We are big fans of juicing and so we decided to create The
Ultimate Guide to the best juicers to buy on the market in 2014.
Confused about the different types of juicers on the market ? Not sure
what the difference between centrifugal, masticating and triurating
juicers are?
Want to know which is the best type
of juicer for your specific needs? Or maybe you just want a straight up
and honest product recommendation. We’ve got you covered.
Our experts put together years of combined experience to explain:
What Juicers Actually Do
Lets start with the absolute basics. You may be asking what exactly a
juicer does and what it’s for. These are valid questions, and the answer
begins with the simple maxim that not all juicers are created equal.
That is, not all serve the same function, and there is no
one-size-fits-all juicer. Getting the right one for you requires a
little investigation, which is why we wrote this guide.
There are a few different types of juicers on the market in 2014, each
serving different functions and different preferences. All juicers,
however, will turn solid fruit and vegetables into a drinkable liquid
and extra the dry pulp. They take your normal-looking vegetable, fruit,
or herb and reduce it to its nutritious essence.
Impact on Health
A juicer works by using a tool - either a blade or an auger (more on
that later) -to break down your food into two parts: juice and pulp. The
juice gleaned from this process often contains most of the healthy
vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients present in fruits
and vegetables.
The reason juicers have become so popular is that consuming liquids as
opposed to solids can have multiple beneficial effects on your diet. For
one, you can drink more than you can eat, thereby allowing you to
ingest more of those nutrients on a daily basis.
Secondly, the extraction of the good stuff from your produce
while leaving the pulp behind cuts down on your caloric intake, which
is why juice diets are often recommended as weight loss treatments.
The Fiber Factor
In general, drinking the juice of a plant (fruit or vegetable) provides
the same health advantages as eating it whole. You get most of the same
health benefits from drinking your strawberries as you do from eating
them.
The difference in fiber intake, however, is one thing that
distinguishes liquid consumption from solid consumption. The lack of
fiber in the juice can be either an advantage or a disadvantage,
depending on you and your diet.
Obviously, fiber is a necessary part of any diet, and you miss out on it
when the juicer extracts it (they stay with the pulp). On the other
hand, excluding fiber can be a welcome relief to some digestive systems.
Modern diets of processed foods often result in overworked
digestive systems. Juicing can provide much needed relief to our
digestive systems while still bringing the benefits of consuming fruit
and vegetables. If this sounds like you, juicing can be a fantastic
alternative method for getting essential nutrients.
What Can and Cannot Be Juiced
Almost any fruit or vegetable can be juiced. The list of “unjuiceables” is quite short: bananas and avocados. That’s pretty much it. These two fruits simply don’t have much water to extract, so it’s best to put them in a blender if you’re looking to liquify them.
You can always add the blended
version to your juice and mix it together (we suggest you don’t combine
avocado puree and apple juice, but juicing is a form of self-expression
and we wouldn’t want to interfere with yours).
Factors To Consider When Buying a Juicer
Just like with any purchase, you’ll want to do some research before
making any final decisions about which juicer will be gracing your
kitchen in the near future. Here are some important things to consider
when conducting your juicer research.
1. Price
There are three main types of juicers on the market, and the price
ranges of each are slightly different. Generally, no juicer will cost
you more than a few hundred bucks, and bargain deals can bring the price
down well below that.
Centrifugal juicers are generally the least expensive, and serve as a good introduction for the rookie juice enthusiast.
Masticating and triurating
juicers, on the other hand, are pricier but more efficient in juice
extraction, so you might make your money back by having to buy less
produce in the long run (see below for a more detailed breakdown of the
three juicer types).
As with anything, you pay for quality, and more expensive juicers will
yield more juice and less waste than the cheaper alternatives. The best
juicers are also built well and will most likely last longer.
Finally, securing a warranty can
go a long way towards making sure that you pay the right price with no
regrets, regardless of which one you pick.
2. Ease of Use
Being able to quickly and effectively use your juicer is absolutely
essential, and various juicer models promise to score very differently
in this category.
