I’m sold on juicing – Part 4
by Christine Hunt
If you haven’t read the other 5 parts of this series you may do so at these links:
Smoothies or Juices – What’s the Difference?
All About Blenders – Which One is Right for You?
A few weeks ago my granddaughter was visiting and I showed her the juicer that lives permanently on my kitchen counter – since I use it almost twice every day. I then asked her if she wanted anything to eat or drink and when I mentioned grapes she countered with “Can you make grape juice?” I chuckled and explained that I didn’t have the right kind of grapes, nor the quantity of what I did have to do that. But I was amazed at how quickly she understood that a juicer makes juice and could theoretically make grape juice!
So, today’s topic is all about juicers – which make juice – not smoothies.
When I was a child my mother had a citrus juicer similar to the one shown here.
When I got married my mother-in-law would use the motorized version to make fresh orange juice, and up until a few years ago that’s about all I knew about juicers until I had to do a self-imposed crash course to learn everything and anything I could about them to begin the Gerson Therapy and heal my autoimmune disease – which I did.
Questions you may want to consider asking before purchasing a juicer are:
How easy is it to clean?
How noisy is it?
How fast is it?
What is the length of the warranty?
What types of produce do I want to be juicing?
How much counter/storage space do I have for a juicer?
Answering these questions will help you to narrow your search.
Centrifugal vs. Masticating
The first thing I learned was the difference between centrifugal and masticating or cold pressed juicers. Over the years most of us have seen the TV commercials by Jack LaLane and Jay Kordich. They promoted centrifugal juicers which normally have a wide tube/chute at the top, a shredder disk and strainer basket and usually rotates between 3600 (Centrifugal Juicers) and 6300 rpm (Centrifugal Ejection Juicers).
With centrifugal Juicers the produce is put into the top of the machine, is pressed through the chute, hits the spinning shredder disc and the juice is released. The straight sided basket spins at a high speed, much like a washing machines spin cycle and the force pushes the juice through the strainer basket then exits out of the front of the machine. The pulp stays inside the machine’s basket. Generally this style juicer can make 1-2 quarts before the juicer must be stopped, and the pulp must be removed before further juicing can take place.
With centrifugal Juicers the produce is put into the top of the machine, is pressed through the chute, hits the spinning shredder disc and the juice is released. The straight sided basket spins at a high speed, much like a washing machines spin cycle and the force pushes the juice through the strainer basket then exits out of the front of the machine. The pulp stays inside the machine’s basket. Generally this style juicer can make 1-2 quarts before the juicer must be stopped, and the pulp must be removed before further juicing can take place.
PLUSES & MINUSES
The pluses of centrifugal juicers is that they will handle whole or large sections of produce, which minimizes the time in cutting them up and overall the process is fast. Depending on the construction of the juicer cleanup is fairly fast and easy. They are good for people who want to incorporate fresh fruit and vegetable juices into their diet and have healthy digestive systems. Some brands are very inexpensive but most range from $100 to $400 or more. Their counter storage footprint is more compact than some masticating juicers.
The minuses are they are noisy and the oxidation generated by the high rotation speeds kills the beneficial enzymes contained in the juice. The enzymes are especially important for those people who have a lack of digestive enzymes in their intestines due to poor diet, continued use of drugs and antibiotics (that kill the enzymes) or who suffer from digestive and other health problems in general. Most centrifugal juicers cannot juice wheatgrass or leafy greens. Greens are so lacking in many American’s diets that incorporating them into a juicing routine is a great way to easily ingest their powerful, nutritional values.
Centrifugal Juicers also create more foam than masticating juicers which is indicative of the oxidation process and can take some time to dissipate before you can access the juice in the glass or container. Unlike some masticating juicers, which have additional features outside of juicing, all centrifugal juicers do is juice. The shredder disks and baskets can be time consuming to clean.
Masticating juicers will juice anything. Some first shred the produce then presses or squeezes the pulp to extract the juice. Auger style juicers may have one or two augers which crush the produce, squeezes out the juice and ejects the pulp.
