Since I’ve received quite a lot of questions about juice machines and about my juicing habits, I’d thought I’d share my knowledge in a few a posts for all of you to enjoy. The first post I’ve written is about how to choose the right juicer for you. There are a few different ones available on the market, that uses different processes for the actual juicing part. Each machine has their own pro’s and cons.
There are three different kinds of juicers, I’ve tried two kinds of them and I have owned two different ones. You might think that is a bit overkill but let me explain why I had two different ones, and what the difference is between the two of them are.
The first juicer I got was a multipurpose masticating juicer and mincer.
The benefits of a masticating juicer is that you can juice stuff like kale, herbs, salad, berries, sprouts and spices such as chili. You will get more out of your produce if you use juicer like this. Because of the way that the liquid gets pressed out of the produce in a very slow and gentle way.
You can also use this juicer with different nozzles for making sorbet, nut butters, pasta and whatever you come up with. So it’s really more then just a juicer.
The pro’s of this type of juicer are:
- You retain 60% more of the nutrients, then by using a centrifugal juicer
- You can juicer herbs, grass and other green leafy vegetables
- If you want multipurpose equipment, I guess that is a benefit for you as well – however I don’t think it is a reason to buy this juicer.
The cons of this juicer are:
- It takes time to cut all the veggies and fruits into small pieces prior to juicing, which is a must for the juicer to cope.
- It takes loads of time to juice – hence if you want to batch juice, this takes loads of time which may kill the motivation to juice at all.
The second juicer I got is a ordinary centrifugal Juicer from Philips, a HR 1861
What I like is that I can make loads of juice quickly, which is a requirement of mine. Sometimes I drink at least 1-4 liters of juice/day. So stocking up the fridge suits my busy schedule much better. Even though the downside is the quicker oxidation process and that the juicing process is rather “harsh”.
The pro’s of this type of juicer are:
- It makes juice really quickly
- You don’t have to chop the fruit/veggies at all or just slice to fit the tube, before juicing (whereas the Compact juicer, you have to chop your fruit into small pieces for an easy juicing process)
The cons:
- The oxidation process kick in faster, hence less nutrients are preserved
- You cannot juice very soft or small berries, or kale, or most green leafy vegetables.
I recommend both types of juice machines, because they fit different needs, however you only need one of them of course! I would say that the centrifugal juicer would be a great juicer to start off with if you are new to juicing – because you will probably only juice fruits in the beginning anyway. I wont recommend any particular brand.
When you choose a juicer – think about the following:
- Are you going to do vast quantities of juice? (then you should opt for a centrifugal juicer)
- Do you want to juice vegetables, herbs and kale? (then you should opt for a masticating juicer)
While I wrote this I was currently waiting for a new top for the Philips juicer, since it broke. So I would recommend extensive research before you buy a juicer – and buy with a purpose in mind. What do you prefer – to make loads of green juices? then a masticating is better. Or do you want to make big quantities of juice quickly? Then a centrifugal juicer is for you.
Adding a disappointing note:
Do stay away from the OBH Nordica version of above centrifugal juicer, my mom got one of those and I hate it! First bad experience I had was with the plastic meeting the drum while juicing – and melted a bit of the plastic – I don’t even know how the hell that happened or how it was possible! The second bad experience is trying to pick the juicer apart – it’s impossible for me and I always need to ask for help when I’m at my moms house because it gets STUCK really hard!