Juicer Comparison | Kitchen of Life

Give the gift that keeps on giving this holiday season! A juicer surely is a gift that keeps giving in the form of health. Here are some helpful juicing suggestions when thinking about purchasing one of the very important kitchen basics. Excerpts may be found on our facebook page.

Centrifugal juicer

A centrifugal juicer spins at high speeds rotating around a central axis point. The vegetables are basically ground to a pulp. The spinning motion forcesthe juice away from the pulp by expelling the pulp into a container while pouring juice out from the spout. The friction caused by the high speed of the centrifugal juicer produces heat, which in turn kills the living enzymes (a necessary catalyst and life force of our food). Centrifugal juicers are very affordable and can be found in many department stores. A centrifugal juicer cannot juice wheatgrass a very beneﬁcial component to overall health.

To get the most out of juicing our suggestion is to use a masticating juicer, especially if you plan to juice wheatgrass. A masticating juicer is one whose blades move slower than that of a centrifugal juicer. A few important things to consider would be: cost, cleaning the juicer and amount of pulp ejected after juicing. First, discern between a single and double auger (augers mean gears) juicer.

Single auger masticating juicer

Many of the single auger juicers are moderately priced making them appealing due to their affordability. While they take less time to clean than a double auger juicer one drawback is the pulp can be wet creating more waste. To maximize results, the pulp can be sent through a second time for further extraction. This technique works quite well.

Double auger masticating juicer

Double auger juicers are more efficient considering the ratio of juice to pulp. Double auger juicers expel a dry pulp, putting more of the juice into your cup. The one drawback to a double auger juicer is that it can take a little more time and effort in cleaning than a single auger juicer but the difference is minimal. On average it takes 3-5 minutes longer to clean than a single auger juicer. Additionally, double auger juicers are generally more expensive than single auger juicers. In my opinion, the cost differential equals more juice in the cup.

Masticating juicer

A masticating juicer does not whip or whirl the juice out of the vegetables but rather squishes the juice out through the slow grinding, chewing motion of a gear. Mastication means “to chew” and works the same as our mouth when we chew our food. The gear or gears knead the vegetables into a pulp rather than through centrifugal force and sharp edges. A masticating juicer uses the vegetables more efficiently by keeping the living enzymes intact. A vertical (upright) masticating juicer will not juice wheatgrass effectively. A masticating juicer requires a little bit more of a ﬁnancial investment.

Some juicer options:

Featured here is a vibrant, apple red Green Power juicer. It also comes in white or black and is priced anywhere from $499 – $600. This juicer may be found on eBay or Craig’s List if paying retail price is not an option. Check out Amazon.com to ﬁnd specials as well. Green Star belongs to the Green Power family and is priced a little bit more favorably but the one drawback is that it produces a lot of “foam” (much like beer foam) when juicing wheatgrass. Foam is not harmful but can be a nuisance when trying to empty the wheatgrass into your shot glass. The Green Power produces an excellent quality juice, minimal amounts of foam and expels very dry pulp leaving more juice for you in your cup. Your savings equate to having to purchase less produce which, depending on what is purchased, can be quite a cost savings.

Pictured above is an Omega 8005/8006 which retails for $249 and $299 respectively. It is a single auger juicer, produces a great juice, is very easy to clean and is moderately priced considering all that it offers. I own two of these. Some of the drawbacks with this juicer are the fragile plastic attachments (I had to replace a part, but got a new one for free). Another minor setback is the pulp contains more moisture than is found with a double auger juicer. To maximize results, the pulp can be sent through the juicer a second time.

While not the most expensive juicer on the market, the Angel Super 5500 retails for $1500 but can be found as low as $1,150. It is worth mentioning because this is the juicer used by one of the directors of Hippocrates Health Institute, Dr. Brian Clement. The juicer is constructed entirely of stainless steel and claims to eject a virtually dry pulp. While of excellent quality it may be best to leave this juicer for the wheatgrass connoisseur due to its high cost.

For the extremely cost conscious consumer, or for the purpose of a traveling juicer, a manual crank may be the best alternative. The manual crank can be a little awkward to assemble and cumbersome to maneuver but the cost can’t be beat. For only $49 this machine can travel, work when power is out and can still deliver the same quality juice that a single auger electric machine can. Although not ideal to produce large amounts of wheatgrass, this is certainly a great appliance for starters or for those looking to start slowly with their juicing investment.

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