Post #531332 by The Gnomon on Thu, May 20, 2010 7:52 AM

I have not yet tried this myself, but it's high up on my list once I get the chance. Perhaps, some of you would like to test this yourselves before I get around to it.

The most tedious part of making orgeat, the thing that keeps me from making it regularly, is making the almond milk. Blanching the almonds is some work, but it can be kinda fun and therapeutic for some. You can get pre-blanched almonds on the store, but if you want the best orgeat you can possibly make, you need to blanche them just before you make the milk.

I've tried all sorts of things and have improved the process, but having come across soy milk makers, I'm thinking that is the answer I have been seeking. Soy Milk makers advertise that they also make milk form grains and nuts as well.

One of the most crucial aspects of making your own almond milk is to avoid creating microparticles while grinding up the almonds. Those microparticles are able to find their way through just about every straining device or filter you can effectively use, thereby, causing the orgeat to make drinks a bit cloudy; which ain't right.

My latest effort has been to grind the freshly blanched almonds in a manual food grinder, slowly so that the resulting chunks do not become reground and create microparticles. Royal pain in the ass of course, but necessary.

These soy milk makers grind the nuts while they make the milk and, apparently, have no issues with microparticles, so the milk comes out just right.

Here is a link to a comparison among several popular brands. I would have liked to have tested this myself before passing this nugget along to you, but that could take a while.