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Our oceans are filling up with plastic: plastic that harms wildlife and never biodegrades; plastic that enters the food chain and leaches toxic chemicals. This blog is a record of my journey to live with as little unnecessary plastic as possible. Won't you join me? Fake plastic fish may be cute, but if we keep filling up our oceans with plastic, they could be the only kind we have left.... |
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SoyaPower to the People
My SoyaPower soy milk maker arrived today, and I made my first batch of homemade soy milk tonight. (The dried soy beans have to soak for 8-10 hours, so I put them in water this morning and made the soy milk when I came home.) This is a magical piece of kitchen equipment. You put in water and the soaked beans, press a button, and 15-20 minutes later, you have soy milk. And it tastes good. And the texture is smooth. After it cools, you can add sweetener or any other flavors you want. But actually, I tasted the unsweetened soy milk tonight, and I have to say it’s quite refreshing without anything else added.
Okay, so you want to know about the plastic and the packaging? That, after all, is what we’re here for, right? First the good news. Sanlinx, Inc ships the soy milk maker in its own box, so there is no extra packaging. Inside the box holding the machine in place are molded paper pulp forms rather than styrofoam.
Now, the plastic news. Plastic inside the box includes: a plastic bag covering the machine, plastic coating on the outside of the machine itself (more on that below), a plastic zip-lock bag containing a nylon scrubber and plastic brush for cleaning the machine, a starter supply of soy beans in a plastic bag, a plastic measuring cup, and a plastic drip pan inside a plastic bag. Some of the accessories are nice but unnecessary for me. I wish instead of automatically including these things, Sanlinx would list them as options. I don’t need a plastic measuring cup or scrubber or even the beans. I already bought beans in anticipation of the new machine.
And okay, I did have a choice between the machine with plastic coating on the outside and the one with bare stainless steel. The plastic coating keeps the machine cool to the touch, unlike the regular SoyaJoy machine whose bare stainless steel gets very hot. I chose safety and convenience over plastic-conservation this time. I’m rationalizing by weighing this amount of plastic against all the packaging I’ll be saving: at least 52 plastic-coated cardboard cartons and plastic caps per year!
Another nice thing about using the soy milk maker is that in addition to soy milk, you also get okara, which is the leftover soy bean fiber. The okara can be used in all kinds of recipes, from veggie burgers to breads or cakes. I’m actually wondering if I could use it to make a hummus-like spread for us, if I could only figure out how to make it taste like Haig’s, the best hummus in the world.
Comments
Comments
8 Comments on SoyaPower to the People
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Stretch Mark Mama on
Wed, 1st Aug 2007 8:44 pm
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Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank on
Wed, 1st Aug 2007 9:35 pm
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Least Footprint on
Thu, 2nd Aug 2007 6:22 am
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Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank on
Thu, 2nd Aug 2007 9:36 am
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Anonymous on
Sat, 12th Jan 2008 6:06 am
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nicsearc on
Tue, 29th Apr 2008 10:15 am
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Tanya Seaman on
Thu, 4th Dec 2008 1:11 pm
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Fake Plastic Fish on
Fri, 5th Dec 2008 2:08 pm
So where do you buy the soybeans?? Are they expensive? We drink all soymilk and probably use 4-6 cartons a week.
We buy our dried soybeans in bulk from a local natural foods store, Berkeley Bowl, in (where else?) Berkeley, CA. Do you have a store in your area that sells bulk beans, rice, nuts, etc.?
Alternatively, you can order soy beans online from this site: http://www.fairviewfarms.com
The soy beans that they sell are from a small family farm and are non-GMO. They sell 10 pounds for $8.00. That’s a lot cheaper than buying soy milk from the store. To make 1 batch of soy milk, you only need about 1/4 of a pound each time.
We use the other guys Soy Milk machine and it works very well too. I always throw in a little bit of brown rice when I make the milk and it adds just a touch of sweetness. After it has finished I then add a T. of agave nectar and a t. of vanilla since my wife likes it sweet like the store bought. It is a lot cheaper than buying the aseptic cartons of milk in the store.
First time I bought soybeans I filled up a huge glass jar full and then discovered how few beans it actually takes to make the milk. Fortunately the dried beans last a long time.
I tried to avoid the soaking time, by preparing a bunch of beans ahead and then freezing them. It was much more convenient but the milk just didn’t taste the same. I don’t recommend it. Fresh is best.
What brand is the other guy’s machine?
Recipe for hummus: 15 oz. garbanzos-cooked, canned or fresh. 1/4 c tahini (sesame paste). 1/4 c lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon). 1/4c veg. broth or water. 2-3 cloves of garlic, coursely chopped. 1 tsp cumin. Salt and pepper to taste. Few drops of Tabasco (optional). 1/4 c olive oil.
Put everything except olive oil into food processor or blender, blend until smooth. Add olive oil slowly through opening in top. If you’d like to add your soy stuff, either adjust seasonings or use less garbanzo beans. Enjoy with grilled pita. Warning: This recipe will be much better than the store bought!!
You mentioned in an article about your coffee-making system that you don’t like to make soy milk because it’s hard to clean your soy-milk maker. I had the same feeling about using mine (SoyaToy), and so I ran it without the heating cycle and heated it afterward on the stove. I don’t know if your has this option? But it meant that the filter cup didn’t get all gummy. I also have made it with other beans, my favorite being garbanzo. (You get a really creamy, yogurty texture with these.) I also double-batch it because I think the standard recipe is too watered-down. Unfortunately, my preference is still for store-bought soy milk, and they don’t recycle the containers in Philly…
Did you every find a good use for the okara? I couldn’t find a way that disguised the grittiness.
Hi Tanya. I never really did find a good use for the okara. It does seem like a waste, doesn’t it?
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