No need to do a juicer comparison? Let's see...
So you want a juicer. You go wherever you go to buy kitchen gadgets. The salesperson or website starts to spit out all these tongue-twisters: juice extractor, centrifugal, triturator, masticating, hydraulic press, single-gear, double-gear, high noise levels, heat generating, nutrient preserving, homogenizer, and many more.
Enough to drive you to juice...
Starting out, you may not need to know ALL this stuff, but some basics will come in handy, and allow you to say something more intelligent than 'huh?'. A juicer comparison chart will certainly also help to prevent a costly mistake.
Don't rush out to buy the most expensive model you can afford! You may still be at the stage where you associate greens with money, rather than with vegetables. If this is the case, it will be of no use to you to have another very expensive white (or stainless steel) elephant gathering dust in a kitchen cupboard.
An one will do just fine and takes up less space.
Chances are that you may just discover the joys of juicing. When this happens, any juicer comparison chart quickly becomes your new best friend...
If you already are into all the green and raw stuff and you long for a till-death-do-us-part relationship with your juicer, you will of course have to do some homework.
Talk to other juicers, read a good book or two, visit websites, and look at (and listen to!) juice extractors if you can. The effort will help you to get a feel for the differences in the technology behind each category.
In a juicer comparison, a unit such as the Braun MP80 or the Miracle Juicer MJ1000 may be recommended for beginners. Whilst not very powerful, they will give you an idea if juicing is for you.
Next, the Breville 800JE, the Nutrisource Juicer, and the Acme Juicer 6001 may be compared. These are centrifugal juicers.
One of the main differences you will pick up here, is that the Acme Juicer doesn't feature automatic pulp ejection. The Breville has this function. What is meant by this is that the basket of the Acme Juicer has to be emptied manually from time to time during use - more of an inconvenience than a serious drawback.
Another difference you will note in the juicer comparison is that the Breville is more noisy than the Acme and Nutrisource. This is also an indication of higher heat generation, which may destroy some of the nutrients in the juice.
Generally contrifugal juicers generate more foam than masticating juicers. Some therefore feature a fitted froth separator in the pouring jug. If you prefer a smooth juice, keep this in mind.
Following the charts, the spotlight will now be on the masticating juicers. In this category the Omega 8005, the Champion 2000+ and the Green Star GS-3000 will be the front runners.
Their differences will center mainly around whether they are single-gear or twin-gear, how the components are assembled and the make-or-break factor of cleaning the juicer.
Your juicer comparison will tell you that the Champion components are allergic to dishwashers. Fortunately this doesn't matter too much, as a quick rinse will do the job. In contrast, the Green Star gets a serious thumbs down for this aspect. Compared to the other masticating juicers, the Omega doesn't seem to have major drawbacks.
An important factor to keep in mind is that a juicer such as the Champion, require some arm strength to operate, and is therefore not recommended for someone with a problem in this regard.
You will also discover that most expensive doesn't always equal most effective. This realization will hit home with a juicer comparison chart listing a unit such as the Norwalk Juicer Model 270, and the really powerful commercial juicers.
The Norwalk has a huge following, but it receives a lot of flak for the painstaking process involved in cleaning it. Many of the more affordable juicers are just as effective as the Norwalk, and less time-consuming to clean.
While juicers such as the Omega 8005 and the Green Star GS-3000, can accommodate wheat grass, a juicer comparison chart will also mention specialized wheat grass juicers. These will include sturdy, efficient manual models such as the Back to Basics, the Hurricane, and the Porkert.
Also featuring will be an electric wheatgrass juicer such as the Miracle MJ-550SS. This popular machine has stainless steel juicing parts, and can be used for berries and soft fruits, as well as wheat grass and other greens. It is easy to clean, and has a safety switch to keep the motor from overheating.
So where does all the jargon leave you?
If you are a beginner, or plan to use your juicer only occasionally, don't spend more than you have to.
If patience isn't one of your virtues, a centrifugal ejection model, such as the Breville 800JE, will probably be the best match for you. This juicer is uncomplicated, quick and easy to use, and can accommodate the most commonly used fruits and vegetables without fuss.
If you are a raw-food fundi, you may feel more comfortable with one of the masticating juicers. If you are planning to do wheat grass juicing, make sure that this won't be where you and your juicer part company.
If, after reading all of this, you decide that orange juice will do for now, you need an article on how to choose a citrus juicer...
In the end your needs, your pocket, the size of your kitchen, and your taste-buds will determine your choice.
Happy juicer hunting!
