Buying guide for best juicers
Everyone needs multiple servings of fruits and vegetables each day. But this can be difficult to manage with a demanding schedule, and not everyone enjoys the sensation of chewing on stringy celery or biting into a tough-skinned apple. Luckily, a juicer provides an easy solution to this problem. With a juicer in your kitchen, you can quickly and easily get your recommended fill.
While there are many juicers to choose from, you don’t want just any juicer. Key considerations to keep in mind while shopping are capacity, the ability to juice different fruits and vegetables, and juicing speed. It’s also a good idea to learn the difference between masticating and extracting juicers and the various “extra” features available, such as mincing and chopping.
Types of juicers
Masticating and extracting juicers each have pros and cons. Here’s an in-depth look at them.
Masticating juicers
These are also called cold-press juicers, auger-style juicers, or slow masticating juicers.
An auger grinds the produce in a masticating juicer. This action breaks down cell walls and releases the juice, which is then squeezed through a steel screen.
Masticating juicers take longer than extractors to produce a cup of juice, but they yield more juice and leave more of the nutrients intact. If you like green juices with plenty of leafy, tough greens like kale, you’ll be happiest with this type of juicer.
The best masticating juicers can also be used to make nut milk, sorbet, and ice cream. You’ll pay quite a bit more for a cold-press juicer, however.
- Pros: Masticating juicers are quieter than extracting machines. They produce more juice, leave drier pulp, and are good for juicing kale, spinach, and other green vegetables.
- Cons: Masticating juicers tend to be expensive. They take longer to produce juice. Because they are prone to jamming when fed with tough greens, produce needs to be cut into small pieces before juicing.
- Price: Expect to spend $100 to $300 for an auger-style juicer.
If you need a citrus juicer, choose an extracting model with a big mouth feed tube that can accommodate most types of citrus fruit.
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Extracting juicers
These are also called centrifugal juicers, and they have a spinning mesh basket with a grated bottom. Produce is whirled against the grate, shredding it and releasing the juice. Pulp spins into a separate basket while the juice runs out the device’s spout.
The best centrifugal juicers work much faster than masticating juicers. Notably, they are also quite a bit louder, and they yield less fresh juice.
Extracting juicers work very well on the fruits and veggies most likely to be juiced, such as apples, oranges, and carrots. However, they tend to struggle with leafy greens like kale. These juicers are the less expensive choice.
- Pros: An extracting juicer cuts down on prep time by juicing quickly. It’s suitable for most fruits and vegetables, and there is no need to cut produce into small pieces before juicing. These juicers also cost less than masticating juicers.
- Cons: These juicers are noisy and not great with leafy greens. The juice has less fiber and nutrients than what you would get from an auger juicer.
- Price: Expect to spend $50 to $100 for a centrifugal juicer.
Masticating juicers have an auger that grinds produce. Extracting juicers push produce through a grated bottom. We look at both types when researching the market and shortlisting products.
When researching a juicer, we find out how many speed settings it offers. While some brands offer just one speed, others have variable settings for different types of fruits and vegetables.
Because many consumers prefer juice that isn’t chunky, we look for machines with pulp collectors. This feature prevents pulp from getting into the juice.
We understand the appeal of streamlined cleanup, so we research how easy each juicer is to clean. Some masticating juicers come with a setting to reverse the auger, which allows you to release clogged produce. Other models come with a cleaning brush.
Chute size impacts how much produce a machine can juice at once. This is one of our top considerations when researching and shortlisting products.
We take note of each juicer’s maximum capacity, which is usually measured in ounces, so potential buyers know how much juice they could make at once.
We look for juicers with good power ratings. The more power a juicer has, the easier it is to juice tougher fruits and vegetables.
In our research, we look for juicers that don’t clog easily. To avoid clogging with some machines, fruits and vegetables must be cut into small pieces.
A juicer with a spout has merit in our eyes. A good spout allows you to pour the juice directly into a cup.
We appreciate a juicer that comes with a clear container so you can see everything that’s being juiced and whether chunky pieces get left behind.
Features to look for in a juicer
Juicers tend to be fairly simple machines, but there are a few features that add convenience to your process.
Large chute
A wide feed chute makes it easier to push produce into the machine.
