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Juicers

If you are serious about juicing, you need an electrical appliance that can extract juice and separate it from the pulp of fruits and vegetables. Electric juice extractors, also known simply as juicers, are necessary for juicing. Unless you are simply hand-squeezing citrus juices because ther is such a thing as manual a citrus press.

Electric juicers: How to choose the right one for you

Juicers come in three different styles. Depending upon your juicing plans and your budget, you can spend anywhere from $100 to $2000 on a juicer.

As you read through the features and benefits of the three primary styles, try to envision how a new juicer will fit into your lifestyle. Remember that an unused juicer does no one any good, so be realistic in your plans, especially if it involves a major shift in your meal planning routines.

Centrifugal juicer

Most widely seen on television and the Internet, this basic style can be had for between $100 and $200. Obviously the low entry price is attractive to more people.

The centrifugal juicer does a decent job of extracting juice from fruits and vegetables. It is less efficient at extracting juice from leafy greens like kale and chard.

This model has a spinning blade in a mesh basket. It shreds the produce and juice is extracted. Through centrifugal force, the thin juice is forced into a pitcher and the leftover pulp is sent into a separate container.

Critics complain that the pulp generated through this method is “too wet.” You can overcome this by easily running the pulp through the machine a second time to extract more juice and micro-nutrients.

Pros: fast, inexpensive, simple to clean up.

Cons: somewhat inefficient, produces heat which kills micro-nutrients.

Single-gear juicer

With prices in the $200 - $400 range, this juicer is ideal for someone seriously interested in a “green juice” lifestyle.

It has a large spiral gear that slowly crushes the fruits and vegetables to squeeze out juice. It works well on leafy greens and wheatgrass, which a centrifugal juicer cannot handle at all.

Pros: affordable, greater juice yield, causes less oxidation (nutrient loss)

Cons: not practical for fruit juicing, takes up more space on the counter-top.

Twin-gear juicer

A good-quality twin-gear juicer will run anywhere from $400 to $1500 or more. The juice yield is best with these styles, and the nutrient value is the highest, too.

The twin-gear juicer can handle all kinds of produce, including wheatgrass and herbs. Its 2-step juicing process first pulverizes the produce between two stainless steel gears before it presses the juice. This process yields the most juice with the least amount of waste.

This machine operates more slowly than the others, and remember that you need to be standing there feeding it the produce as it processes.

Pros: best juice extraction, least amount of foam, preserves best quality of micro-nutrients.

Cons: slow, expensive, complex clean-up.

Lifestyle considerations to take into account

Space – can you fit one more appliance in your kitchen?

Time – do you have time in the mornings, or after work, to prepare the fruits and veggies for juicing?

Budget

Juicer itself – how much can you afford to spend?

Raw produce – your grocery spending will be much higher in the beginning

There is a juicer for everyone. Careful planning before you shop can save you from many regrets.


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