Types of Juicers

Juicing has become one of the hottest trends of the health market these days and there’s a good possibility that you’re looking at buying your own juicer.

Deciding that you want to juice is already a great first step. But now you’re probably left wondering what the best type of juicer is. There are so many on the market and they all have different features. So which one is right for you?

Before buying a juicer, you’ll want to ask yourself a few questions.

• How much time are you willing to put into juicing?
• Will your juice be a quick healthy snack or a health ritual that you’re looking to put your effort into?
• Is extracting the most juice from your fruits and vegetables and obtaining the highest amount of nutrients important to you? Or does convenience trump all?

Once you’ve considered your answer to each question, read on (or watch the video below) to see which juicer fits your needs the best.

There are four different major kinds of types of juicers: a centrifugal force juicer, masticating juicer, twin gear juicer, and a juice press. Keep scrolling to see the pros and cons of each type of juicer.

Centrifugal Force Juicer

A centrifugal juicer, also known as a fast juicer, is the most popular type of home juicer. The biggest selling point is the fact that they are a cheap juicer to buy.

So how does this juicer work?

It takes the fruits and vegetables through a feed tube and directly into contact with a blade that shreds them at 6,000-14,000 RPM. The juice is thrown by the centrifugal force of the spinning basket towards the sides and pushed through a sharp screen into a jug or glass. The juice that is made from a centrifugal juicer tends to separate quickly and includes up to 30% solids including skins, seeds, and stems.

Pros

• They are fastest at extracting juice from fruits and vegetables, especially if you have one with a tube that is wide enough to take on whole small apples, cucumbers, or oranges
• They stand upright so they take up minimal space on your kitchen counter
• They tend to be the least expensive juicers since they are cheap to make

Cons

• The speed of rotation causes heat that degrades the quality of juice produced
• More oxidation takes place, creating a foam on top of the fresh juice and causing it to separate quickly
• They can be quite noisy
• They don’t handle leafy greens or wheatgrass very well
• The juice won’t stay fresh for very long, separating in a matter of minutes
• Juice contains a high amount of solids or “pulp” and indigestible fiber
• Nuts and seeds are not recommended to be juiced in this type of juicer, so making nut milk on a centrifugal juicer is a no-go

This juicer is best for people on a budget who don’t need large batches of juice and want to drink their juice as soon as it is made. It’s also for people who want to juice for the nutritional benefits but want to do it with as little effort as possible. They’re also cheaper than other options out there, making them great for juicing beginners.

Masticating Juicer

Masticating juicers are also known as the slow juicers. They use a slow auger (gear) to crush fruits and veggies and force against and through a sharp screen at 80 to 100 RPM. The juice is a pulpy, foamy product that can be bitter to taste and has a thick and chunky mouth-feel. Many brands of masticating juicers market them as “cold-pressed”, while they don’t actually contain a press at all.

Pros

• They have a higher juice yield than centrifugal
• Can juice greens such as spinach, kale, and wheatgrass
• Less oxidation than centrifugal
• Juices tend to last longer than centrifugal
• They can function as grain mills so you can make nut butter or baby food
• Can be used to make nut milks
• They can process frozen fruits for instant frozen treats

Cons:

• There’s a smaller chute so they require more prep work
• They’re more expensive than centrifugal
• They can be hard to clean
• They’re slower because they take more time to extract the juice
• Takes can take up more counter space & can be very bulky
• Juice contains a high amount of solids or “pulp” and indigestible fiber, making your system work harder to absorb nutrients

This juicer is ideal for the person who’s looking to maximize the nutrients of their juices and are willing to spend a little more time doing it.

Twin Gear Juicer

Twin gear juicers utilize two gears (augers) that spin and pulls the produce in and chews it up. The augers extract the juice by pushing the produce into an through a decreasing size screen. This causes nasty stuff to get through, adulterating the juice with up to 30% solids including skins, seeds, and stems.

Pros

• Believed to extract more nutrients than centrifugal or slow juicers
• They can make baby food, nut butter, sorbets, and pasta
• They’re quiet

Cons

• They’re more expensive than centrifugal or slow juicer
• They’re slow
• They take up more counter space than a centrifugal juicer
• They’re harder to clean than single-gear machines
• The juice contains a high amount of solids or “pulp” and indigestible fiber

Whether It’s Masticating, Twin Gear, or Centrifugal Juicers, They All Have One Thing in Common: They Extract Juice by Forcing the Plants Against a Sharp Screen. Many Brands of Screen Extractors Market Themselves as “Cold-Pressed”, While They Don’t Actually Contain a Press at All.

Juice Press

A hydraulic or pneumatic juice press is the best type of juicer you can buy. Juice Presses are also commonly referred to as two-stage juicers since there are two stages: First the produce is ground up into pulp, then the juice is slowly extracted by pressing the pulp under thousands of pounds of pressure. A juice press is where the term “cold-press” juicer came from, even though it’s now used for other types of juicers as well. A juice press is the only type of juicer that actually contains a press, and therefore is the only true cold-press juicer.

Pros

• Extracts the most nutrients possible from fruits and vegetables
• Longest shelf life – store juice in a refrigerator for 3-5 days with minimal separation or breakdown of nutrients and taste
• Creates little to no foam in the juice
• Minimal oxidation
• Can achieve the highest yield out of hard-to-juice items like leafy greens
• Creates the most pure juice with 99% liquid, and less than 1% solids or “pulp”
• Can be used to make dairy free milk beverages from nuts, hemp seed, oats and soy
• Can be used to make nut oils

Cons

• The most expensive type of juicer
• Current home / consumer juice presses are somewhat cumbersome to use and clean. Commercial machines like Goodnature brand are much faster and easier to clean, but might be too expensive for some home users.
• Require the use of reusable or limited-use press bags to hold the pulp

If you’re interested in juicing and you want to look into a high-quality commercial juice presses, you can find Goodnature’s juicers here!

Or, if you’re looking for some amazing and delicious creations to make with your juicer, browse our juicing recipes here!