Choose organic or natural bags - I strongly recommend using organic or natural bags instead of nylon and polyester - for details please see my article EcoPeaceful organic nut milk bag listing description (scroll down on that page).
I believe these to be the 3 MAIN REASONS for choosing organic or natural bags, instead of nylon and polyester: environment, ethics, and health (self/family and workers)
3 EASY STEPS
1) SANITIZE NUT MILK BAG (before first use)
2) BLENDING NUTS/SEEDS
3) STRAINING THOUGHT THE NUT MILK BAG
4) SECOND PRESS (optional, way to make more milk from leftover pulp)
1) SANITIZE - These instructions are only for a 100% natural nut milk bags that are sewn with 100% natural threads, without synthetic tags or elastic - not for nut milk bags made with nylon or polyester fabric and/or threads. WARNING almost all ( have not yet found an exception) nut milk bags that claim to be "100% natural" "100% organic" "natural threads" BUT the threads are actually nylon or polyester. See my FAKE "organic" nut milk bags exposed video where I show testing (same test you can do at home) 5 popular different brands of nut milk bags sold on Amazon.com that all claim 100% natural and/or 100% organic, and some even specifically say they are sewn with 100% organic cotton threads - but test indicates that all sewn with synthetic threads polyester or nylon.
First, you will sanitize by boiling. These instructions are also included when you purchase any EcoPeaceful nut milk bag.
After boiling, you can use the nut milk bag while it is wet, but remember to wait till it cools down, so you do not burn your hands. I usually dry my nut milk bag it in the sun after boiling, since the ultraviolet rays from the sunlight works as a natural disinfectant.
If you have nylon or polyester bag do not boil or place in the sun since it will damage the synthetic fiber, and it will leach and even break down chemicals into your food.
So, if your bag or other fabric food products are not from Eco Peaceful LLC, then your organic or natural nut milk bag is most likely not actually 100% natural.
Also, some "organic" bags have a synthetic tag or synthetic elastic attached, so I do not recommend to sanitize by boiling, soaking in vinegar or drying in the sun these kinds of bags either if you do not want synthetic (which is basically plastic) particles end up in your food.
Full instructions how to care for natural nut milk bag and/or cheesecloth
2) BLENDING
Soaking - Soaking nuts and dried fruits, like dates, is optional, but soaking can improve your milk quality and reduce blending time.
What types of nuts/seeds? - You can use any nuts that you could usually eat raw or any coconut (there at least 4 ways to make coconut milk) with the exception of flax and chia seeds since they are gelatinous - you will get a gooey slime instead of a smooth milk. Commercial flax or chia milk is made from oil along with useless (not nutritious) thickeners. I think this is a HUGE plant-based milk scam!
I like to make my plant milk by combining almonds and hemp seeds, due to their combined micronutrient profile. I suggest using the free website CronoMeter.com to create your own nut milk recipe based on your nutrient needs.
Nuts/seeds to water ratio - What I have found works great for most nuts/seeds is a nut/seed to water ration of 1:3 - 1 part nut/seeds to 3 parts water - but you can always add more water if it is too thick/creamy.
Blender - You do not need a high-speed/high power blender for making nut milks. If you do not have a high-speed/high power blender, just soak your nuts/seeds and/or dry fruits, or blend a little longer, but not too long. I currently use the Dynablend Clean or the $60 Oster Pro blender (glass container with stainless with steel bottom - no plastic touching my food). Both of those blenders work great for a low price. I actually sold my Vitamix (with full disclosure of plastic scrapes and Teflon flakes) because I do not want to consume plastic scrapes and Teflon flakes.
Blending time - Blend the nuts/seeds with water until smooth. I usually only blend for about 0.5-1 minute in my Oster Pro blender. Some people say that blending for too long can make it difficult to separate the milk from the pulp, I did not experience that, but maybe I am too strong :-)
3) STRAINING - Pour the blended liquid into the nut milk bag, making sure to place over a catch bowl. You can save the pulp for other recipes. The pulp can be stored in a sealed container for few days in the fridge or a few months in the freezer.
Most nut milk bags have a drawstring, so close the drawstring or just twist the top of nut milk bag and continue twisting and squeezing. If the milk does not easily strain, you probably over blended. The fiber becomes so fine that it ends up clogging up the small filtering holes in the fabric. It is not a big problem to solve. Simply repositioning your pulp (shaking the pulp inside the bag) and then twist and squeeze again.
4) SECOND PRESS - you can get really frugal and blend the pulp again with water. This second pressed milk will not be as creamy and nutritious as the first press but it will probably be more nutritious than store-bought nut milk since commercial nut milk has very few nuts/seed. My calculations indicate that commercial almond milk has only 4 almond in one cup, and cashew milk only 2 cashews in one cup! I'm not joking or guessing - I did the calculations! Also, based on my calculations, buying store bought Nut Milk is like buying nuts for about $80 per pound!!!
NOTE: Making plant-based milk does not always require the use of a strainer to separate the pulp. For example, soy milk, cashew milk, and hemp milk only require blending but no straining. You can still strain but it is not necessary since pulp separate itself.
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