If you are a health conscious person, you likely know the importance of eating your fruits and veggies. However, even health conscious people can struggle to get the recommended daily amount of fresh produce. Juicing, extracting juice from fresh produce, is a great way to easily increase your consumption of important vitamin and antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. To make juicing an enjoyable and easy process, you will need a great juicer. In this post, I will review some different masticating juicers to help you get started.
What is a Masticating Juicer?
Masticating juicers are one of the most popular types of juicing machines and for good reason. The word “masticate’ means to chew or grind and this can help us to understand how these machines work. Essentially, fruits and vegetables are pushed into the machine and crushed or masticated by an auger. Juice is released and filtered into a container. Unlike centrifugal juicers, which use a very fast rotating blade, masticating juicers function at a very low speed.
Why is a Masticating Juicer Better?
Centrifugal juicers spin at incredibly high speeds. This introduces a lot of air into the liquid, which quickly oxidizes the juice. As explained above, masticating juicers operate at slow speeds, which does not oxidize the juice. The enzyme and nutrient content of the juice remains similar to that of the fresh plants. Studies have shown that masticating juicers produce juice with a higher polyphenol and flavonoid content than centrifugal juicers.
What to Consider When Purchasing a Masticating Juicer?
- Quality – Odds are that once you start juicing you will be hooked for life. It is simply hard to say no to the many health benefits and increased energy and vitality. Therefore, I recommend investing in a good quality juicer, with excellent reviews and ideally a warranty. If you plan to use your juicer often, you really want a quality device that can withstand the test of time.
- Size – A critical consideration for many is that many juicers are, simply put, massive counter hogs. If you have a very large kitchen this may be irrelevant, but if you are really looking to save space I would highly recommend a vertical juicer with few additional parts.
- Customizability – As you progress along your juicing journey, which is sure to be a fantastic one, you may want to experiment with various fruits and veggies. A versatile juicer that can also grind or mill nuts and seeds will enable you to be even more creative in the kitchen and get even more bang for your buck. Some juicers can even be used to make sauces or pastes.
- Budget – There is no denying it; some juicers come with a hefty price tag. However, you can find a juicer most suitable to your budget with a bit of research. Even if you don’t want to drop several hundred for a machine, you shouldn’t have to abstain from amazing, healthful juices.
Best Masticating Juicers
What’s to love:
This gem of a machine may have a mouthful of a name, but what it lacks in simplicity it makes up for in quality. If you are serious about juicing and able to invest in a product that will last, this is the machine for you. Made of top quality materials, it comes with a 12 year warranty, which speaks volumes to the company’s confidence in their well-made parts. It operates at 110 rpm and features automatic pulp ejection and dishwasher safe parts. Additionally, this is a very versatile model that can grind nuts and grains and can prepare sauces and pastes. It comes with various filters that enable you to determine the amount of pulp that remains in your juice. A unique feature is the carrying handle for easy transport. To get an idea of how it works you can take a look at this clip.
Pros:
- Excellent quality – 12 Year Warranty
- Extremely durable (dishwasher safe) parts
- Versatile
- grinds nuts, grains
- prepares sauces and sorbets
- Multiple filters to extract with various pulp content
What’s not so great:
Naturally, the higher price of this model may be a deterrent for some. It is also a rather wide juicer, which may be an issue if you have limited kitchen space.
Cons:
- High price
- Counter hog
What’s to love:
This budget friendly option is a fantastic option if you are unable to fork out upwards of $300 for a juicer. Fortunately, despite the low price tag, this device really delivers! It operates at just 62 rpm and features a simple, vertical design, which saves money and space. It comes with two large containers for pulp and juice collection and is relatively easy to take apart and clean. To see it in action check out this short video.
Pros:
- Great value
- Large removable pulp/juice collectors
- Simple design, easy to use & clean (dishwasher safe parts)
- Space saver
What’s not so great:
This juicer may not be able to juice very dry ingredients like wheatgrass. Also, it does seem to clog at times with certain vegetables, such as celery.
Cons:
- not able to juice very dry ingredients like wheatgrass
- clogs occasionally
What’s to love:
Like the previously mentioned Omega juicer, this model operates at 80 rpm and features a dual-stage juicing system, ensuring maximum juice yield. It is a high quality device and I love that it is even capable of juicing drier ingredients, such as wheatgrass. This juicer also features a handy reverse option that can be used if something becomes clogged or stuck. The small base measures just 7 x 8.5 inches and is therefore an ideal option if you have limited counter space. Here is a video to see how it functions.
Pros:
- Dual stage juicer – pulp is re-juiced, higher yield
- Small base (7.01 x 8.5 in)
- Capable of juicing wheatgrass
- Reverse option to unclog
What’s not so great:
Sadly, the parts are not dishwasher safe, so you may spend more time cleaning the parts by hand. Additionally, this model does produce a fair amount of pulp and this may be off-putting depending on your preferences.
Cons:
- Not dishwasher safe
- Less pulp filtration
What’s to love:
The Omega J8006 Nutrition Center Juicer is an all around great option for almost anyone from the juicing newbie to the expert. Like other Omega models, this juicer operates at a slow speed of 80 rpm that ensures preservation of healthful enzymes and decreases oxidation for long lasting juices. This model contains only 4 main parts which makes it super easy to assemble and clean. Furthermore, I love that it operates quietly and that it is capable of grinding nuts, coffee, and herbs! This is a dual stage juicer, which means the pulp is then re-juiced for a higher juice yield. Lastly, this juicer comes in a variety of colors. This may be trivial, but considering it takes up a relatively large bit of counter space, it can be nice to color coordinate it to your kitchen design. Who says you can’t be healthy AND stylish? Take a look at this juicer in action here.
Pros:
- Dual stage juicer – pulp is re-juiced, higher yield
- Simple assembly – only 4 main parts
- Operates quietly
- Automatic pulp ejection
- Grinds coffee, nuts & herbs
- Color selection for the stylish juicers among us
What’s not so great:
Unfortunately, the chute is rather small, which requires produce to be sliced into smaller pieces before juicing. This can add to total time needed for juicing and may be an issue for those with busy schedules. Also, some types of fruit seem to clog the filter screen and you may have to occasionally remove and clean the screen while juicing.
Cons:
- Small chute – more time for preparation
- Some fruits clog the filter screen
Conclusion
I hope that this review will help you in purchasing the best masticating juicer for your needs. Choosing a good quality, suitable juicer can make a huge difference in your juicing experience. After all, we want juicing to be a sustainable and enjoyable way to improve our health! I would love to hear your experiences related to juicing and juicing machines in the comments below. Please share this article with anyone interested in investing in a juicer!