Assessing your juicing needs

It's important to note that there are three main types of juicers: citrus juicers, all-purpose juice extractors and wheatgrass juicers. Citrus juicers, which can be manual or electric, are meant solely for citrus fruits like lemons, limes and oranges. With most manual models, you press the fruit against a wide, ridged cone known as a reamer and twist to extract the juice. In some newer and popular manual models, the fruit is placed into the well of a hand-held press. Electric models do part of the work by spinning the cone for you, and all you need to do is press the fruit onto the peak of the cone to extract the juice. Release the pressure and the machine stops.

Juice extractors, or centrifugal juicers, can be used on a variety of fruits and vegetables. They work by using a rapidly spinning disk or mesh basket to grate produce into pulp, which is then spun to separate liquids from solids. Cheaper models can handle softer veggies like cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach and tender carrots, but you'll need a pricier, more powerful model if you want to juice hard vegetables like beets and large, raw carrots. Most centrifugal juicers don't handle leafy greens or sprouts well.

If you want to juice wheatgrass, you need a model that's specifically intended for this purpose.  Wheatgrass juicers include single-gear (masticating) models and twin-gear (triturating) models. Most models can handle a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in addition to wheatgrass, although some single-gear models don't work well with leafy greens or sprouts. In addition, many of these juicers can also be used to make nut butters, sorbets, pâtés, baby food and even pasta. Wheatgrass juicers tend to be much slower than juice extractors, but they are also quieter and can extract more juice from the same amount of food.

Here are some factors to keep in mind before deciding on a juicer:

  • Consider your lifestyle and preferences. What kind of juice do you want to make, and how often? If all you want is fresh orange juice every morning, look for a citrus juicer. If you want to juice wheatgrass, you'll need a single-gear or twin-gear juicer. If you plan to make juice every day, then it is probably worth spending the money on a durable, high-end model. Consumers who aren't sure about embarking on a regular juicing regimen may want a less expensive starter model. Experts note that pricier models extract up to 25 percent more juice from fruits and vegetables, so they make up some of the higher cost by yielding more juice from the same amount of produce.
  • Balance speed against efficiency. Centrifugal juicers tend to work faster than wheatgrass juicers, but they do not extract as much juice from a given amount of produce. Think about which factor is more important to you: whipping up a juice cocktail quickly or avoiding waste. Those who are sensitive to noise may also want to note that masticating juicers produce far less sound than their centrifugal counterparts.
  • Look for useful features. A clear juice container lets you see the level of the juice in the jug. A longer power cord allows more flexibility in where you put the juicer, and cord storage stows it away neatly when the machine isn't in use. A wide feed tube is handy because it reduces the amount of chopping you have to do before putting your produce into the juicer. A pulp regulator allows you to adjust the amount of pulp that ends up in your juice. Additionally, some higher-end models can perform other tasks besides just juicing.
  • Think about cleanup. A juicer with fewer parts can be taken apart more easily, and if those parts are dishwasher-safe, it makes cleanup much easier. Also, consider the location of the pulp collector on your juicer. One that's inside the machine is much more work to empty.
  • Check the warranty. Juicer warranties, which range from 90 days to 15 years, may cover the motor for a longer period than the other parts. These other parts tend to be vulnerable to wear-and-tear, so look for durable models. Warranty length usually corresponds to price, but not always: The high-end Breville Juice Fountain Elite carries a warranty of only one year.
  • Be realistic about your purchase. If you're considering a juicer because you think you'll save money squeezing your own juice, think again. According to experts, it can take several pounds of fresh produce to make a single quart of juice, and unless you're growing your own fruits and vegetables, your homemade juice will likely cost much more than juice from a supermarket. Also, remember that no matter how good your juicer is, the juice you extract will never provide as much fiber and nutrients as eating the same fruits and vegetables whole.

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