If your juicer has manageable
parts that fit into a dishwasher or can be easily rinsed, for example,
then you’ll have a much easier time bringing yourself to use the thing.
If the juicer gets dirty quickly
and is difficult to clean, then you might be easily deterred and it
will have been a disappointing waste of money.
You’ll want a juicer that is easy to assemble. If putting it together
reminds you of assembling a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle, then it’s
probably not going to be your favorite appliance.
Large feed tubes ensure that you
don’t have to cut everything into tiny pieces before feeding it in
(this is especially valuable for centrifugal juicers). A wide disposal
spout means you can fill up your glass more quickly, while leaving less
of a chance that the interior tubes get clogged up.
Speed is important when considering a juicer, but perhaps not in the way
you’d expect. The centrifugal models are the fastest, but they are also
the least efficient.
So you’ll have your juice ready
quickly, but it may be missing some of the nutrients that a
slower-moving masticating or triurating juicer would have dug out from
the crevices of that beet.
3. Noise
This one isn’t really a two-sided debate: the loud churning and grinding
of a juicer on full blast is generally unsettling. Whether you are more
protective of your own peace of mind or the sleep of those around you
(we’re looking at you, morning juicers), it’s best to try and stay on
the quiet side if possible.
You don’t have to pay an extra
$100 for a juicer that is supposedly quieter, but keep in mind that
these things can be loud. The price corresponds to the noise level:
centrifugals are the loudest, while masticating and triuarating are
significantly less so.
The Big Three: Centrifugal vs. Masticating vs. Triurating Juicers
Centrifugal Juicers
The first question you’re most likely asking is: “What on earth does ‘centrifugal’ mean?”
Good question. It comes from centrifugal force, if that clears anything
up (although it very well may not). Centrifugal force is a Newtonian
law of physics that we won’t really waste time going into.
Just know that it’s the reason why a
sharp blade spinning extremely fast can turn your pile of grapes into a
glass of grape juice in a few seconds. That’s exactly what you get when
you purchase a centrifugal juicer.
It has a slick, sharp spinning blade
that spins against a mesh filter and breaks the food down into separate
byproducts of juice and fleshy pulp.
Price
Centrifugal juicers are the most common type, and are generally the
least expensive. You can get a very solid centrifugal juicer for
$100-$200. sometimes less if you can find a good deal.
The centrifugal juicer is a nice
beginner’s choice if you’re not an experienced juice drinker and aren’t
quite sure what you’re looking for.
Performance
If you want speed, the centrifugal juicer is your best bet. It is by far
the fastest model, and will get you your juice in as little time as
possible. For those of us that are on a tight schedule in the morning
and need to get our juice quickly and easily, then this model may be the
way to go.
Centrifugal juicers also often
come with the widest input tubes, meaning less preparation (cutting up
produce) is required. You can stuff larger chunks of food down there
without having to worry about clogging the machine.
They also can juice rougher
objects more easily--carrots for example will be easier to break down
using the high RPM cycle of a centrifugal spin (anywhere from
5,000-15,000 RPMs, depending on your model) than in almost any other
type of juicer.
Cleanliness and the complexity
of assembly also vary from model to model, but most centrifugals have
score higher in these categories as well. This model is designed with
the average juice user in mind.
Juice Quality
Overall, the juice produced by centrifugal juicers is lower in quality
and less rich in nutrients than juices from other types. That being
said, you will have it in your hands quicker, and some people claim not
to notice much of a difference in taste.
The juice will still be
delicious and extremely healthy. There has been a lot of debate about
whether the heat generated by the spinning of the blade in centrifugal
juicers kills enzymes and makes the juice less nutritious, but it seems
that those concerns seem to be unsubstaniated.
There is little scientific
evidence to back up the enzyme-killing theory, and that which has been
conducted seems to refute it. So that shouldn’t be a factor when
considering which juicer to buy.
Conclusion
It’s safe to say that most people who go to the store to buy a juicer
end up with a centrifugal model, since they are the most widely
available and cheapest of all versions. If you’re looking for a simple,
affordable juicer to complement other food and perhaps introduce more
juice into your diet, this is a great option.
