There Are So Many Types of Juicers to Choose From - Which One is the Right One For Me?

When you are searching for a juicer you are certain to be bombarded with tons of confusing information. Numerous juicer makers all naturally claim their juicers are the best! With six main types of juicers available for your consideration it is no wonder the answer can be less than crystal clear. How then do you determine which is actually the best for your requirements?

Each main type has specific features that set it apart from the other types; the six main types are wheatgrass, masticating, centrifugal, citrus, blenders and hand press or manual. Before purchasing a juicer it is strongly recommended that you do some comparative shopping to assure that you buy the proper type of juicer for your needs. It will be much easier to buy the right type juicer once you understand the functions and features of each type of juicer.

Wheatgrass Juicers use a press method to gradually extract juice from grass. The gradual pressing feature is preferable over higher speed extraction methods since high speeds create heat that may damage or destroy live enzymes. Wheatgrass juicers commonly turn gradually at about 80-120 RPM.

In comparison, the majority of high speed juicers turn at speeds in excess of 1000 RPM. As a result of heat produced by high RPM, the enzymes contained in the extracted grass juice are damaged or eliminated.

Grasses contain very high fiber content and are not recommended for high speed juicers due to clogging potential. For anyone desiring to extract juice from wheatgrass, it is very important to look at the operating RPM's and select a machine with a low RPM to preserve the integrity of the enzymes.

Masticating Juicers are a super selection for those who intend frequent use of a juicer capable of juicing a wide assortment of food types. Masticating juicers are named for their "chewing "mechanism. Masticating juicers are designed with a single auger; they are extremely proficient at juicing most vegetables, fruits and wheatgrass.

These juicers are designed to be able to smash cellular structure and break fiber so that the nutrition contained within is released as juice. This type juicer is a workhorse and will juice almost anything you stuff down the chute.

A Centrifugal Juicer grates the food and then spins it to separate the juice from the pulp. Centrifugal juicers operate on the premise of centrifugal force, much like your washing machines spin cycle. The speed at which they spin is high in an effort to "spin out" the maximum amount of juice from the pulp.

The basic principle is that the higher the speed the more liquid is spun out and separated from the pulp or dry material. They are normally the least expensive juicer type among the powered models. They do not work well for leafy greens, herbs or wheatgrass. They do work well for extracting juice from vegetables and fruit.

A Citrus Juicer is a great selection for those who intend to extract juice from the various types of citrus fruit. This type juicer allows optimal extraction of all nutrients from the fruit without problems created in most juicers by the membrane, skin and seeds. Citrus juicers also efficiently extract the soluble fiber, pectin, which is known to help in lowering high cholesterol.

While most juicers cannot contend with citrus components like thick skin, membrane and seeds, citrus juicers are designed specifically to juice citrus fruits including lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit and tangerine.

A blender, to put it quite bluntly, is not a juicer. If you have ever used a blender to smash strawberries you will know from experience that all the blender does is macerate the berries into a mashed, blended state. Blenders are very basic machines designed to macerate and liquefy fruit.

A blender is not capable of separating juice from pulp; it does not enable the release of nutrients into the juice by breaking fibers. The result of using a juicer to make fresh instead of a blender is a highly nutritious, delectable drink of juice. It is a misuse of a blender to use it as a juicer.

Hand Press or Manual Juicer The defining characteristic of a hand press or manual juicer is that it requires no electricity to operate. The only power required is the strength of your hand. Pressure is manually applied to force the juice from fruits, veggies and even some wheatgrass.

Manual juicers are very easy to use but you will need to chop fruit into small chunks and either shred or chop veggies into small segments. The main advantage to hand press or manual juicers is that the pulp produced is very dry indicative of efficient juicing.