The Juicer

With the wide variety of juicers on the market today – centrifugal, slow juicer, twin-gear (to name a few) – it can be challenging to decide which one is best for you. Before purchasing your juicer, whether it’s your first one or you are looking for an upgrade.

Some types of juicers:

Centrifugal juicers
Perfect for

• Anyone new to juicing
• Making juices quickly
• Budget shoppers

Pros

• Easy to use
• Juices quickly
• Inexpensive

Cons

• Depending on brand/model, juice may get foamy and thus oxidize more rapidly
• Some leafy greens can be a little harder to juice
• Cannot juice wheatgrass, sprouts, or nuts

Masticating Juicers
Perfect for

• People with a moderate-high budget for a juicer
• People who juice frequently

Pros

• High juice yield and less pulp
• Generates less foam so juices oxidize slower
• Can juice most fruits and vegetables including wheatgrass, cranberries and even nuts
• Versatile; depending on model and brand, some can be used to make baby foods, pates, sauces, nut butters, banana ice creams and fruit sorbets

Cons

• Usually have many more parts to clean than a Centrifugal Juicer
• Longer prep time – shoots tend to be smaller requiring cutting fruit and vegetables into smaller pieces.
• More costly than Centrifugal Juicers

Twin Gear
Perfect For

• If have you the funds and are willing to splurge
• Someone who wants a top-of-the-line juicer
• People who frequently drink a large quantity of juice

Pros

• Low oxidation of the juice to preserve optimum nutritional value
• Efficient at juicing greens
• Can be used for other functions besides juice, depending on brand and model

Cons

• Expensive
• More parts to clean and a little trickier to put back together after cleaning
• Requires some strength to juice firmer produce 

 ----------------This is where the nerdiness and love of science comes into play -----------------

Some things to keep in mind. Centrifugal juicers tend to allow heat and oxidation into the juicing process. Oxidation is commonly seen when leaving an apple core exposed to air for a long time. An apple left out too long will eventually turn brown. This color change is caused by the oxygen in the air reacting with compounds in the apple (specifically, polyphenol oxidase enzymes and phenolic compounds), which then react with amino acids and proteins to produce the unwanted brown color.

A cold pressed juicer does better on both accounts because it avoids the oxidation reactions caused by fast moving centrifugal juicers. The fast moving blades do two things: 1) they move quickly thus ‘stirring’ more oxygen into your juice, 2) they heat things up. Heat causes chemical reactions to occur faster, and more oxygen can mean more oxidation reactions. As the blades cut up your produce, the cell walls of your fruits and vegetables are exposed and the nutrients within them can get oxidized. Vitamins A, C, and E are all molecules that can react with and be broken down by oxygen.