Wondering what are the different types of juicers and how they function? You’ve come to the right place as this is what I’ll be discussing today.
Not to mention, juicers have become a 21-century trend, and you’re probably trying to buy your own. However, when looking at the options, you’ll get overwhelmed by the numbers available out there. For someone new to this world, it becomes even difficult to keep things simple.
In truth, there are four main types that makeup to 80 to 90 percent of all juicers displayed in retail shops and online stores. All of them incorporate distinct features, have their benefits and drawbacks.
However, when trying to assess your best option, here are the few things you should remember:
- How much time can I allocate for juicing day-to-day?
- What is the amount of money I’m willing to invest in?
- The quality of the juice or the convenience of juicing, what matters most to me?
Now let’s move onto the main discussion.
Most Common Types Of Juicers
1. Centrifugal Juicer:
If you want a solution that takes on your fruits and turns them into juice in the least of time, centrifugal juicers are best in the business. They are also the most beginner-friendly option making them widely acceptable.
How does a centrifugal juicer work?
A regular centrifugal juicer often has a feed chute through which you will drop your produce and let the fast-rotating blade to shreds. The speed that the blade rotates can vary between 6000 and 14,000 RPM depending on different models.
The spinning basket utilizes the centrifugal force and yield juice continually until they are being thrown into the jar. While this happens, the pulp is automatically separated and forced out of the juicing screen into a separate container. You will find some of the best kinds of centrifugal juicers in Breville brand juicers.
Advantages of Centrifugal Juicers
- They are affordable comparing to slow juicers.
- They handle softer produce more effectively than other types.
- However, the biggest selling point is the ability to extract juices incredibly fast.
- If you manage to buy one with a wide chute, it will further save time on pre-cut.
- The upright design is convenient for your kitchen counter with limited space.
- They also have fewer parts making them easy to disassemble and fast to clean.
Drawbacks of Centrifugal Juicers
- They tend to be noisy
- Comparing to slow juicers extract less yield
- Often struggle to press out leafy greens for fair amount juice.
- The quality of the juice tends to decline early and, therefore, not ideal for stocking.
Estimated Costs: $60 to $200
2. Masticating Juicer:
If you never mind spending a little extra time for the sake of drinking juice with more nutrients, Masticating Juicers is the ideal option. They are called the ‘slow juicers,’ and at 80 to 100 RPM processing speed, you know why.
How does a masticating juicer work?
Masticating juicers feature a single auger (gear) that crushes your fruits/ veggies in a slow yet powerful squeeze. The slowly extracted juice is collected underneath the gear shaft, meanwhile, the pulp is ejected simultaneously into a pulp container.
Compared to the centrifugal juicers, they produce little to no heat and prevent oxidation from happening. Moreover, the grinding action allows them to dissolve more fibers from the produces. As a result, the extracted juices are thicker and high in quality. Omega juicers are the best example of masticating juicers.
Advantages of Masticating Juicers
- Masticating juice can last up to a maximum of 72 hours
- Due to less oxidation, they retain maximum goodness in the juice.
- They can process frozen fruits to make delicious desserts and sorbets
- The slow speed grinding allows them to produce more juice from fruits/vegetables
- They perform quite well when extracting juice from green leaves (kale, spinach, wheatgrass, etc.)
Disadvantages of Masticating Juicers
- They cost a little higher than centrifugal juicers
- They act slowly and need more time to fill a juice collector
- Disassembling the spare parts require time and careful attention
- Masticating juicers are often bulky and occupy more counter space
- Juices are likely to be denser and might feel off-putting to some people
Estimated Costs: $100 to $400
3. Twin Gear/Triturating Juicer
Much like the previous one, they fall in the same category as slow masticators. However, with a slightly distinct approach, they get you the most out of your vegetables, fruits, and leafy greens. It does matter, especially when you’re committed to taking your juicing to the next level.
How does a twin gear juicer work?
Twin gears apply the same technology as masticating juicers that slows down the oxidation process. In this case, however, they do this by using two augers that crush produces and then press the juice in two different stages. Thus, they are able to make juices that are extremely healthy and full of nutrients.
