5 Main Types of Juicers and Which to Choose for Your Kitchen posted by Taylor Munsell Pin Share Tweet Email SomethingSwanky is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Using a juicer to make a sweet and nutrient-filled beverage out of your produce is a delicious and convenient way to stay healthy. Fruit is pretty much pure fuel, and one tall glass of juice will give you an extra pep in your step for the rest of the day. For that reason, having a good quality juicer and knowing what to put in it is important for any chef. Not all juicers are the same, though. In fact, there are five commonly used types of juicer that all have different pros and cons. In this post, I’ll discuss all five and tell you what qualities to look for in a juicer. I’ll even tell you my favorite for each of the five different juicer types. After reading, hopefully you’ll be able to find the perfect juicer for you and start drinking those sweet, sweet nutrients. Table of ContentsTypes of Juicers1. Centrifugal Juicer2. Masticating Juicer3. Triturating Juicer4. Manual Press Juicer5. Steamer JuicerWhat to Look For in a JuicerYieldSize and storageSpeedNoiseEase of use/cleanupHealth benefitsPriceJuicer FAQ Types of Juicers 1. Centrifugal Juicer Also called: Fast juicer These juicers are the most popular and common type on the market, and for good reason: they work fast and produce great-tasting juice. Unfortunately, the juice is not as healthy as with other juicer types because the blades spin too fast to extract every last nutrient from the fruit. After you feed the produce into the chute, you use a plunger to push it through a pair of quickly spinning blades that are built into a spinning platform. The blades grind up the produce into pulp, and the pulp is flung from the platform into a tray on the edges of the juicer through centrifugal force. The juice released by the grinding falls through the mesh bottom of the platform, where it goes through another set of blades to make sure all the juice is extracted. Pros: Cheapest juicer type, easy to disassemble and clean, fast operation Cons: Less healthy juice with lots of pulp, produces juice with a shorter shelf life, noisy operation My Pick for Best Centrifugal Juicer: Breville Juice Fountain Cold Plus by [amazon link=”B07QSXF9V9″ link_icon=”none” title=”Breville” /] [amazon fields=”B07QSXF9V9″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Juice Fountain Cold Plus Centrifugal Juicer”] 2. Masticating Juicer Also called: Cold Press Juicer, Slow Juicer, Auger Juicer Masticating juicers are the most thorough of the juicer types and produce fairly nutrient-rich juice compared to centrifugal juicers, but they are also slower and more expensive. After you feed the juice into the chute, a plunger pushes it towards a set of whirring blades inside the appliance. The blades pulverize the fruit into juice with tiny bits of pulp in it. The juice then goes through some augers (which are like tiny jackhammer-like squeezing devices) that squeeze the bits of pulp to extract an additional layer of nutrients. The final result comes out the other end of the juicer. Masticating juicers are available in vertical and horizontal varieties. The vertical ones look nice, take up less counter space, and work a little faster, although both kinds are slower than any other kind of juicer. The horizontal ones produce the best-quality juice of any juicers on the market. Pros: Healthier juice, more oxidation leading to juice with longer shelf life, quieter operation. Cons: More expensive than centrifugal juicers, slow operation, take up lots of space. My Pick for Best Masticating Juicer: Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer Elite C7000 by [amazon link=”B01IN2RWQ6″ link_icon=”none” title=”Kuvings” /] [amazon fields=”B01IN2RWQ6″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer Elite”] 3. Triturating Juicer Also called: Twin Gear Juicer Triturating juicers actually use two gears inside the appliance to grind the inserted produce between them. The gears fit tightly together, so they totally obliterate the produce and extract all of its juice, leaving only a dry lump of rind or pulp. Even paper-thin foods get crushed by this kind of juicer, so leafy vegetables like kale and grasses like wheatgrass work with it better than with other types of juicer. But whether the produce is thin or thick, soft or hard, triturating juicers are best at extracting every last bit of juice and nutrients. The tightly fitting metal gear mechanism is a bit expensive to make though, making this the most expensive type of juicer with prices of $400 and above. Produce isn’t the only thing these juicers can mash, either. People also use triturating juicers to make ground foods like nut butter, ground coffee, and bases for fruit sorbets. Pros: Works well with all produce, extracts the most juice of any type of juicer, multi-functionality, very durable Cons: They’re expensive, they’re very big, they’re hard to clean, you have to cut up fruit before putting it in My Pick for Best Triturating Juicer: Tribest GSE-5050 Greenstar Elite by [amazon link=”B0176L0T6U” link_icon=”none” title=”Tribest” /] [amazon fields=”B0176L0T6U” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Tribest GSE-5050 Greenstar Elite”] 4. Manual Press Juicer Manual press juicers are not electric. Instead, the user has to put the fruit inside and press down hard on a lever to crush the fruit. The lever pushes down a plunger that squeezes