Juicer?
- Thread starter Fruitbat
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I have a bit of experience with this, and most recently have been making juice using a blender, and then a nutmilk bag to squeeze out the unwanted pulp from pureeing.
If ever I have the money, I will buy this one: http://thesweethome.com/reviews/the-best-juicer/
It's a good article because it describes in some detail most of the issues about juicers, so you can see what things are often considered drawbacks.
I've used a Champion a lot, but it is not very good for juicing greens. A lot depends on what you want to juice!
Some of the cheaper juicers work okay but are pretty inefficient, with a high pulp-to-juice ratio (too much pulp, not enough juice).
If ever I have the money, I will buy this one: http://thesweethome.com/reviews/the-best-juicer/
It's a good article because it describes in some detail most of the issues about juicers, so you can see what things are often considered drawbacks.
I've used a Champion a lot, but it is not very good for juicing greens. A lot depends on what you want to juice!
Some of the cheaper juicers work okay but are pretty inefficient, with a high pulp-to-juice ratio (too much pulp, not enough juice).
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I've had two:
The Proctor Silex juicer (primarily for citrus). I like it quite a bit, but it's a pain to clean the plastic strainer which gets gunked up fairly fast. It can't be machine washed without warping (had to replace the strainer because of it). But it does the job, and quickly.
I also had the Cuisinart Juice Extractor. Note I say had. Biggest pain the tail EVER! Tearing it down every single time I used it nearly required tools to get to everywhere the juice spread. And being juice, it'll ferment very quickly. While the basin was machine washable, nothing else was. I gave it to Goodwill and haven't yet replaced it.
I also have a tomato press that separates the peel from the fruit and juices on one side and pulps on the other. It's not this exact one but mine is similar and does the same thing. The nice thing is that it's manual operation. Mine doesn't require the clamp. It has a very nice suction cup on the bottom that keeps it in place.
The Proctor Silex juicer (primarily for citrus). I like it quite a bit, but it's a pain to clean the plastic strainer which gets gunked up fairly fast. It can't be machine washed without warping (had to replace the strainer because of it). But it does the job, and quickly.
I also had the Cuisinart Juice Extractor. Note I say had. Biggest pain the tail EVER! Tearing it down every single time I used it nearly required tools to get to everywhere the juice spread. And being juice, it'll ferment very quickly. While the basin was machine washable, nothing else was. I gave it to Goodwill and haven't yet replaced it.
I also have a tomato press that separates the peel from the fruit and juices on one side and pulps on the other. It's not this exact one but mine is similar and does the same thing. The nice thing is that it's manual operation. Mine doesn't require the clamp. It has a very nice suction cup on the bottom that keeps it in place.
The husband's oldest nephew actually got one for Xmas (that he actually asked for -- he's in high school). Don't know which brand, but the next time I see him I can ask how it performs with what he's juicing.
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Buying a cheap juicer can be really expensive in the long run IF you end up buying the wrong one. You need to be honest with yourself and decide its purpose. If you're just intending to juice basic fruits and hard veggies, you can probably get away with a decent centrifugal (typical fountain type) juicer with a steel strainer. These juicers work at very high speeds and take a lot of fruits or veggies to create juice. Most parts of the device will be plastic, but the strainer mesh, itself, should be steel. Some fountain juicers are crap. If you use it daily, expect a lot of wear and potential replacement within several months to a year.
That said, I replaced two fountain juicers I bought from Amazon within 2 years of each other, only to buy a cheaper one at Walmart, and the Walmart one's still going strong.
However, and I know this is long, but you asked, IF you intend to juice grasses, seeds or leafy veggies, you'll need to look into a masticating juicer like an Omega. They're more expensive, but they work best for that type of juicing. They require less fruits and veggies to create juice because they work slower and squeeze the juice out as opposed to grinding it and juicing via friction. You can also use a masticating juicer to make homemade pasta, baby food, nut butter and to grind meat. My suggestion if you go that route is to wait for a good sale.
