Juicers are among the handiest kitchen appliances. These are particularly useful for those who consume fruit and veggie juices on a regular basis. You might have just been inducted into the world of healthy diet and realized the importance of fruit and vegetable juices, and now looking to buy a juicer to serve your needs. Or you might already have a juicer at home and thinking to replace it for a newer model.
Whatever be the case, it is important for you to know that there are three different types of juicers available in the market today. This post aims to make your choice easier by elaborating the different kinds of juicers and their mechanisms. You could then take your pick accordingly and buy the model that best suits your needs, lifestyle, and budget.
Types of Juicers
Juicers today can be broadly classified into three different categories depending on their mechanisms and type of motor, i.e., how they work to grind produce and extract juices from them. The three main types of juicers are:
- Centrifugal Juicer
- Masticating Juicer (aka Slow Juicer / Cold Press Juicer)
- Twin Gear Juicer (aka Triturating Juicer)
Each of these is described below.
1. Centrifugal Juicer
One of the most commonly used types of juicers is the centrifugal juicer. This type of juicer uses a cutting blade and a fast-moving strainer. The cutting blade chops the produce while the strainer simultaneously and rapidly separates the juice from the pulp. It uses centrifugal force to juice any fruit or vegetable and works really fast. The force separates juices from the pulp through tiny holes in the strainer.
The biggest USP of this kind of juicer is that it is so swift. Additionally, centrifugal juicers are easy to clean as well. If your requirement is to quickly extract juices from produce, then centrifugal juicers are your call. These waste no time and produce sufficient juice.
The use of a cutting blade in the juicer eliminates any need to chop the fruits and veggies manually. All you need to do is place all that you need to juice in the juicer, and the cutting blade spinning at 12,000 RPM shreds the produce in no time. The juicer and strainer then extract the juice in a separate container, while the chopped pulp goes into a basket.
Pros:
- High RPM (ranging anywhere from 3000 to 16,000). Juice is ready in a minute or less.
- Mess-free, organized and easy-to-clean removable parts: strainer, feeding tube, and pulp tank.
- Handles hard produce brilliantly. For example- carrots.
Cons:
- Noisy and doesn’t juice soft produce like leafy greens so well.
- High speed dilutes the quality of juice.
- Tends to heat up, making the juice prone to oxidation.
- Produced juice cannot be stored for long.
If you do not consume juices often, and do not need to produce a lot of juices at once, you can opt for centrifugal juicers.
2. Masticating Juicer
This kind of juicer doesn’t use a cutting blade. Also known as “slow juicers”, masticating juicers use a stainless steel mesh screen and a slow rotating auger to crush fruits and veggies. Since these rotate at a speed of 80-100 RPM, these produce no heat thereby eliminating any chance of oxidation of the ground juices. These are also suitable for soft fruits and juices, particularly leafy greens, and has a high yield compared to centrifugal juicers.
Pros:
- Can juice soft fruits and veggies like kelp and spinach.
- Has a high yield of juices.
- Doesn’t produce heat and juices produced remain fresh for a longer period of time.
- Can make sorbets and nut butters.
Cons:
- Slower mechanism.
- Large and bulky.
- Small feed chute, thus more preparation work is needed.
- Pricier than centrifugal juicers.
- Leaves behind pulp in the juice, you may choose to strain it or leave it, depending on your needs.
3. Twin Gear Juicer
This kind of juicer uses two augers to more efficiently extract juices from produce, and considered the highest quality among all types of juicers. Juices produced from twin gear juicers have cold-pressed quality.
Pros:
- Highest quality juicers.
- No loss of nutrients in juices produced.
- No heat produced, thus no oxidation of juices ground.
- Juices stay fresh for longer.
- Operates with negligible noise.
Cons:
- Expensive than other types.
- Difficult to clean.
You can thus choose and take your pick depending on your requirements and of course, your budget. Make sure to research on the different models available and then invest your money.