Clear juice container
Most juicers have a clear container. That said, you might find a few models with opaque containers.
Large pulp container
Note that if the pulp collector is small, you’ll have to stop frequently and empty it.
Variable speeds
While masticating juicers typically only have one speed, some centrifugal juicers offer variable speeds. With the latter choice, you can juice soft fruit slowly and harder fruits or vegetables at higher speeds.
Reverse function
This common feature of masticating juicers lets you reverse the auger direction to release clogged produce.
Power
The more motor power a juicer has, the better the juicer can handle tough produce.
Multipurpose functions
Many masticating juicers have settings to do more than just juice. They can also grind coffee, make nut milk, puree baby food, and chop herbs.
Noise
In general, masticating juicers are quieter than centrifugal juicers, but some centrifugal juicers are louder than others.
Dishwasher safe
It’s convenient to be able to wash your juicer’s collecting cups in the dishwasher. Most of these small kitchen appliances feature these dishwasher-safe parts.
External pulp collector
Juicing leaves behind pulp, and lots of it. Most masticating juicers have an external collection cup for pulp. But the pulp cup on some centrifugal juicers is inside the machine, and that’s less convenient to clean. You may wish to look for a juicer with an external pulp collector.
DID YOU KNOW?
Don’t force produce into your juicer or overfill the basket. This could result in a mess.
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Accessories
As you prepare your fruits and veggies for juicing, you may decide to cut them up. (Juicing is often easier with the ingredients broken into smaller parts.) Choose a dedicated cutting board for your juicing prep work. We recommend picking one that washes easily in the dishwasher. Why? If it’s easy to clean, you’ll be more likely to wash it. Further, you will be less likely to transfer odors of other foods (like chopped onion) to your juice product.
If you juice frequently, it’s convenient to have food storage containers on hand. Use them to store leftover product and leftover juice. Bear in mind that even when stored in an airtight container, delicate produce will spoil rather quickly.
Tips for using your juicer
You’ve chosen your juicer. You’ve got a pile of fresh produce ready to go. Now, it’s time to get juicing!
From vegetable to orange juice, here are some tips to help you squeeze out the healthiest and tastiest concoctions possible.
- Go for fresh. Not only should you start with fresh produce, but you should also drink your juice as soon as possible after extracting it. Oxidation quickly breaks down nutrients in the juice, so it’s a good idea to consume your juice within a day, if possible. Drinking it immediately is even better.
- Use speed judiciously. If your juicer has two speeds, use the lower speed for soft fruits like berries. Use the higher speed for greens and harder fruits, like apples.
- Keep your extra juice. Store leftover juice in an airtight glass container in the fridge. It should stay good for up to 48 hours.
- Prep ahead of time. Save yourself precious morning time by washing and cutting up your produce the night before you plan to juice it.
- Keep it simple. For the tastiest brew, limit your juicing ingredients to two or three types of produce and perhaps one herb or spice. Too many flavors can create a muddled, unappealing — and perhaps even brown – juice.
- Know the limits of juicing. While you can juice almost any fruit or vegetable, there are a few exceptions. You’ll have a hard time juicing bananas, avocados, rhubarb, mangoes, and peaches. These are all exceptional ingredients for blending smoothies, however.
- Repurpose your pulp. If you have a garden, add the pulp from your juicer to a compost pile. You’ll soon have rich fertilizer to feed your plants. The leftover pulp can also be used in smoothies, sauces, soups, stews, and desserts.
- Wash all produce thoroughly before juicing. Do this to remove pesticide residue, dirt, bacteria, and other potentially harmful organisms. Be sure to wash organically grown produce, too. (The fact that it is grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides does not mean it can’t have stomach-upsetting germs on the surface.)
- Consider color when choosing your ingredients. Mix red and green produce, and you’ll end up with a brownish juice. It might be healthy, but it won’t look too appetizing.
- Get the pits out. Remember to remove all pits from your fruit before juicing. It’s easy to overlook small seeds in citrus.
- Decide whether to peel or not. Some produce should definitely be peeled before juicing. Some is fine to leave unpeeled. Generally, you should peel produce for juicing if it is not organic. If it is organic, go ahead and leave the peel on apples, beets, cucumbers, grapes, and carrots on the fruit.