If you’re a well-worn juice drinker, or are looking to up your game into the realm of the juicer extraordinaire, read on.
Masticating Juicers
Mastication. It sounds like a terminal disease or some form of ancient
torture, but actually it takes place in your mouth every time you eat. Mastication
is what your teeth do when you chew your food--it’s this process of
grinding of the teeth together to break down food that gives the
masticating juicer its name.
As you can imagine, the mastication process of these juicers is a bit
different from the centrifugal method. As one would expect, it’s more of
a slow, grinding process that takes longer but is more thorough and
does a more complete job of extracting nutrients.
It is that crucial factor--the
actual quality of the juice--that makes masticating juicers preferable
to some juice drinkers, and generally a little more expensive.
Price
Quality masticating juicers will most likely run you upwards of $200,
and some may reach upwards into the $500 range. If you have a better
sense of the different types of juicers and know that you will benefit
from the advantages of a masticating juicer, it’s definitely worth
dipping into the pocketbook and making an investment.
Performance
Masticating your produce takes longer than pulverizing it via
centrifugal force, but the end result is worth the wait. Whereas with a
centrifugal juicer the distinction between your juice and your pulp will
be a little less dramatic, the masticating juicer’s pulp is almost
completely dry and tasteless.
You won’t want to eat the pulp
from any of your juicers (most likely), but the point here is that
masticating juicers really suck every ounce of sweet goodness out of the
produce, albeit at a slower rate. A spinning auger, which looks like a
large drill bit, does the grunt work here. Instead of centrifugal force
and speed, it relies on torque to mash up the produce, which explains
why it works slower but produces a thicker, more rich juice.
In many cases, the masticating
juicer also produces more juice, which is something worth keeping in
mind when considering the price--the efficiency of this model may make
up for its initial cost by requiring you to purchase less produce over
the course of its lifetime.
Juice quality
The juice quality from a masticating juicer is definitely a step up from
the centrifugal juicer. It is often thicker, tastier, and contains more
nutrients. If you prioritize the quality of the juice over the speed,
ease, and price of the centrifugal model, then this might be the option
for you. Another important note is that the auger form of juicing lends
itself well to juicing vegetables.
The liquid in a vegetable is
generally more difficult to extract, which makes the slow-moving and
torque-heavy auger of a masticating juicer preferable whenever you find
yourself in the mood for something green.
Conclusion
The masticating juicer is for the more determined juice drinker. If you
want to make sure you get the most out of every fruit and vegetable you
juice, you will want this type of machine. It’s slow, churning diligence
is sure to create some of the best juice you’ve ever tasted.
It is a little more difficult to
operate, and a little more expensive, but if you want the most punch out
of your juice you should looks through these options.
3. Triurating
The centrifugal and masticating juicers are the two most common types,
but the last type of juicer worth bringing into the discussion is the
triurating juicer (sometimes known as the “dual gear” or “double auger”
juicer).
We continue drifting here towards
the more efficient, productive, but higher-priced juicers. These babies
are effective in juicing almost anything, from vegetables to nuts, and
will give you the most bang for the buck you spent on produce.
Price
Naturally, these high-end juicers come at a slightly higher cost. A
normal list price for these is $600+, but if you search thoroughly you
can usually find some for a bit less.
Performance
Perhaps the greatest advantage to the triurating juicer is its
versatility. While the centrifugal specializes in coarse fruit and the
masticating is better for vegetables, you need not sacrifice any
attribute with the triurating juicer.
It handles all juiceable objects
with ease, and its efficiency rivals (or surpasses) that of the best
masticating juicers. Its slower speed and torque ensure a greater
extraction rate of juice, and its twin augers make it a more powerful
tool than a single-auger masticating juicer.
Their ease of use is compatible to both other models, and most of the parts should be easy to assemble and clean.
Juice Quality
The juice quality from these juicers is incomparable. If you really want
the purest, healthiest juice experience, you will want to look into
these options.