Either option will work well, depending on your personal needs.
That said, I replaced two fountain juicers I bought from Amazon within 2 years of each other, only to buy a cheaper one at Walmart, and the Walmart one's still going strong.
However, and I know this is long, but you asked, IF you intend to juice grasses, seeds or leafy veggies, you'll need to look into a masticating juicer like an Omega. They're more expensive, but they work best for that type of juicing. They require less fruits and veggies to create juice because they work slower and squeeze the juice out as opposed to grinding it and juicing via friction. You can also use a masticating juicer to make homemade pasta, baby food, nut butter and to grind meat. My suggestion if you go that route is to wait for a good sale.
Either option will work well, depending on your personal needs.
The Omega is the one discussed in the "best juicer" article I linked. Actually, when I checked the link, I noticed they have updated the article since I first bookmarked it, and are recommending a later model, but still an Omega.*wants one*
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They're a lot cheaper in the states than in Canada. Good price on the site you posted. I've been lucky to see one on sale here for under $280.
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Thanks for replies so far.
* For those that have them, if it works/ed well, is it something you'd use regularly or would you say it's just another one of those gimmicky appliances that ends up in the back of the cabinets once the novelty's gone?
* Does the juice taste good? Dumb question I guess but I think the only fresh juice I've had is orange juice, so I really don't know. I'm trying to imagine salad in a glass but coming up blank, lol.
* Do you think it's worth it to get an expensive masticating one, a cheaper centrifugal one, or other?
* Also, I didn't see this in any of the juicer "cookbooks" I skimmed through, but can you heat the juice to make soup?
Thanks!
* For those that have them, if it works/ed well, is it something you'd use regularly or would you say it's just another one of those gimmicky appliances that ends up in the back of the cabinets once the novelty's gone?
* Does the juice taste good? Dumb question I guess but I think the only fresh juice I've had is orange juice, so I really don't know. I'm trying to imagine salad in a glass but coming up blank, lol.
* Do you think it's worth it to get an expensive masticating one, a cheaper centrifugal one, or other?
* Also, I didn't see this in any of the juicer "cookbooks" I skimmed through, but can you heat the juice to make soup?
Thanks!
Funny this thread should come up now. From my research, I think the others are right that the Omega 8004/8006 ($280) is the way to go based on performance. I've seen consistently good reviews on a number of different sites.
Personally, I have used an Omega vrt350 ($350) and liked it. Easy to use, easy to clean (take apart and rinse) and it did the green veggies easily.
When it came to buying one for myself, though, I couldn't justify the price tag on either of the above models.
So just today bought the Breville JE98XL for $120 at Bed & Bath with a 20% coupon ($150). Good enough reviews across multiple sites with people saying they haven't had issues juicing greens (my main concern). I didn't want supercheap but wanted to see how juicing goes for me for a month or two--in which case I was not ready to invest the super big bucks. We'll see how it goes.
ETA: One key issue for you may be that masticating juicers are slower than centrifugal. I can't tell you by how much, since I've only used the latter, but that may be important to you if you're making large quantities/often.
Personally, I have used an Omega vrt350 ($350) and liked it. Easy to use, easy to clean (take apart and rinse) and it did the green veggies easily.
When it came to buying one for myself, though, I couldn't justify the price tag on either of the above models.
So just today bought the Breville JE98XL for $120 at Bed & Bath with a 20% coupon ($150). Good enough reviews across multiple sites with people saying they haven't had issues juicing greens (my main concern). I didn't want supercheap but wanted to see how juicing goes for me for a month or two--in which case I was not ready to invest the super big bucks. We'll see how it goes.
ETA: One key issue for you may be that masticating juicers are slower than centrifugal. I can't tell you by how much, since I've only used the latter, but that may be important to you if you're making large quantities/often.
