Don't forget to dilute.)
2. Use a frozen desert food. Sorbet provides the perfect base consistency for your smoothie and comes in a wide selection of flavors. Ice cream or even sherbet can also be used, adding their own uniqueness. Of course ice cream will yield more of a milk shake, but the selection of desired additional ingredients will produce a truly novel drink.
3. Freeze the fruit. Cut up the desired fruit medley for your smoothie and pop the fruit in the freezer for a couple of hours. This will create the needed frozen quality inherent to a smoothie but freezing the fruit will keep the consistency softer than regular ice cubes allowing your blender to better mix the drink.
4. Freeze the drink. Create your drink using a combination of fruit juice plus your desired fresh fruit. Then pour the drink into microwave reheatable cups or glasses and freeze. After the drink is thoroughly frozen, microwave on low power for a short burst of time, just enough to slightly melt into a slush. Remove from the microwave, stir and enjoy.
5. Slowly add ice to fruit and juice mixture. A common mistake is putting in the ice-cubes first and then attempting to crush them. Even on pulse mode this won't adequately crush the ice. You also run the risk of burning out the blender motor. The proper way is to add your juice or whatever liquid you want, then blend the fruit. As needed, stop the motor and push the fruit to the center using a rubber spatula. Once the mixture is evenly blended, slowly add an ice cube through the opening of the pitcher lid, sometimes referred to as the "feed hole." Keep adding one or two ice cubes at a time until the blender sounds smooth instead of gravelly. Once the desired consistency between fruit, ice, and juice has been achieved, your smoothie is ready.
A frozen treat alternative to a smoothie is mixing juice with honey or some other kind of flavoring and then freezing. Once the mixture is frozen, remove from the freezer and chop with a fork until slushy. Garnish with fresh fruit and mint or grated coconut and present in a serving dish or tall glass with a spoon.
Smooth Smoothies
