How to Purchase the Perfect Juicer for your needs

mportant Factors In choosing a Juicer

You’re sold on the health benefits of juicing - now it’s time to purchase the best juicer for you. There are several important factors to look at when picking out a juicer to buy and the priority of these factors depends on what you are looking for and what is important to you. Just a few things to think about are cost, what ingredients the juicer will juice and is it easy to use and clean?

Cost of the juicer

For many people, cost is the first consideration in purchasing a juicer. One thing to take into account here is that you get what you pay for. Low cost juicers often give low juice yield which will, over time, end up costing you more money than if you choose a more expensive juicer.

Low cost juicers are mostly centrifugal ejection juicers. They shred the fruit and vegetables and then the small pieces and juice are forced through a screen with centrifugal force and the pulp is ejected into a collection basket. These juicers have low powered motors and parts made of plastic, which can wear out quickly. Paying a little more gets you stainless steel construction and a more powerful motor.

Another thing to consider in cost of a juicer is that often by paying a little more, you get a machine that is easier to use and clean. If you have a high-powered, easy to use juicer, in all likelihood, you will end up using it more often than a $25 juicer you stick in the back of the cupboard and forget.

How to Purchase the Perfect Juicer for your needs

Also, by paying a little more when you purchase your juicer, you will find that many offer handy attachments.

Is the juicer easy to use?

Check these details in considering which juicer you'll purchase:

How large is it? Will it fit easily on your counter?
What is the prep time involved? Do you have to cut up the fruits and veggies into very small pieces?
Is the fruit and veggie pulp ejected?- this will help in your prep time
Is the juicer easy to clean? If it isn’t it will discourage you from using it at all.

Decide what ingredients you will want to juice

Some juicers are only for citrus fruits while others do fruits and vegetables or both. If you want to juice leaf lettuce and wheat grass, make sure the juicer you purchase will handle these ingredients.

Check the juice yield

Different juicers produce different qualities and quantities of juice.

Choosing the juicer motor

Check the manufacturer’s warranty. Some models have a separate warranty for parts and for motor. Lower cost juicers tend to have warranties lasting only 90 days to a year while higher priced juicers may be warren tied for up to 3 years.

The power of the motor will affect the amount of notice put out by the juicer- the more RPM’s the noisier it will be. The motor’s power will also affect the type of ingredients it will juice.

Does the juicer motor produce heat which will kill some of the enzymes?

Is Juicer a pulp-ejection or non-pulp ejection type?

Pulp ejection juicers gather pulp into a separate basket or container to allow continuous juicing, which is more efficient for making large quantities of juice.

Non-pulp ejecting machines collect pulp inside a basket or container which must be cleaned when full - after juicing about one quart. Sometimes paper or plastic filters can be used for ease of cleaning.

Types of juicers

Twin Press and Single Auger juicers-juice leafy greens, wheat grass and sprouts and are the most efficient of juicers. Low RPM’s mean less noise and heat to destroy enzymes, also little oxidation. These juicers are designed to juice mostly veggies but will do some fruits. Juicing takes longer but gives high quality juice.

Centrifugal ejection juicers have a shredding disc and strainer basket to hold pulp, while juice is spun out by centrifugal force. Some have plastic bags to hold pulp for easy cleaning. The motor operates on high RPMs and therefore noisy. These create oxidation that degrades nutrients over time.

The Masticating juicer operates at a slower speed. It chews fibers in fruits and vegetables very efficiently and breaks up the very cells to give you more enzymes and nutrients. and breaks up the cells of vegetables and fruits.