Organic juice – choosing a juicer

Last December I looked at some of the reasons motivating me to continue preparing fresh organic fruit and vegetable juices for my family. For those of you who are interested in making your own juice, I thought I’d take a look at the various technological options available to you.

There are many implements and appliances available for making your own juice. These range from the relatively inexpensive to the almost unbelievably overpriced. While the equipment you choose needs to suit your intended purpose, it’s also important for it to fit within the parameters of your household budget. There’s no point forking out money for equipment you’re not going to use after a few weeks. Unfortunately, people often spend good money on expensive juicing equipment only to see it gather dust at the back of their cupboards. One of the reasons many people give up on juicing is the time it takes to clean up afterwards. Therefore, ease of cleaning should be a major consideration when choosing a juicer.

To ensure you choose the most appropriate juicer for your needs, I’d encourage you to think about the following questions:

• What is the main purpose of your juicer?
• How frequently do you intend to make juice?
• How much kitchen bench space do you have?
• What sorts of juice do you want to make?
• How easily can the juicer be taken apart?
• How easy is it to reassemble the juicer?
• Is it possible to access all corners of the juicer to remove excess pulp?
• What is your budget?

Here are some of the more common options available:

Citrus juicers – Naturally enough, a citrus juicer can only be used with citrus (for example, lemons, grapefruits, limes). A simple citrus juicer is one of the least expensive and most commonly found juicing implements in any kitchen. If you intend to limit your juice making to the occasional squeeze of a few oranges and lemons, a simple citrus juicer may be all you require. However keep in mind the fact that, while citrus is a fabulous source of Vitamin C – and therefore extremely good for you – it also contains high levels of acidity. When taken in excess, the acidity in citrus juice can overwhelm the digestive system. Accordingly, if you intend to juice more frequently than say once or twice a week, I recommend moving beyond a citrus juicer.

Food Processors – Food processors are versatile. They are designed to perform a wide variety of roles in the kitchen. Although some of them can be used for making juice, they tend to be significantly less efficient than appliances specifically designed to extract juice. One thing that you’ll want to ensure is that you maximise the amount of juice you obtain from your organic produce. For this reason I do not recommend using a food processor as a juicer.

Centrifugal juicers – Centrifugal juicers work by applying the concept of centrifugal force. Centrifugal means “to move away from the center”. Centrifugal juicers spin at very high speeds. As their internal mechanism spins, pulp is separated from juice. The pulp, which is caught in a separate section of the juicer, can be used for a variety of other purposes. Centrifugal juicers are compact, widely available and relatively inexpensive. They are efficient at juicing both fruit and vegetables. Although certain brands tend to be somewhat noisy, centrifugal juicers are a fantastic option for those looking to get into some serious juicing.

Masticating juicers – Masticating juicers work by forcing fruit and vegetables through a mesh wire. The force used to push the fruit and vegetables through the juicer is immense. As a result they tend to produce large quantities of juice with little or no wastage. Masticating juicers work at lower speeds and are therefore more adept at juicing a wider range of fruit and vegetables than centrifugal juicers. They are particularly good at juicing greens such as spinach, lettuce, wheatgrass and parsley. Although masticating juicers are generally more expensive than their centrifugal counterparts, they tend to be more efficient at extracting juice than centrifugal juicers. Over time, this may save you money since by using a masticating juicer you’ll require fewer raw materials (organic fruit and vegetables) to generate similar quantities of juice than if you were using a centrifugal juicer.

What do I recommend? If you’re just getting started on your juicing odyssey and you’re on a budget, I recommend a centrifugal juicer. A good quality centrifugal juicer, although somewhat noisier and slightly more difficult to clean than a masticating juicer, is a relatively less expensive option and will enable you to make a wide range of wholesome fruit and vegetable juices. On the other hand, if you’ve decided that you’re really serious about juicing and have a little extra cash to spend, I recommend a good quality masticating juicer.