Advantages of Twin Gear Juicers
- Relatively quiet when in use
- The twin auger gets you the highest yield
- They excel at processing juice from both hard and soft produces
- Least oxidation in the process means the juice can be stored for late consumption
- Able to serve different purposes such as nut butter, baby foods, sorbets, and pasta
- The two-stage extraction is implausible to take out more soluble enzymes, fibers, and minerals from the pulp
Disadvantages of Twin Gear Juicers
- They come with a high price tag
- They are quite bigger and not suited for a regular kitchen counter
- With a narrow feed tube, the foods must be pre-cut into smaller chunks
- Have all the drawbacks of masticating juicers that I’ve previously mentioned
Estimated Costs: $400 to $1000
4. Hydraulic Juice Press
Although different slow juicers are referred to as ‘cold press’ nowadays, it is hydraulic juicers that truly contains a press. Invented back in 1930, these traditional juicers are most expensive and hence best suited to avid juice lovers.
However, when the time comes to serve, gathering a hydraulic juicer is by far the most effective option. It can extract an incredible amount of liquid (up to 99%), leaving behind a minimum waste (only 1% pulp).
How does a hydraulic juice press work?
Hydraulic juicers work in a two-stage mechanism. After being dropped into the juicer, the produces are shredded into tiny pieces and ejected concurrently into a reusable press bag.
In the second phase, this nylon bag (or folding cloth) is then transferred to a pressing tray, which puts the content under extreme pressure (up to 6,000 PSI) once the machine gets turned on. This press out enough juice, which is also filtered by the press cloth before collected in a jar at the end.
Advantages of Hydraulic juice press
- Juices are more flavorful than other types
- It can be used to produce dairy-free milk beverages.
- Retain the highest percentage of vitamins and mineral in the juice
- Sturdy stainless-steel construction withstands a long period of use
- Due to slow extraction, the produces are not subject to heat or oxidation.
- Juice stays safe despite the longest shelf life (approximately 3 to 5 days).
- Provide maximum yield even from hard-to-juice ingredients like leafy greens
Disadvantages of Hydraulic juice press
- Is not easy to clean
- Takes more time to prepare juice
- Most expensive of all the juicers
Estimated Costs: $400 to $2000
Other Types Of Juicers
Citrus Juicer:
Designed exclusively for citrus juicing, they are some one-trick pony. With the courtesy of an auto-reversing cone, they twist and squeeze out the very drop of juice from your citrus fruits (i.e., oranges, lemons, etc.). For this, you’ve to cut the fruits in half, and the citrus juicer will do all the hard work for you (don’t apply to manual juicers).
Pros:
- Lightweight and portable
- Very affordable yet highly durable
- Vastly efficient to crush more juice out of citrus fruits
- With a few mechanical parts, easy to assemble and clean
Cons:
- Their usage is limited to citrus juicing
Wheatgrass Juicer:
Wheatgrass is full of antioxidants and a kind of leafy greens. They are relatively thicker and fibrous than other vegetables and sometimes get stuck when put through to a traditional juicer.
Some juicing aficionados thus prefer dedicated juicers to process wheatgrass in the most feasible way. They have a crank handle that needs your hand to rotate once the produces are loaded inside the hopper. For example - Lexen GP27 original healthy juicer. However, some masticating juicers can be used as an alternative to extract juice from wheatgrass.
Pros:
- Low-speed motor promotes quiet operation
- Help retain most natural enzymes and fiber in the juice
- Works in a slow masticating process to release high juice yield
- A cost-effective solution to juice all kinds of herbs and leaves (wheatgrass, barley grass, etc.)
Cons:
- A bit heavy
- Requires manual works
- Typically, can’t juice vegetables and fruits
Manual Juicer
If you want a non-electric selection that you can pack in the car, manual juicers are an easy choice. They are quite portable and have fewer mechanical components to work with. Depends on the power of your hands, they work by squeezing your fruits and veggies before passes down through a mesh filter.
Pros:
- Compact and lightweight to bring on a trip
- Juicing on a low gear ensure minimal oxidation
- Don’t feature a motor, so noise is not even an issue
- Significantly cheaper than other electric operated juicers
- Use a lever or crank to perform juicing and save you on electric bills
Cons:
- Hands get sore when trying to make a lot of juice
- The type of produces that you can juice is restricted
Final Words
A recent study has found that about 30% of us don’t get proper nutrition from different fruits and vegetables that we consume daily. And having a good juicer at your countertop is the way to solve this.
Coming to the end, I hope the information shared in this article is of use to you when looking at different types of juicers.
Lastly, let me remind you for the last time, knowing your lifestyle, health needs, and expectations play a major role when matching your juicer to your specific condition.