Citrus Juicers

Simple citrus presses are good for juicing oranges and lemons

The Black & Decker CitrusMate Plus CJ525, which has been replaced by the nearly identical Citrus Juicer CJ625 (*Est. $21), gets praise from experts and users alike. One professional foodie magazine gave this product top marks for ease of use and value. Made of dishwasher-safe orange-and-white plastic, the Citrus Juicer CJ625 has a convenient 1-liter pitcher with a handle, as well as cord storage. Editors at Amazon.com call it their top juicer under $50, and owner reviews there are favorable. Owners posting to Epinions.com say it's quick to operate and easy to clean.

But if you're looking for the top-of-the-line citrus juicer, and money is no object, reviewers point to the Breville Die-Cast 800CPXL (*Est. $180). Unlike most citrus juicers, the Breville Die-Cast 800CPXL combines a spinning cone with a mechanical lever. It costs more than other citrus presses, but owners say that you get a handsome, durable machine for the money. According to a prominent food magazine's editors, the Breville juicer is handsome and efficient. Its features include a drip-stop spout, safety switch, dust cover, cord storage and two filters. Owners posting to Amazon.com say that the Breville Die-Cast 800CPXL outclasses every other citrus juicer, but juicers costing far less do nearly as good a job.

The KitchenAid JE Citrus Juicer Attachment (*Est. $25) also gets high marks from users at Amazon.com for efficiency and ease of use, but you'll need a KitchenAid mixer to use it. Users note that using the vertically mounted attachment can be messy, and the included strainer is too small to be of much use.

A manual citrus squeezer is a good choice if you only juice citrus fruits once in a while. Reviews say that the Amco Enameled-Aluminum Citrus Squeezer (*Est. $13) is effective and easy to use. Although the manufacturer says the Amco squeezer is dishwasher-safe, users at Amazon.com say that this can cause the enamel to flake off.