By now you’ve probably heard of the health benefits of eating raw foods. The nutrients in fruits and vegetables are largely destroyed by cooking, thus rendering them only marginally more nutritious than straw. Shipping produce long distances is another factor in vitamin loss. Unless you eat local food with the seasons, there are times when vegetables from California or oranges from Brazil aren’t as nutritious.
I’ve been looking at juicers off and on for the last year, ever since trying the “cold-fighter” drink at the local Juice Zone Healthy Cafe. The drink, by the way, is a mixture of carrot, orange and ginger juices and whether it really helps fight colds I cannot say. However, it’s juiced to order and tastes like the nectar of the Gods.
According to ConsumerSearch, Inc., a service of About.com, there are two types of juicer extractors that are of interest to users who wish to juice hard vegetables such as carrots. They are the centrifugal juice extractor and the single-auger masticating juice extractor.
A centrifugal juice extractor is similar to a home blender. It has sharp blades to pulverize the raw food. The difference is that it also rotates the collector to squeeze the juice out of the pulp, sort of like the washing machine spin cycle. A higher quality centrifugal juice extractor will extract a larger percentage of the juice, leaving drier pulp for your compost pile.
A single-auger masticating juice extractor is similar to a wood chipper and is better at chewing up fiberous leafy greens. The auger crushes the raw food before squeezing out the juice. The single-auger juice extractor may come with attachments for making fruit spreads and nut butters. It is quieter than centrifugal juicers.
In general, unless you plan on extracting wheat grass, the centrifugal juice extractor is adequate.
Juice extractor power is measured in Watts. A high-powered juicer will be able to handle harder vegetables in larger chunks and will extract the juice more quickly. However, the higher the power, the more expensive. Restaurant-quality extractors are 2000W or higher.
For reference, 1000W is about a horsepower. Compare a juicer to typical non-self-propelled lawn mower, about 6 hp. This is not at all what you want in a countertop unit.
In a centrifugal juicer, the spin speed helps determine the yield. A faster spin extracts a higher percentage of juice. Though a faster spin is more expensive, a more expensive model may produce up to 35% more juice. Depending upon how much fresh juice you drink, the savings may be significant over the life of a more durable model.
Durability is desirable. Less expensive juicers have more breakable plastic parts. An all-metal juicer will last longer but will be more expensive.
If using a masticating juicer, the available attachments enable grinding nut butters, pureeing homemade baby food, etc.
Another feature to take into account is the size of the feeder. A wider feeder saves time because the veggies don’t have to be cut up first.
Dishwasher-safe parts are desirable for ease of cleaning.
I have chosen the Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite 1000-Watt Juice Extractor
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