The Best Juicers

Buying Guide

Juicing is more popular than ever, as consumers grow increasingly interested in living a healthy lifestyle. An important first step in juicing is finding an appliance — a juicer — that will provide the healthiest juice yield while still being easy to use.

When you’re looking for a juicer, you’ll quickly discover there are three major types: centrifugal, masticating and triturating. Masticating and triturating juicers are very similar in that they can do both juice extraction and food processing. These juicers are ideal for chopping up leafy green vegetables. Centrifugal juicers lack the food processing element, which means you’ll likely need to steer clear of juice recipes incorporating leafy greens.

The key to these juicers is the process they use to grind food. A centrifugal juicer uses sharp blades to shred the material, then spins extremely fast to separate the juice from the pulp. A masticating juicer, on the other hand, uses an auger to crush the food. The separation happens through the use of mesh, with the pulp being pushed into a different part of the unit.

In addition to the types of ingredients, the juicing style also impacts the juice itself. A masticating juicer produces a very high-quality beverage with drier pulp and less foam. Centrifugal juicers provide a foamier juice with pulp that becomes wetter over time. You’ll want to drink the juice from a masticating juicer within a few hours, while juice from a centrifugal model can be refrigerated to enjoy later.

Even within centrifugal and masticating juicers, you’ll find wide variations in performance and operation. The model you choose will rely heavily on what you hope to get out of a juicer. If speed is most important, there are juicers that are best known for that, while others excel at being easy to use and clean. Once you’ve taken all of the features into consideration, you’ll be able to pinpoint the juicer that works best for your needs.

• Consider a masticating juicer during your search. You’ll get very consistent juice amounts and plenty of live nutrients with this style of juicer. When shopping for a masticating juicer, look for one that promises a low speed of only 80 RPMs. This minimizes heat buildup while also reducing oxidation.
• Keep in mind that some juicers are better than others if you want to incorporate leafy greens into your juicing. They are also great as a backup food processor, pasta maker and coffee grinder. Some even have a nutrition center feature to turn nuts into nut butter or make baby food from fresh ingredients.
• When it comes to juice yield, centrifugal models tend to impress. When compared to other juicers, they produce 30% more juice yield, although you may have to run it for more than one cycle to get all the juice out.
• If you prefer your juice as froth-free as possible, consider centrifugal juicers. Because of the lack of froth, you can drink it straight out of the machine.
• Some juicers are durable enough that you don’t have to slice ingredients into small pieces. They often have larger feed tubes, which means that you can insert larger ingredients, saving you prep work.
• If you’re looking for a quick glass of juice before heading off to work in the morning, consider how quickly each juicer functions.
• In addition to the taste of the juice, capacity is a top consideration. Consider how much juice your juicer can hold at one time.
• Once your juice is ready to drink, it’s time to clean up the mess. Some juicers are easy to clean, thanks to dishwasher-safe parts, aside from the cover. With some juicers, you’ll find you need a scrubbing brush for the strainer basket, as well as a cup to collect the excess liquid that comes out.