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I got accustomed to having green juice when I was living with a housemate who had had it sort of prescribed to her by a naturopath.
She and I got into making it together. At first I didn't think I wanted to bother but she kept offering me a glass of it when she'd make it and I loved both the flavor and how it made me feel.
At this point I have reduced the amounts so I can (if I have equipment to use) make a daily batch that will give a nice amount to two people. Using a blender like I have lately, there are about 20 oz. of water added to the produce. With a masticating or other juicer you might want to use more veggies instead.
The ingredients are:
about half a good sized bunch of kale and/or other leafy greens such as chard, collards, mustard, dandelion, etc.
parsley (optional) -- a good sized handful
celery -- one or two stalks or maybe a cup chopped depending on your equipment
ginger -- a good sized "thumb" at least, size depending on how spicy you want your juice
apple -- one half to one whole one, depending on how sweet you want it
lemon -- one whole small lemon, rind removed.
No way to know if you will really want to do this or keep doing it though. I know there are lots of people who get enthusiastic and then don't juice for long.
There are lots of recipes online, if you look for them.
As for heating the juice for soup, sure, why not? The thing is, one reason to juice is for the nutrients you get when consuming the fresh raw food, some of which are lost when cooked.
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I'm late to this thread, but I bought an Omega J8006 about a month ago. I used a 20% off coupon at Bed, Bath & Beyond which saved me about $60 for an all up price of about $230. I bought it locally so there were no shipping charges.
I'm thrilled with it. It's extremely easy to assemble, use, disassemble and clean. It runs quietly and makes all kinds of very tasty juices.
ETA: Aside from the drying mat, a couple of very handy additions to my juicing station are an apple wedger and an extra screen strainer - softer fruits and vegetables tend to clog the straining screen, so I just dump the juice through the second strainer and rinse the screen, usually netting about an extra cup of juice.
I'm thrilled with it. It's extremely easy to assemble, use, disassemble and clean. It runs quietly and makes all kinds of very tasty juices.
I've only had it a month but I use it once or twice a day most days. I keep it out on the counter, near the sink and next to a large cutting board and the knife block. I bought one of those microfiber draining mats and dedicated it to the juicer. So, while juicing I fill the sink with hot soapy water, and when I finish I quickly wash the parts, wipe down the cutting board and put the drying mat on it, rinse the parts and put them on the mat. I leave them there until I'm ready to juice again. Basically it's always out, and always clean unless I'm juicing.
"Good" is an understatement. The juice is so fresh that it has ruined me for any kind of pre-made juices, which I used to be a fan of. There is nothing like starting your day with fresh carrot/orange/ginger juice. As for all-veg juice taste, it's sort of acquired but I made one with the same ingredients listed in V-8 and it was far superior.
Masticating. A high-quality, easy to use juicer that makes great juice is a far better investment than a cheap, frustrating juicer that will either break down or end up gathering dust in your cupboard.
I don't see why not. Juicing "purists" might worry about heating destroying phytochemicals or whatever, but it's still going to have fresher nutrients than commercial soups. When I make soup I actually use my Ninja (high speed blender) for raw ingredients which I then heat.
ETA: Aside from the drying mat, a couple of very handy additions to my juicing station are an apple wedger and an extra screen strainer - softer fruits and vegetables tend to clog the straining screen, so I just dump the juice through the second strainer and rinse the screen, usually netting about an extra cup of juice.
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I bought the Omega J8004 to use while completing some of the recipes in my book. I tend to focus on juicing vegetables with textures I don't particularly prefer ( such as celery ) and also foods I don't work with as often ( such as beets ). This particular juicer is also unique in the it can do wheatgrass shots very well and that sets it apart from any other model in that price range. The champions that everyone talks about need a special attachment to do a good wheatgrass shot.
I also like this one because it operates at a low rpm which means less noise and also, I think its slightly gentler on the foods it juices.
