Aug 18 2010
Selecting a Juicer – What to Look for in a Juice Extractor
A juicer can be one of the best items you buy for your kitchen. Some juicers are of such quality that they can be passed down to family members even after decades of use while other juicers can barely make it through a few uses.
To prevent yourself from making a mistake when purchasing a juicer, consider these important points:
The Juicer is Easy to Use
The easier the juicer is to use, the more likely you are to use it. The more you use your juicer, the more it will pay you back with great beverages and better health.
Look for a juicer that doesn’t have hundreds of options and knobs for you to operate. A juicer really needs an “on” button and two speeds labeled high and low to cover the heftier vegetables.
It Will Look Great After Months and Years of Use
If you have dark juices and white carpet, you know what happens when the two meet, and it’s not pretty. The same goes for dark juices and other non-stainless materials.
A juicer made from stainless steel will look great after decades of use. Plastic juicers on the other hand can stain if they are not meticulously cleaned soon after use.
Plastic parts also wear down more quickly compared to metal parts, so consider the materials that make up the juicer as very important to your decision, not just for looks but for longevity also.
The Juicer is Sophisticated Enough to take Fruits/Veggies Un-peeled
High quality juicers are able to extract the juice from vegetables and fruits and toss the leftovers into what’s called the pulp container.
Read the reviews or watch videos, if available, to note if the pulp that is caught comes out dry. That’s a sign of a good juicer because the drier the pulp, means the more juice for you.
The Juicer can Take Large Vegetables and Fruits
Take a look at the feeding tube or opening on the juicer. If the opening is about 3 inches across, you will be able to fit whole apples down the tube as well as other fruits and vegetables.
Fitting whole fruits and vegetables will save you lots of time that you would have spent cutting up the fruits and veggies into smaller pieces.
Processes Fruits and Veggies Fast
The higher the watts and RPM of the juicer, the faster it will be able to process the fruits and vegetables. The higher those two numbers are, the less effort you have to put into pushing the food down the tube. High quality juicers are able to process tough veggies with just minimal guidance from you.
So how much is enough? A juicer with 1000 watts and 12,000-13,000 RPM will be able to process some of the toughest veggies out there and do it very, very fast.
The Juicer is Sturdy
The heavier your juicer is, the less likely it will slide around when you are putting vegetables in. A lot of sliding around is the last thing you want your juicer to do.
A juicer that is 15 pounds or heavier will greatly reduce this problem.
The Juicer has Great Capacity
The capacity of the juicer depends on how the juicer was designed. Some juicers place the juice output spout too low making it hard to place a large pitcher next to the spout to catch the juice.
Check the accessories with the juicer. The included pitcher will give an indication of how much juice you can make in one round of processing.
The Juicer comes with Key Accessories
Some juicers don’t come with a capture pitcher, so check the accessories listed. You’ll want to make sure that a juicing pitcher is included that has a froth protector. Froth (bubbly foam) builds up naturally when you juice with a juicer. A froth protector on the pitcher will prevent the frothy foam from being the only thing that pours out of the pitcher.
A juicer should come with a pulp container to catch the leftovers from the fruit and veggies.
A good juicer also comes with a recipe book so you can get started right off the bat.
The Juicer Parts are Dishwasher Safe
Finally, an important point that will help you re-use your juicer often: the parts can be washed in the dish washer.
A good juicer will lend itself to being used over and over again.
Stick with these tips, and you’ll have yourself a great juicer.
Thomas J. enjoys juicing and writing reviews for http://doobareviews.com which recently posted an in-depth review of a high quality juicer that can be found here: Breville 800jexl Juice Extractor Review