Conclusion
For those looking for the highest quality on the market, you should be
browsing through triurating juicer models. Twin augers ensure incredible
efficiency, and their versatility certainly gives them a leg up on the
other two models.
The price reflects their superiority, but if you’re willing to pay you will not be disappointed.
Health Ambition's Pick: The Best Juicers On The Market
If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed with all this information, but
you think you know at least vaguely what type of juicer you want,
perhaps we can help you out with a few recommendations. The following
are some juicers, of each category, that we would suggest looking into.
Breville BJE200XL
This Breville model is a great
option if you’re looking for a centrifugal juicer that is affordable,
powerful, and easy to maintain. It’s quite a popular one, and we
recommend giving it a shot if you’re a first-time juicer or looking for
something simple and dependable.
Price
At $99 on Amazon,
this is one of the most affordable juicers out there. The price here is
the most attractive element, but we wouldn’t have chosen the Breville
if it didn’t have the performance to back it up. A highly valuable
option here.
Performance
The Breville BJE200XL is extremely powerful. With RPMs that reach as
high as 14,000, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a faster juicer on the
market. If speed is what you’re looking for--and for centrifugal juicers
this is the most important element--this Breville’s the way to go.
Cleaning these is fairly easy, as
the entire assemblage consists of only a few parts. The feeder tube is a
nice 3 inches in diameter, making it easy to juice almost anything with
very little preparation required. It is a loud machine, and not the
most efficient in terms of the juice that it produces.
You’ll have to use much more produce
with this juicer than with a masticating or triurating juicer variety,
but as an entry-level product, this is about as good as it gets.
Juice Quality
Obviously, the quality of the juice won’t be as high as other more
diligent varieties. The richness and body of the juice that’s produced
simply isn’t on the same level as that of the other juicers below. But,
again, within the field of centrifugal juicers, the Breville BJE200Xl is
top notch.
Overall
If you’re looking for a beginner’s juicer at a low price, this one can’t
be beat. Ease of use and functionality make it a smart pick, and its
speed makes it perfect someone looking for simple, good juice from their
produce.
Big Boss 9192
This juicer is also centrifugal but differs from the Breville in a few
ways. You will always have more options with centrifugal models since
they are the most ubiquitous, so we wanted to give you two selections
instead of just one.
You may have seen the Big Boss 9192
on various TV commercials lately. It’s an incredibly popular machine
right now, but how does it compare?
Price
This juicer is a bit more of an investment, but is definitely still
affordable. At $199 is it at the upper end of centrifugal juicers. As
with most things, you do get what you pay for though.
Performance
The Big Boss juicer differentiates itself from other centrifugals with
its relatively low speed. Remember, if your focus is juice quality then
you will probably want a lower speed juicer that is more thorough.
Juice Quality
For a centrifugal, the juice quality here is good. It’s won’t rival the
juicers in the more expensive categories, but all things considered, the
taste is quite good. You get a decent amount of juice from your
produce. More than most centrifugal juicers but less than masticating
juicers.
This one also has a wide feeder tube
and is easy to maintain, with a stainless steel strainer that can be
quickly rinsed and reused. The low speeds also make it less noisy than
the Breville, and it’s tall rather than wide, which means it takes up
less space on your kitchen counter.
Like all centrifugal juicers,
this model isn’t the best for juicing leafy greens and other veggies so
if that’s what you are looking for try a masticating juicer.
Overall
Another alternative for those looking to get into juicing with a
centrifugal model, the Big Boss 9192 improves on some drawbacks of the
Breville and, for a slightly higher price, you can pick up a very solid
juicer.
Omega J8005
This is our pick for a masticating juicer. A classic single-auger model
with a feed tube and an accompanying plunger that you use to mash your
food down into the slowly-rotating interior, the Omega J8005 produces
very high quality juice and rates high in maintenance as well.
Price
Masticating juicers are more expensive than centrifugal models, but this one comes in at a very affordable $245.
