Do I need a juicer?
A lot of the juicers I see are really expensive, which makes me wonder if they have any significant benefit over my current food processor. I found a few articles (e.g. this one) which seem like they're saying that there's no huge difference between the two.
Do juicers just exist for people who are ultra enthusiastic about getting the best juice possible, or does someone who just wants to make juice once or twice a week need one?
Best Answer
Depends on what you're juicing. If you're juicing something like a lemon/lime for lemon/limeade, you can just strategically slice and squeeze to get all but a couple mLs of juice.
If you're juicing something like an apple, you can cook it slightly and then use your food processor to make apple sauce, which can these be squeezed through a cheesecloth/pillowcase for a great deal of juice.
For everything else (practically at least), a manual juicer (like this) will do just fine and cost a maybe a few bucks.
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Quick Answer about "Do I need a juicer?"
Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a juicer to juice. All you need is a blender, a spatula, a mesh strainer, a bowl, and produce. Whether you want to juice for the health benefits, or you just like to start your day with freshly-squeezed citrus, you don't have to own a juicer to make it happen.Is it worth it to get a juicer?
Despite some claims from manufacturers, CHOICE experts have found insufficient evidence that either type of juicer creates more nutritious juice than the other, or that one type heats the juice more or less.Is juicer a waste of money?
By juicing, you're making it easier for your body to absorb all the nutrients of fruits and vegetables without having to work as hard. Therefore it isn't wasteful. However, not all juicers extract the same amounts of juice. Depending on the machine, one juicer can give you less waste than others.Is it better to use a juicer or blender?
If you prefer creamy smoothies that are more filling and contain ingredients other than just fruits and vegetables, then a blender is your best bet. Blenders are more versatile than juicers, and can be used for other kitchen tasks. If you want more potent and concentrated juices that aren't as filling, go for a juicer.Why fruits should not be juiced?
While eating the fruit is beneficial for the body, making a juice out of it is not as good. Juicing strips most of the nutrition away from the fruit, leaving you with a whole lot of sugar that can cause your blood sugar and insulin levels to rise.Do You Need a $400 Juicer?
More answers regarding do I need a juicer?
Answer 2
Your second link explains the main types of juicers. Here's another page with much the same information, including links to various brands of juicers.
- Centrifugal juicers first grate the food, then extract the juice by spinning a strainer basket at high speed.
- Masticating juicers use an auger in a sleeve to chew up the food and extract the juice by crushing it.
- I'd never heard the term "triturating" before this, I thought these were simply called twin-gear masticating juicers. In any case, they also chew up the food, and extract the juice by crushing it, in this case between the two interlocking gears.
I had to go to the fourth page of your Amazon to find the current version of the juicer we bought 14 years ago - the Angel One. It's a twin-gear juicer, cost us over $1000 at the time, it's REALLY heavy, but it does work well. Most reviews of different juicers say that a masticating type will extract more juice than a centrifugal and do it with less friction heating. I don't know if heating the food while extracting the juice is really an issue, but our juicer really is excellent at getting all the juice out very quickly. The pulp that comes out is very dry, although I tend to run orange or grapefruit pulp through a second time to get every bit of juice out.
So, like many things, there are some advantages to the very high-end equipment, but in addition to the $$, there are other trade-offs you have to think about before going that route in a juicer.
Answer 3
Juicers are like those little slap-and-chop things; they might be a little easier, but they're really not necessary.
There's nothing you can do with a juicer which a you cannot accomplish using a hand reamer or combination of a blender/food processor and a strainer/chinois/cheesecloth.
Answer 4
If you're looking to liquify and maintain the fiber, you may want to consider a Vitamix. It's a high end blender, which can be used for more than just juicing which gives it added value. It runs about $400USD.
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