Aside from all that, I most often use it to do one simple task - juicing ginger. I save that in a ball jar with some fresh lime juice and honey and sometimes add cayenne pepper. From this concentrate I pour a little of this into a pitcher of water for instant detox tea. Its .. pretty awesome stuff IMHO.
I also like this one because it operates at a low rpm which means less noise and also, I think its slightly gentler on the foods it juices.
Aside from all that, I most often use it to do one simple task - juicing ginger. I save that in a ball jar with some fresh lime juice and honey and sometimes add cayenne pepper. From this concentrate I pour a little of this into a pitcher of water for instant detox tea. Its .. pretty awesome stuff IMHO.
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Depends on how serious you are about your juice. I have a Super Angel but it cost me about $1200 so that puts it out of the range of what most people are willing to spend.
While that seems a ridiculous price to spend on a juicer there are a couple of good reasons to spend that amount of money. First, it's going to save you that much $ and plenty more over the life of the juicer simply because of the amount of juice it extracts. The pulp pretty much comes out mostly dry on a first run. Cheap juicers usually leave wet pulp and so if you calculated the amount of money you have to spend on produce to get the same amount of juice, you'd probably be shocked at how much you would save getting a juicer that actually really does great extraction. Multiply that over your life (and this juicer should last your whole life) then the savings becomes really impressive.
The other reason to seriously consider this juicer is that it is one of the best on the market at retaining enzymes. There has been only one small test trial done on this that I could find, so the data is pretty limited, but in that one trial it extracted over 50% more enzymes than cheaper juicers. The reason why is because it has a twin gear that goes really slow during extraction. Faster is not better. Fast heats up your juice so you are basically cooking it lightly and destroying the nutrients. So you multiply getting that much more in valuable nutrients and enzymes and the extra juice you extract and the value is clear.
There is a cheaper twin gear juicer on the market called a Green Star (cheaper than the Super Angel, anyway - $500). I have that one too and it really only does the best juicing for leafy greens. Give it something like a carrot and it struggles a bit more. Plus it's much harder to clean which makes me not want to use it. It gives high quality juice though if you are only going to do greens and don't mind clean up time.
That said, you aren't going to get much value if the thing sits unused on your shelf, so you really should be serious about it if you buy a twin gear.
The only other juicer that extracts better quality juice is called the Norwalk juicer (named after Norman Walker, the father of juicing). It is even more expensive ($2500) and it has a two part process - a triturating part where the veggies are shredded and then a haudraulic press that extracts the juice. This is harder to clean than the one I have. The juicer I have is super fast to clean which makes a huge difference in wanting to use it every day. The only reason to get the Norwalk juicer is if you are trying to recover from some sort of ailment and need every nutrient possible.
Even if you get a cheaper juicer, I've read that people gain many wonderful benefits from those too, so don't get discouraged if you already have one of those juicers. Any juicing is fantastic for the health. If you get a centrifugal juicer the one to get is the Omega as it has the highest amount of enzymes of that type of juicer.
I highly recommend Norman Walker's book on juicing. It's called "Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices". It has wonderful information in it. He was definitely waaaaayyyy ahead of his time. If you are looking for something with pretty pictures, then maybe that is not for you. But if you want to know detailed information on how juices can benefit your body, then you definitely need that book.
Additionally, I would recommend not storing your juice if you get a juicer any cheaper than the Green Star. The nutrients do not retain well. If you get a Green Star, Super Angel or Norwalk juicer you can store juice for a couple of days in glass canning jars with the juice all the way to the top of the lid so there is no oxygen in the container to degrade the juice. It's always best to drink your juice immediately though, even if you have one of these juicers.
