The juicer is a useful device for lovers of healthy diets. Raw fruits and vegetables, allows you to obtain fresh and highly nutritional smoothies, purees, or preparations for sorbets. The juicer is generally composed of six parts: a chute or chimney, a motor unit, an endless screw, a sieve or filter, and two receiving cups (one for the juice and another for the fibers).
But how do you choose yours? In this juicer buying guide, we’ll show you how to buy a juicer by looking at five key criteria.
The 4 Main Types of Juicers
There are four main types of juicers. These include:
1. Masticating Juicers
In the large family of juice extractors, the masticating juicer extract juice by slowly chewing foods. They have a serrated central shaft that chews fruits and vegetables very quickly.
This type of juicer works with a rotating screw that turns endlessly to crush the molecules of fruits and vegetables. They all work at a very low speed of about 60 to 150 revolutions per minute (RPM).
These devices are a bit slow but they are the best juicers for extracting juices from leafy greens such as celery, young shoots, or grass better than any other machine.
2. Citrus Juicer
Citrus juicers are manual and electric juicers used for pressing oranges, lemon, and other fruits in the citrus family to make juice.
Making juice with a citrus juicer is incredibly easy. All you need is the fruit, a glass, a knife, a cutting board, and the juicer. The first step is to cut the citrus fruit in half. Then, place the glass under the juicer.
Next, you will place half of the fruit in the cone of the juicer. Then you will lower the handle and apply pressure to extract the juice. Once you have removed all the juice, you can squeeze the other half of the orange or other fruit you may have.
3. Centrifugal Juicers
A centrifugal juicer is an appliance that extracts juice from fruits at a very high speed, usually at 6,000 to 16,000 rpm. This type not only makes it possible to extract juice from all types of fruits and vegetables.
You can also use it to make smoothies, soups, or coulis. It makes a cup of juice in seconds and a maximum of two minutes and turns the residue into a dry pulp.
The rotation of the sieve makes it possible to separate the solids from the liquid by centrifugal force. The extraction speed is usually more than thrice as fast as with a slow juicer.
A centrifuge is composed of a motor with a variable power between 200 and 700 Watts. It has a sieve, a pulp collecting tank, a pitcher to collect the squeezed juice and separate the foam from the juice, as well as a chute through which the fruits and vegetables are inserted.
4. Twin-Gear Juicers
The twin gear juicers are the most expensive devices. They are multifunctional and offer the best quality juice possible because their twin gears operate at a very slow speed compared to other types of juicers.
Thus, the fruit is absolutely not heated and therefore oxidizes less (longer storage) and retains its full nutritional value.
These machines are sturdy and the gears are made of stainless steel. They offer the maximum amount of juice from fruits, vegetables, or leafy greens.
The most important feature that sets this type of juicer apart is the fact that they have two locking screws that squeeze the maximum amount of juice out of the pulp, unlike masticating juicers which only have one.
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5 Features to Consider Before Buying Your Juicer
In the rest of the juicer guide, we’ll see how to pick a juicer by looking at five features or criteria:
1. The speed of rotation
Typically, slow juicers operate with a rotational speed ranging from 20 to 150 rpm. While some models allow this parameter to be adjusted, many only have one speed.
When the product has less than 80 revolutions per minute, this is low speed. The advantage is real since this type of slow process avoids any heating phenomenon between the endless screw and the sieve. Fruits and vegetables crushed at low temperatures retain all their nutritional qualities.
If you want quality juice with high nutritional value and long shelf life, don’t go for centrifuges. They generate heat during juicing process, hence, oxidation occurs.
2. Engine power
The more powerful the motor, the better the performance. Most of the masticating models have 150-watt motors and the centrifugal juicers can reach 700 watts. These are suitable for intensive and daily use. A less powerful motor will have a hard time crushing hard foods like carrots for example.
3. Accessories
The presence of a variety of accessories sold with the juicer facilitates the realization of many preparations. On the basic models, ensure the juicer comes with:
Sieves of different sizes to toggle between juices and nectars;
One or two pitcher(s) to collect the liquid;
A cleaning brush allowing the maintenance of the filter after each use. Read here to know how to clean a juicer.
4. Engine noise
Appliances are often noisy – and the juicer is no exception. You can find sophisticated technologies to limit noise pollution directly coming from the device.
When purchasing your juice extractor, be sure to look at the information provided by the brand relating to engine noise. Sometimes a decibel rating is added to the product description, which can help you make your decision: below 70 decibels, the sound level for such a device is largely bearable.
5. Engine warranty
The engine is more important – and more expensive to repair or replace. Hence the importance of the warranty is linked to the engine. The warranty must cover in most cases 10 years.
Some mid-size models offer a 5-year engine warranty and others have up to a lifetime warranty. This factor, logically influencing the price, makes it possible to better assess the durability of the product.
Recommended Reading: How Does A Juicer Work?
Final verdict
The juicer is essential for those who wish to enjoy all the benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables daily. Whether horizontal or vertical design, centrifuge or citrus juicer, it allows you to extract quality juice. Models with slow rotational speed make all the difference compared to fast juicers or blenders, which heat food, causing them to lose some of their nutritional qualities.
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