A juicer is a very small scale device to use to make cider. Apples are soft compared to some items done in juicers. A more efficient approach would to get a hold of a cider press, or at least reduce the apples down to a mush. I have read that a person used a new stainless steel garbage disposal and had its output go into a large pail. Form here, it can be placed in a large cloth bag to allow the juices to drain out. A disposal would make very small bits of the apples and skins. Another option would be to try and use a Villaware/Roma/Weston food strainer to extract the juices from the pulp. But for apples, you would need partial cooking prior to running through the food strainer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Correl presses

We used to do that. There are juicers and there are other juicers - some will do a glass of juice just fine, but a gallon would over-heat it. Others can easily do a bushel of fruit / vegetables at a time - re professional juice bar types.

We, of course, never added a cup or two of sugar, or left the cider out in the garage in a gallon jug, or put a big balloon to seal up the top, and came back in 3 days. No sir.

After doing a web search for just the words 'cider press', it brought up hundreds of links and some even have plans to make your own. Most devices need to pulverize the apples first before they get pressed, some units have these two parts seperate or all in one. Prices start at about $150 up to well over a few grand. There is also very expensive equipment that exposes the fresh cider to ozone and UV rays to kill any bad stuff that might remain. These treatments are done without heating it.

Thanks.

I wonder if the juice quality is the same with a press or a centrifugal juicer?

As far as sterilization of the juice. If you do it yourself and are clean would one still need to sterilize it?

My Champion juicer makes *foamy* apple cider. It tastes fine. You could filter off the foam.

I prefer the juice from my home made press. There is no foam and I get more juice from the same amount of apples.

If you want to pasturize heat the juice to 160F.

Zeuspaul

"I prefer the juice from my home made press."

Please tell us about your press. From time to time I think about making one.

Jim

As mentioned, I saw a web article mentioning a home made press with plans. It uses mostlt 2x4 wood and a bottle jack as the high pressure part. One also used a car scissor jack. As mentioned, the presses cannot easily crush the apples, they need to be pulverized first.

I adapted a twenty ton shop press that I got on sale at Harbor Freight for $200. I added an upper and lower pressing plate made out of four inch thick wood. The bottom has a one inch thick HDPE cutting board with a groove around the outside to catch the juice. The juice follows the groove to a hole and drops into a five gallon glass jar.

I made a rack out of a 2 x 3. The plates are 1/2 inch HDPE cutting boards. Cloth is heavy cotton muslin that runs about two bucks a yard.

Zeuspaul

Here is a link that might be useful: 20 ton shop press