What Is the Best Juicer Available?
There are so many different kinds of juicers on the market today. There are handheld manual juicers, household electric juicers and commercial electric juicers. There are centrifugal juicers and masticating juicers. There are very inexpensive juicers and very, very expensive juicers. But all of these different kinds of juicers do not tell you what is the BEST kind of juicer on the market, or at least the best kind of juicer for you. I will attempt to break down some interesting things to consider when thinking of purchasing a juicer. First of all, you must first assess your needs when thinking of juicing and what purpose in your life your juicer will serve. If you are a person who is interested in fresh squeezed lemon juice for the occasional recipe, then perhaps a manual juicer is fine for you. If you have bad hands or arthritis, perhaps you need an electric juicer, but certainly not one with a powerful motor. Now, if on the other hand, you are someone who has been thinking about juicing and want to make it a part of your regular routine, then a manual juicer will not be enough for you. You will definitely need to look into the electric juicer and depending on how frequently you plan on using this machine, you need to think about the grade of motor you will find most beneficial. The most important thing you will need to consider is whether you want to buy a centrifugal or a masticating juicer. You may now be asking yourself, “What does this even mean?”
Centrifugal and masticating refer to the way in which the juice is extracted from the fruit or vegetable. With a centrifugal juicer there is a round blade that is somewhat similar in appearance to a cheese grater, which rotates at a very high speed. The fruits and vegetables are then placed in a chute and pushed down into the rotating grater. The force of the speed grinds up the fruit or vegetable and the juice then comes out of a separate opening into a catch container. The sheer speed at which the blade rotates creates for a high amount of heat which can actually have a harmful effect on the fruits and vegetables, potentially killing much needed live enzymes. This means that the nutritional value of the juice produced will not be of the highest possible quality. Centrifugal juicers tend to be very noisy and difficult to clean as well. There are many different parts and each must be cleaned separately and thoroughly to avoid contamination. Additionally, centrifugal juicers are not very efficient at juicing greens, especially dark leafy greens, which contain the most nutrients and health building ingredients. Wheatgrass is also exempt from centrifugal juicers as it will be destroyed in the juicing process. Centrifugal juicers are the most common type of juicer on the market though so many people do not even know to ask the difference between these two types of extraction. Masticating juicers work in a very different manner. These juicers use a single gear, called an auger which looks very similar to a large screw. The auger slowly breaks down the fruits and vegetables completely so that it literally rings out a considerable amount of fresh juice. Because the auger works at such a low speed, there is no heat produced and the live enzymes from the fresh produce are retained and the quality of the juice therefore superior. Additionally, the loud noise of the centrifugal juicer is not an issue with a masticating juicer, as the auger works at a lower speed, producing less noise as well. Perhaps the most exciting feature of the masticating juicer is the ease of clean up. With a masticating juicer, you will find you can spend less than three minutes total on clean-up, a great savings in time as compared to the centrifugal juicers available.
Choosing a juicer needs to be a personal and educated decision. The purchase of a new juicer should be considered an investment and as such, your use of the juicer needs to be thoroughly thought through and assessed. If there is one piece of straightforward advice I can give in this process however, it is to plan for more than you may initially believe you will need. Juicing can be very addictive in the sense that your body will begin to feel cleaner, stronger and more energized, a feeling that you are likely to want to maintain. Juicing can be a fun, creative process as you begin to learn more about the vegetables and fruits available to you and about the uses and specific benefits of each piece of produce. Make sure you choose the right juicer for your needs and get started juicing today!