The pluses of masticating juicers are that they will juice anything. They will juice fruits, vegetables, leafy greens and even wheat grass. Many of them also are designed to create nut butters, applesauce, sorbet, baby foods, even pasta in different forms and sizes. Their slower rotating speeds, around 80 rpm, makes them quieter and because they produce very little foam, oxidation is minimized, allowing for the survival of beneficial enzymes which are critical to healthy intestinal health. Cleanup is usually fast and simple as some of the filtration screens are smaller than the baskets used in centrifugal juicers and there are no sharp blades to handle. Prices range from around $100 to over $2,000.
Minuses are the produce has to be cut up into smaller pieces. When juicing citrus or other high liquid content fruits it is best to add some firmer produce to help move the liquid through the juicer. These juicers take more time to create the same amount of juice as a centrifugal. Some masticating juicers have a large, counter footprint but the vertically designed models take up less space than most centrifugal juicers.
Warranties will vary between manufacturers and their individual models but will range between 1 to 15 years or more.
You may read more details about the differences between centrifugal and masticating juicers here.
MANUFACTURERS:
Breville makes both centrifugal and masticating juicers as well as citrus presses. Most of their line is centrifugal juicers. Prices range from $100 to $400 for the model that can also purée soft fruits for smoothies.
Omega also makes both centrifugal and masticating juicers but has more masticating models. Their centrifugal juicers range from $200 to $300 and masticating juicers start at $230 and cost up to $460. I personally bought the Model 8006 for the juicing required when I was on the Gerson Therapy and it has been a workhorse for me. The 8006 and some of their other models have the ability to make pastas, sorbet, applesauce and the other foods I mentioned above.
Norwalk makes the mother of all juicers. This is the one the Gerson Therapy recommends using not only because of its durability but also its ability to extract the most juice from the vegetables. Its two-stage process first shreds the produce then squeezes it to extract the juice. And it’s $2500 price tag and 12 year warranty will keep you juicing for years to come.
Champion makes masticating juicers for home and commercial use (although the price difference is minor). Be sure to read their Types of Juicers web page to understand the difference of their design over others. Prices are less than $300.
Cuisinart makes a limited number of centrifugal juicers ranging from $100 to $150 as well as a citrus juicer.
Hamilton Beach offers a line of centrifugal juicers for less than $80. Note: I would recommend low end/cost juicers only if you will be juicing “occasionally”. If you are a serious juicer, and by that I mean juicing almost every day and sometimes more than once per day, it is worth your money to invest in a heavier duty machine.
Waring has a limited line of citrus juicers and juice extractors for under $200.
So which one do you buy? That depends on how frequently you want to use it, how fast you want to produce juice, speed of cleaning up, how much space you have to store it either on your counter or in a cabinet, if you want to juice mainly fruits, vegetables or greens ( or all of them) and how long you want it to last.
Juicers are not as readily available in local stores as some blender models so, shopping online may give you more variety than what you might find at your local kitchen or department store. But some stores such as Bed Bath & Beyond have several models and manufacturers to choose from and you can see for yourself their size and construction.
Also, talk to people you know who juice and find out what models they have and why. Ask them if you can help make some juice with them to see how it is done. After all, you may know how a blender works, but may not be familiar with the juicing process. Most people who juice are happy to share their experiences and the benefits they have derived from juicing with anyone who asks.
I hope this series of blogs has helped you understand the differences between blenders and juicers and which would fit the best into your lifestyle and nutritional needs.
Please ask any questions you may have or comment below what type of juicer you may have at home, how you use it, what you like/dislike about it and anything else you’d like to share – maybe even a juice recipe!
To your health!
Christine Hunt is a Wellness Coach and Certified EFT Practitioner and has found that working with the whole person by combining mind/body work, dietary adjustments and movement provides her clients with the tools they need to lose weight (and keep it off), get relief from chronic illness and positively transform their lives. Contact her for a free, 15 minute consultation to learn why what she does works when other methods have failed.
Christine works with her clients in person, by Skype or phone. So, if you live away from the Annapolis, Maryland area, she can still work with you.
