Guest guest Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 What to look for in a Juicer http://www.allorganic.net/advice.html EASE This is by far the most important requirement. No matter how much a juicer can do, how often will it be used if you spend too much time cleaning up afterwards? Also have you bought a juicer that is so heavy to lift and hard to carry that it stays forgotten in the cupboard? There are still juicers around that have not improved their basic design for decades. Such juicers are heavy, hard to clear and hard to carry. None of the other criteria listed below matters if you don't use the juicer. Also some juicers are very noisy and can vibrate so much you almost have to either hold or chase after them. Juicing can easily be a regular and fun-filled practice but not with the wrong juicer! JUICER YIELD Yield is the amount of juice extracted from the fruit or vegetable. It is important that you maximize the amount of juice extracted. An efficient juicer not only extracts much more juice but also a much higher quality juice. Please DO NOT underestimate the importance of enzyme in maintaining good health. If you put your pulp through twice to get more juice then you have a low yielding machine. Also when you put pulp through twice you are further destroying the enzymes, antioxidants and vitamins through heat and friction. A high yielding machine gives 40+% more juice than some cheap centrifugal juicers. 33% less juice is equivalent to throwing 1 glass of juice down the drain for every 2 glasses you drink. JUICER TYPES Centrifugal, Low Speed and High Speed Masticating and Hydraulic Press Juicers. Centrifugal juicers introduce oxygen into the juice, creating oxidation. Oxidation degrades nutrients not immediately but over time. To maximize the nutrients of such juices, we recommend you drink the juice as soon as you make it. High speed also affects the " living juice " potential as enzymes are very intolerant to heat. Low speed masticating juicers produce a higher quality juice because they don't produce as much oxidation. High speed masticating juicers can be problematic if heat is generated. Heat will destroy nutrients on contact, unlike oxidation which occurs over time. Hydraulic Press juicers produce very little oxidation and heat, and therefore produce the highest nutrient juice. Every juicer sold by AllOrganic uses low speed and hydraulic press action. JUICER QUALITY As mentioned above, different juice extraction processes produce varying quality juice in terms of nutrients. We highly recommend the books of Dr Norman Walker who at one hundred said " I feel as fit and alive now, as I was at twenty " . He pioneered low speed press juicers in the thirties. JUICER WARRANTY A good juicer is built to last many years. They are usually guaranteed with warranties of 5 to 10 years. An inexpensive juicer lacks reliability, and is typically warranted 90 days to 1 year. Most inexpensive juicers were not built for daily use. The cutting blade usually wears out after 2 to 4 months, and the motor burns out after your warranty expires. POWER Power is measured by watts and not RPMs. RPMs measure the number of rotations per minute. The higher the RPM, the faster the nutrient from the produce is destroyed by oxidation. A slow speed juicer has a different wattage requirement (and wear factor) than a juicer turning at many thousands revolutions a minute. REPLACEMENT PARTS Finding replacement parts for unknown juicers can be a nightmare. Getting replacement parts from some manufacturers can take 4 to 8 weeks. Once you get into juicing every day, 1 week is too long to go without a juicer. Imagine not having a toothbrush for 4 to 8 weeks! VERSATILITY What else can the juicer do besides juice? Some juicers can also grind/mince and chop (seasonings, coffee, frozen produce and ice), make nut butter, deserts (sorbets) and act as a food mill (make bread sticks, pasta, noodles, cookie dough). WHEATGRASS Can the juicer also juice wheatgrass or other medicinal plants such as aloe or pine? If you are considering growing your own wheatgrass then avoid the expense and inconvenience of having to use a separate wheatgrass juicer. VALUE FOR MONEY All the factors above combined with the cost of the juicer give the real value for money. Only you can decide what brand and model will work for you. However, if you plan to juice regularly, we would not recommend any of the cheap juicers for $100 or less. Motors with low wattage are not built for high rpm juicing. The most common complaint is that these motors are overstrained and they burn out within 6 months, right after your warranty runs out. CONCLUSION: Buying a good juice extractor from the start is well worth it. It can be expected to last 20 or more years and if also low speed with hydraulic press action will provide you with enzyme-rich or " living juices " . Such health benefits will make the purchase of a good juice extractor one of the very best investments of your life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.