While that seems a ridiculous price to spend on a juicer there are a couple of good reasons to spend that amount of money. First, it's going to save you that much $ and plenty more over the life of the juicer simply because of the amount of juice it extracts. The pulp pretty much comes out mostly dry on a first run. Cheap juicers usually leave wet pulp and so if you calculated the amount of money you have to spend on produce to get the same amount of juice, you'd probably be shocked at how much you would save getting a juicer that actually really does great extraction. Multiply that over your life (and this juicer should last your whole life) then the savings becomes really impressive.
The other reason to seriously consider this juicer is that it is one of the best on the market at retaining enzymes. There has been only one small test trial done on this that I could find, so the data is pretty limited, but in that one trial it extracted over 50% more enzymes than cheaper juicers. The reason why is because it has a twin gear that goes really slow during extraction. Faster is not better. Fast heats up your juice so you are basically cooking it lightly and destroying the nutrients. So you multiply getting that much more in valuable nutrients and enzymes and the extra juice you extract and the value is clear.
There is a cheaper twin gear juicer on the market called a Green Star (cheaper than the Super Angel, anyway - $500). I have that one too and it really only does the best juicing for leafy greens. Give it something like a carrot and it struggles a bit more. Plus it's much harder to clean which makes me not want to use it. It gives high quality juice though if you are only going to do greens and don't mind clean up time.
That said, you aren't going to get much value if the thing sits unused on your shelf, so you really should be serious about it if you buy a twin gear.
The only other juicer that extracts better quality juice is called the Norwalk juicer (named after Norman Walker, the father of juicing). It is even more expensive ($2500) and it has a two part process - a triturating part where the veggies are shredded and then a haudraulic press that extracts the juice. This is harder to clean than the one I have. The juicer I have is super fast to clean which makes a huge difference in wanting to use it every day. The only reason to get the Norwalk juicer is if you are trying to recover from some sort of ailment and need every nutrient possible.
Even if you get a cheaper juicer, I've read that people gain many wonderful benefits from those too, so don't get discouraged if you already have one of those juicers. Any juicing is fantastic for the health. If you get a centrifugal juicer the one to get is the Omega as it has the highest amount of enzymes of that type of juicer.
I highly recommend Norman Walker's book on juicing. It's called "Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices". It has wonderful information in it. He was definitely waaaaayyyy ahead of his time. If you are looking for something with pretty pictures, then maybe that is not for you. But if you want to know detailed information on how juices can benefit your body, then you definitely need that book.
Additionally, I would recommend not storing your juice if you get a juicer any cheaper than the Green Star. The nutrients do not retain well. If you get a Green Star, Super Angel or Norwalk juicer you can store juice for a couple of days in glass canning jars with the juice all the way to the top of the lid so there is no oxygen in the container to degrade the juice. It's always best to drink your juice immediately though, even if you have one of these juicers.
Wow, fun thread!
I've been lusting after a Norwalk since, well....forever, and would jump at any opportunity I get to have one at a smaller price, but I am sure I'll be happy with just about anything other than my Waring Pro anymore.
It has done well with infrequent uses and with the harder veggies/fruits, but just can't hold enough in the discharge chamber to make enough juice for us. I've already replaced the basket once in the two years or so that I've used it and now that it would be time to order another one, am looking at other options. The good news is, I've been told I might be getting a new juicer for Mother's Day
I'm excited about the Omega NC800 (basically a modified version of the 8006). So I'll have to wait and see!
I've been lusting after a Norwalk since, well....forever, and would jump at any opportunity I get to have one at a smaller price, but I am sure I'll be happy with just about anything other than my Waring Pro anymore.
It has done well with infrequent uses and with the harder veggies/fruits, but just can't hold enough in the discharge chamber to make enough juice for us. I've already replaced the basket once in the two years or so that I've used it and now that it would be time to order another one, am looking at other options. The good news is, I've been told I might be getting a new juicer for Mother's Day
I'm excited about the Omega NC800 (basically a modified version of the 8006). So I'll have to wait and see!That NC800 looks cool... I hadn't seen that one before. Looks easy to move around. I am very happy with mine (the 8004 model).