Performance
Performance and maintenance get pretty high ranks here. The 80 RPMs on
this juicer ensure a nice, slow juicing process that will make your
juice rich and full-bodied and leaves no risk for overheating and
nutrient degradation.
The feed tube on this could be
wider--its narrowness makes it difficult to insert large chunks, meaning
you’ll have to cut up your produce into small pieces beforehand.
It almost never clogs up though and will be able to juice just about
anything you can fit in the tube. This juicer has some other features
and by using the included attachments you can use it as a meat grinder
or pasta maker. Clearing the Omega J8005 is also effortless.
Juice Quality
The juice quality here is far superior to what you get with the
centrifugal. It may not be quite that of a triurating, but as far as
juice goes, it will probably make some of the best you’ve ever had. As
you would expect with a masticating juicer, it can squeeze a lot of
juice out of leafy greens such a spinach or kale.
You can make a lot of very
healthy and very delicious juices with this juicer. The fact that you
can get more juice out of your produce means that in the long term this
can save you money if you use it a lot.
Overall
This is a great model for those looking to step it up a little bit from
the basic centrifugal juicer. It’s low price, for a masticating juicer,
combined with it’s excellent performance and easy of use make it an
ideal juicer for anyone from beginner or professional. The Omega J8005
truly sets the standard in quality juicers.
Green Star GSE- 5000 Elite
This triurating juicer is as good as it gets in terms of the juice and
efficiency. You’ll definitely get the most juice out of your produce,
and that juice will be absolutely delicious.
Price
These are the goliaths of the juicing world, and they are naturally more expensive for it. A good deal on a twin-screw triurating juicer can get you one for under $600.
Performance
In terms of quality of product, there is simply no better option. This
juice is the best juice due to the complexity of this machine. It has a
lot of moving parts, many of which are patented, specifically designed
to perform minute functions that other models do not perform, and that
will give your juice that much more flavor and richness.
It’s the little things that
count. That same complexity, also counts against this model at
times--the litany of parts can be difficult to clean and assembly can be
confusing at first.
Juice Quality
Simply put: The best juice and the best juicer on the market.
Overall
This is the juicer to get if the juice itself is the most important
thing to you. It certainly isn’t the most affordable option, and you
will have to put up with a few maintenance difficulties that are not so
much of a problem in other models, but one sip of the end result should
relieve you of any lingering doubt that this is the highest quality
juicer out there.
Many juicing stores and health conscious restaurants will use these in a commercial capacity. It’s easy to see why.
Other Juicing Equipment
Aside from these types of juicers, there are a few other appliances that
serve specific juicing functions that you may want to consider looking
into.
Normally to juice oranges, lemons or lime, you have to remove all of the
peel. A better option though is to invest in separate a citrus juicer.
This allows you to make fresh orange juice or the very health lemon water.
Most juicing recipes suggest that
you use a citrus juicer to get the liquid out of the citrus fruit and
then add it to the output of your main juicer.
A citrus juicer consists of a rotating part that squeezes the juice out
of each half of your citrus fruit. They require very little preparation,
and serve well as a cheap, quick way to get your daily dose of citrus.
The two basic options are manual citrus juicers like this one, or the automatic citrus juicers like this one. Considering the relatively low cost, we definitely recommend this automatic citrus juicer.
Blenders are good for mashing up those previously mentioned
“unjuiceables”: bananas and avocados. You can liquify these in a blender
and combine them with the juice from your juicer if looking to add
their nutritious value to your diet.
In addition, you can juice any
produce in here--but keep in mind that since it does not extract the
pulp you will have to strain the liquid afterwards to filter out fibrous
chunks. You can buy a cheap but effective blender like this one that
will do this nicely.
Manual Juicers
The manual juicer may seem outdated, but it has a few thing going for
it. For one, you can use it to juice the highly nutritious wheatgrass,
which cannot be put through a centrifugal juicer due to its thin
consistency.
It’s also cheaper than the other
juicing options, so if you’re willing to get your hands dirty and
looking for a workout, you might be interested in picking up one of
these.
Source: Health Ambition
