There are probably millions of articles written about the benefits of a healthy diet. And what could be healthier than natural vitamins found in fresh vegetables and fruits??
Varieties
Depending on what energy the juicer uses to work, they are divided into mechanical and electrical. As the name implies, to operate devices of the first type, manual mechanical efforts are required, while electrical ones work from an electrical outlet. Of course, each variety has its own advantages and disadvantages. A mechanical juicer will cope with squeezing fruit or vegetable juice anywhere – in the country, on a hike, on a picnic; however, enough effort is required to activate it and you can get tired quickly. An electric juicer can handle any amount of food, but only in a room equipped with an electrical outlet and in the presence of electricity. Therefore, when choosing a juicer, decide in what conditions you are going to operate it and only then look at other characteristics;
By design, juicers are divided into citrus and universal. Well, everything is clear here: a device designed for making juice from citrus fruits can only be used to squeeze juice from oranges, grapefruits, lemons or tangerines. Such a device consists of a cone-shaped nozzle, a container for prepared juice and a motor.
A universal juicer is a more expensive device with a more complex device, but its functionality is much wider: such a juicer is used to make juice from all types of vegetables, fruits or berries.
In turn, universal juicers are divided into:
- centrifugal. Juicing using such machines is as follows: fruits (fruits, vegetables, berries) are placed in the bowl located on top of the machine; the juicer crushes them using disc-shaped knives, after which the juice flows into a special container, and the remaining waste goes into the separator. With this procedure, the temperature inside the appliance rises, as a result of which the food heats up and the juice is slightly oxidized. Because of this, some of the vitamins are lost and the drink becomes less useful. Another disadvantage of a centrifugal juicer is the inability to use it to squeeze juice from herbs to prepare “green” detox cocktails. However, do not rush to be disappointed in devices of this type: after all, if you want to squeeze juices from hard vegetables and fruits (for example, carrots, apples) every day, and you also need to process a large amount of these gifts of nature, then centrifugal juicers are exactly what you need necessary;
- screw. The principle of operation of such juicers is to gently grind products using a spiral auger (like a meat grinder). Further, the processed mass passes through a fine sieve, which separates the cake from the liquid. With this extraction, the temperature does not rise and the juice does not lose vitamins due to the forced heat treatment. The auger juicer is capable of processing not only fruits, vegetables and berries, but also nuts, healthy herbs, and coffee beans. Of course, it also has disadvantages: it takes more time to obtain juice with its help, it turns very soft fruits into puree and it turns out juice with a high content of pulp. Also, auger juicers are quite expensive..
Work speed
The following factors influence the choice of the speed of rotation of the cutting element of the juicer:
- What kind of juice do you want to get at the exit. If you like puree juice, with a lot of pulp, set the speed higher; clear juice will be obtained when your car is running at low speeds;
- Fruits and vegetables of hard species (beets, pumpkin, zucchini, apple) are easier to process when the knives of the appliance are rotated quickly; soft foods easily turn into juice at low speed.
How to choose the right one
In order to choose the juicer that is optimal for all the necessary characteristics, you must take into account the following parameters:
- What the body of the device is made of. Of course, metal is stronger than plastic, so choose a device with a metal case and “filling”. Such a juicer will last much longer than its plastic rival;
- It is very important what material the filter is made of. This part of the juicer has the greatest load, because it is necessary to withstand the pressure of the processed fruit and vegetable mass. Therefore, it is desirable that the filter is metal, made of stainless steel;
- The inlet (loading) hole should be wide enough to push a medium-sized fruit or vegetable (7 cm or more) into it. If it is less, you will need to pre-grind the products. The depth of the loading chute is also very important. For safety reasons, choose a model in which this value is greater than the length of your fingers – this will protect them from getting into the cutting element when pushing a fruit or vegetable into the depth;
- Juice container. Its volume depends on the number of people for whom freshly squeezed juice will be prepared – from 300 ml. for two people and up to 1-1.5 liters. for a large family;
- Option “Automatic cleaning”. Not all devices are equipped with this function. For example, citrus juicers do not have it, they are cleaned by hand. In screw juicers, it is: cleaning from the cake occurs by moving the waste through a special channel into the container. Centrifugal devices with a cylindrical separator are often equipped with a lever for emptying the cake, but they still have to be cleaned with hands or special brushes;
- Additional options. Such nice additions as, for example, the technology that allows you to keep the last drops of juice after it is squeezed out and poured into a container. This is necessary in order not to stain the table. Another useful option is the legs covered with a layer of rubber. They will prevent unnecessary movement on the work surface that can occur due to vibration at high machine speeds. Also, some designs have fuses that will prevent the inclusion of an incorrectly assembled machine;
- Manufacturer’s choice. A very important point. When you have decided on all the desired characteristics of your future juicer, consider several options offered by different manufacturers – from economy to premium. Remember that the quality of the device’s workmanship is a guarantee of a long and safe service. Pay attention to the warranty period and the possibility of post-warranty service.
Famous brands rating
We give the first place in our rating to universal machines of the firm “BOSCH” (Germany). They are made of high quality stainless steel, have additional options, long service life and good performance. There are models of different price categories on the market;
Another good manufacturer that we recommend for consideration is MOULINEX (France). It has a stylish design, nice additions, like the automatic cleaning function, and a more affordable price. The body material is steel, but cheaper models are made of plastic;
Further, we move on to the next foreign manufacturer – the Polish company ZELMER. Their juice extractors are also appreciated in the market due to their democratic pricing, excellent quality and a wide range of models;
The English brand KENWOOD did not stand aside. Juicers of this company are made of metal or high-quality plastic and have additional options (automatic cleaning, gear shifting). The products of this company belong to the premium class, so the prices are quite high;
We cannot ignore the domestic company BORK, which is perhaps the best Russian manufacturer of small appliances for household use. In the manufacture of juicers, only high-quality materials are used, they are distinguished by an impressive design, a long service life and the presence of various functions that simplify the work on the device. BORK juicing machines are premium technology;
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If you are interested in good technology for little money, take a look at the products of such brands as SCARLETT (joint production of China and Russia), DEX (PRC), SATURN (PRC). For a more than affordable price, you can choose a really worthwhile quality item.
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Reviews
Analyzing consumer reviews, we can unequivocally say that the overwhelming majority choose universal juicers. This is easily explained by the fact that constantly drinking the same type of juice will get bored very quickly. However, when it comes to choosing between centrifugal and auger machines, users are not so unanimous. Here are the pros and cons of each variety they point out:
- Centrifugal juicers undoubtedly have many advantages: rather low cost, a large selection of models, they easily process hard fruits and vegetables, and they are quite easy to wash. But one cannot but pay attention to the disadvantages of these devices: they make noise during operation, the output is wet cake, which gets into the juice, as a result of which it can turn into puree; due to the increase in temperature during the extraction process, the destruction of vitamins occurs, and, as a result, a decrease in the usefulness of the juice.
- Juice extractors also have both fans and opponents. Here’s what consumers are saying:
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- the positive qualities of such devices include their noiselessness, a higher percentage of juice at the outlet and the absence of cake in it; the temperature during work remains unchanged, therefore, all vitamins are preserved; they can be used to process not only fruits and vegetables, but also berries, nuts, herbs;
- the disadvantages of screw models are their higher cost and less choice of models.
Finally, I would like to say that in order to choose the right juicer, think about how often you will use it and what drinks to prepare. You don’t need to grab the first model you come across just because it has an attractive price, just as you don’t need to overpay for options that you personally don’t need. The best juicer is the one that combines price, quality and a set of necessary functions..
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