Juice It Blend It Live It

When people think of juicing, they think it’s messy, complicated, and takes too much time. However, it doesn’t have to be that way, and the first step toward making juicing an effortless part of your daily routine is having the right equipment. Luckily, there are lots of juicer options on the market and it’s important to find the one that best suits your needs.

Some juicers will save you money, others will save you time, and some will even extend the shelf life of the juice. Of all the juicers I’ve test driven, these are my favorite ones.

But first, I’ll explain the difference between juicers you’ll find on the market so you can make the best decision that suits your needs.

Centrifugal juicers use a fast-spinning grater. The juice gets spun through a strainer and out the spout, while the pulp ends up in a catch basket. The good news is that it’s easy to clean and use, it juices fast, takes up less counter space, is less expensive, and juices both fibrous veggies and larger pieces of produce well because it has a bigger chute. Some of the cons are that it’s noisier and the juice it makes has a shorter shelf life of just 20 to 30 minutes. I used a centrifugal juicer to create the recipes in this book.

Centrifugal juicers I recommend are: Breville Juice Fountain Multi-Speed, Breville Juice Fountain Compact, Omega 4000 Juicer, Jack Lalanne Power Juicer Pro, and Black & Decker Fruit & Vegetable Juice Extractor.

Masticating juicers use one slow-turning screw-shaped gear that squeezes the juice through a stainless-steel screen. The perk is that it extracts more juice, and with a higher nutritional value, there’s less foam and a longer fridge life (24 to 48 hours). Most of these models also juice wheatgrass and easily make nut butters, ice cream, veggie pâtés, and more. The cons are that it has a smaller chute, which means you have to chop the fruits and veggies into smaller pieces, it’s a little more difficult to assemble, and there’s a slightly higher price tag. You will also have to strain your juice if you use this type of a juicer.

Masticating juicers I like include: Breville Fountain Crush Masticating Slow Juicer, Hurom Masticating Slow Juicer, Omega Nutrition Juicer, Omega Vert, and Champion Household Juicer.

Twin gear juicers work at even lower speeds, slowly squishing the fruits and veggies between two gears. The juice stays fresh longer (about 72 hours), there’s a higher juice yield, and it’s also versatile—it easily juices wheatgrass and makes nut butters, ice cream, veggie pâtés, and more. It’s also very quiet. The cons are that you have to chop the veggies into smaller pieces because again the chute is smaller, it’s a larger and heavier machine, and it’s slightly more expensive.

Twin gear juicers I like include: Super Angel 5500, Samson Green Power Twin Gear, and Green Star Elite Jumbo Twin Gear Juice Extractor.

The Norwalk Hydraulic Press is the best juicer out there. It literally presses the juice out of fruits and veggies including tough-to-juice grasses like wheatgrass. This juicer makes 50 to 100 percent more juice and contains three to five times more vitamins and minerals than juice pressed from other machines. The juice stays fresh for about three days. The cons are that it’s a large and heavy machine and it’s quite expensive. It also is very time-consuming.

Wheatgrass juicers work by slowly squeezing and pressing juice out of the tough wheatgrass fibers. Wheatgrass juicers come in either hand-crank or electric versions. Some wheatgrass juicers also juice certain leafy greens, vegetables, and fruits.

The more popular wheatgrass juicers are: Lexen Healthy Juicer, Z-Star Manual Juicer, Chefs Star Manual Hand Crank, Handy Pantry HJ Hurricane.

The Three Most Important Features to Look for in a Blender Are:

Power—If wattage is lower than 700 watts then it’s better for chopping and not making smoothies. Ideally you want power in the range of 800 to 1500 watts.

Type of pitcher—Plastic is most common but make sure to look for one that’s BPA free.

Controls and speeds—The more options you have, the better and more versatile your blender will be. The Nutribullet is a good option and its small size is convenient for small kitchens. They can make the smoothie-making process much quicker and they are easy to clean.