Choosing a Juicer

How to Choose a Juicer

To gain the greatest benefits of juicing, choose a juicer that is right for you. It can make the difference between juicing daily and never juicing again.

A Juicer is not a blender

I need to distinguish between a blender and a juicer. A juicer separates the liquid from the pulp (insoluble fiber). A blender liquefies everything that is placed in it; it doesn't separate the pulp from the juice.

Should I get a juicer that keeps all the fiber in the juice?

If you think it might be a good idea to have carrot, beet, parsley, or celery pulp in your juice for added fiber, I can tell you from experience that it tastes like juicy sawdust. For the most flavorful juice, which is juice you’ll drink every day, I recommend using a true juicer—not a high-powered blender.  However, high-powered blenders are great for many other recipes such as smoothies, cold soups, and raw food dishes

Get a machine with a good motor

Choose a machine with adequate horsepower (hp). I recommend a juicer with 0.5 hp. Weak machines with low horsepower ratings must run at extremely high rpm (revolutions per minute). A machine's rpm does not accurately reflect its ability to perform effectively because rpm is calculated when the juicer is running idle, not while it’s juicing. When you feed produce into a low-power machine, the rpm will be reduced dramatically, and sometimes the juicer will come to a full stop. I have "killed" some machines on the first carrot I juiced.

Sustain blade speed during juicing

Look for a machine that has electronic circuitry that sustains blade speed during juicing.

Choose a juicer that can juice all types of produce

Make sure the machine can juice tough, hard vegetables and fruits such as, carrots, and beets, as well as delicate greens, such as parsley, lettuce, and herbs. Make sure it does not need a special citrus attachment.  For wheatgrass juice, you’ll need a wheatgrass juicer.  The machines that juice wheatgrass along with other vegetables are very time consuming to clean and use.

A large feed tube saves time because you don’t have to chop everything up in little pieces.

Ejects the pulp
Choose a juicer that ejects pulp into a receptacle. This design is far better than one in which all the pulp stays inside the machine, and has to be scooped out frequently. Juicers that keep the pulp in the center basket rather than ejecting it cannot juice continuously. You’ll need to stop the machine often to clean it out. A juicer that ejects the pulp is a time saver because you can line the pulp catcher with a free plastic baggie from the grocery store produce section and you won’t have to wash the receptacle each time. When you’re done juicing, you can either toss the pulp or use it in cooking or composting.

Choose a juicer with only a few parts to clean
The more parts a juicer has, and the more complicated the parts are to wash, the longer it will take to clean your juicer and put it back together. That makes it less likely you will use your machine daily. Also, make sure the parts are dishwasher safe.

Cherie’s Favorite Juicer

Juice Master Pro

Method of Juicing: centrifugal, automatic pulp ejection

Motor power: 900 Watt

Revolution speed: Up to 10 400 rpm, 2 speed settings

Material: stainless steel finish base, stainless steel blade and mesh filter, sturdy plastic lid with chrome plated safety locking arm, plastic pulp container, jumbo sized juice jug and plunger

Feed tube: 3.3", round shape

Dimensions (Hx W x D): 16" x 8" x 11"

Weight: 11.5 lbs.

Colors: polished stainless steel finish base, clear plastic lid and jug, black plastic pulp container

Warranty: 10 year on the whole appliance (one of the longest in the juicer industry), excl. the blade for which warranty is 1 year.

Price: $199 Buy Now