So you’re considering buying a Juicer Machine to change your lifestyle, adjusting your eating habits and improving your overall health. This would be a great decision because it’s a fantastic way to supplement your nutritional needs. Juicing allows you to eat the recommended daily servings of vegetables/fruits and do it in a creative and tasty way. With juicing you get tons of vitamins, mineral and nutrients that help your body combat disease, improve skin complexion, lower blood pressure, cholesterol, so on and so forth.
There are a several options out there regarding Juicer Machines and this can definitely be a little overwhelming. Different machines promising to do different things and all advertising it will change your life for the better. I want to go ahead and explain the different Juicer Machines, what they do and some of their benefits and drawbacks.
First of all there are three main categories of Juicer Machines not including citrus juicers because they specialize in juicing citrus only and blenders are not juicers, they make smoothies. For this article I will specifically describe Centrifugal Machines, Masticating Machines and Triturating Machines, also known as twin gear juicers.
Let’s begin by talking about Centrifugal Machines. The name literally means to remove from the center and this is exactly what the machine does. It utilizes a flat blade to slice and chop the vegetables/fruits and then spins at a high speed to extract the juice from the pulp. The greatest benefit of the Centrifugal Machine is that it runs at high RPMs which make it incredibly fast for juicing fruits and vegetables. Additionally, the Centrifugal Machine is the most popular type of juicer and the most affordable. The price point typically ranges from as low as $50 to $350 dollars. This is why the Centrifugal Machine is the perfect juicer for beginners. There are many Centrifugal Machines to choose from and I’m just going to list a few of the more popular models which include, the Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite, Kuvings NJ-9700U, Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor, Jack Lalane PJP Power Juicer Pro, etc.
Some of the drawbacks associated with the Centrifugal Machine is that it does not juice root and fibrous vegetables or wheat grass. Furthermore, its greatest benefit is also its biggest drawback. The Centrifugal Machines use a lot of energy to spin that blade and this unfortunately generates a lot of heat. The heat created when operating the machine also heats the juice which kills many of the nutrients and enzymes we are after when juicing. The machines also tend to be noisy and difficult to clean since it has many parts. For the more experienced juicers or juicing purists, this is a major setback and it’s the main reason why they tend to prefer Masticating Juicers.
Masticating means to chew or grind to a pulp, which is exactly what these machines do. The Masticating Juicer uses an auger (essentially a big screw) to chomp the vegetables/fruits. The vegetables and fruits are then pressed up against a mesh lining inside the interior of the tube which separates the pulp from the juice. The juice is literally squished out of the pulp. This allows for a higher yield in the juice, experts say it’s up to 20% more juice than that of a Centrifugal Machine. Moreover, since these machines operate at very low RPMs usually 80, it does not heat up the juice nor does it kill any of the nutrients. Unlike its colleague, these machines can juice root and fibrous vegetables, wheat grass, leafy greens, etc. Not only can it juice, it can be used as a multi-purpose appliance capable of making nut butters, homogenized baby food, homemade pastas, soymilk, ice cream, sorbet, grinds coffee, etc. Furthermore, they are easier to clean since it doesn’t have many parts and can usually be cleaned by running water through it. Some Masticating Juicers include, Omega J8006, Hurom Slow Juicer HU-100B, Kuvings NS-850, Champion Juicer, Lexen Healthy Juicer, etc.
The negatives to Masticating Juicers include; slow juicing times, more expensive and smaller chutes for the produce. The prices for these machines usually range from $250 – $400, which can definitely set you back. However, juicing advocates say that you can make up the difference since you won’t have to spend as much money for the produce because it yields more juice. Furthermore, its multi-purpose functionality also saves you by not having to buy other specialty machines.
Lastly there’s the Triturating Juicers (twin gear juicers), which are like the Rolls Royce of the juicing world and their price tag reflects that. They are really expensive, ranging from $550 – $2000. These machines are essentially beefed up masticating juicers that can give you a higher juice yield, still juice all the things that the Masticating Juicers can, just that they do it more efficiently and slower. In the juicing realm, slower is better. This is because it prevents the juice from oxidizing thus retaining more of those essential nutrients. They use twin gears (augers) which again act as grinding agents to squish the juice out of the pulp. The difference between masticating and Triturating Juicers is that the two augers work simultaneously to crush then squeeze the juice out of the pulp. They also can be used to do all the extra things the Masticating Juicer can like nut butters, baby food, pasta, etc. These juicers are phenomenal, but for the price I prefer the Masticating Machine. Unless of course there is no price tag on your health; or you’re operating a juicing business. Some Triturating Machines include, Green Star GSE-5000 Elite Twin Gear Juice Extractor, Super Angel 5500, Green Power KPE1304, etc. tube ice machine