the fruit against a strainer. The fine mesh strainer keeps the pulp and rind from passing through, so only the juice comes out the bottom. Out of all the juicing machine types, this one is the most straightforward. It is most often seen as a tool for extracting juice from citrus fruit because halved citrus has a shape especially conducive to staying in place on a manual press juicer. But this type of juicing machine can also be used for almost any kind of juicy fruit like watermelons, mangoes, and tomatoes as well as long as the juicing mechanism has a lip around the edge to keep the fruit from falling out Pros: Extremely portable (cordless), inexpensive, quiet operation Cons: Can’t juice harder fruits like apples and carrots, juicing can be tiring, spilling juice or fruit can be a problem in low-end models My Pick for Best Manual Press Juicer: Frieling L-Press Citrus Juicer by [amazon link=”B00HUFDMBC” link_icon=”none” title=”Frieling” /] [amazon fields=”B00HUFDMBC” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Frieling L-Press Citrus Juicer”] 5. Steamer Juicer Also called: Steam Juicer Steamers are unique among juicer types in that they focus on creating fruit juice to be consumed later as opposed to juice you drink immediately after extracting it. Through the steaming process, the juicer kills off almost all of the enzymes in the fruit, vastly prolonging its shelf life. Unfortunately, it also destroys many of the health benefits associated with fruit juice in the first place. The result is a highly concentrated fruit juice that can keep for a long time (even unrefrigerated) and be pulled out for use in drinks (alcoholic or nonalcoholic) or jams whenever you need it. Since the juice is extracted via steam, it is obviously hot at first so you generally need to let it cool down before using it. Pros: Very easy to use, quiet operation, the juice lasts a long time, produces concentrated juice Cons: Kills off most of the juice’s nutrients, does not work with hard produce like carrots and beets My Pick: Cook N Home Fruit Juice Steamer by [amazon link=”B0055Q2D2W” link_icon=”none” title=”Cook N Home” /] [amazon fields=”B0055Q2D2W” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Cook N Home Fruit Juice Steamer”] What to Look For in a Juicer Even after you’ve settled on the best type of juicer for you, there are many factors to consider. For instance: Yield Will you only be juicing for yourself, for your whole family, or for an entire party of people? And does the idea of having leftover juice to keep in the fridge for later appeal to you? If high yield is a priority, a triturating juicer is probably your best bet. Size and storage How big do you need the juicer to be? Do you have a problem with the idea of cutting up your produce and feeding it in a bit at a time, or do you want a large feed chute that can handle whole fruits or vegetables? Also consider that juicers are not the smallest kitchen appliances and can even be quite large if you get a masticating or triturating juicer. If small size is a priority, you should probably go for a centrifugal or manual press juicer. Speed How fast can the juicing machine spit out juice? Are you in a hurry to whip up a juice, grab it, and go? Or are you okay with sitting with your juicer, cutting up fruit, and feeding it through gradually? Noise If you juice early in the morning or late at night when other members of the household are asleep, a juicer with quiet operation is a must. If you live in a house with a family or an apartment with thin walls, you should probably opt for a quieter juicer type like masticating or manual press. Ease of use/cleanup You have to clean a juicer after every use, so it’s important you get one that’s easy to take apart and wash. Cheap juicers are often hard to disassemble and have to be washed by hand, but good-quality ones can generally be taken apart into several pieces and stuck in the dishwasher. Also consider how hard it is to use the juicer and your own technical skills. Some juicers have a lot of customization options and using them is like manipulating a supercomputer. That’s great if you’re up to the task, but those of us who are technically impaired might prefer something simpler. Centrifugal juicers are the most common and therefore most intuitive types of juicers, I’ve found. Health benefits Not all juicer types and models retain the produce’s health benefits equally. For example, steamers sap most of the health benefits from the produce but vastly prolong the shelf life of the juice in exchange. Triturating and manual press juicers are both excellent at producing nutrient-rich juice. Price The price tag is a huge factor for most of us in deciding which juicer to buy. Juicer types like masticating and triturating have lots of intricate moving parts, so it’s hard to find models of those types that aren’t too expensive. Manual press juicers and steamers use more natural methods to extract juice, so they’re usually a lot cheaper. Centrifugal juicers are by far the most popular type of juicer and so have a lower price tag too. There are a lot of aspects to take into account when buying a juicer. Some people enjoy browsing through the options themselves and weighing each consideration, but others may prefer to start with the top picks for each juicer type that I included above. Juicer FAQ Which juicer is the healthiest? Triturating juicers are the healthiest type of juicer, and I would recommend the[amazon link=”B0176L0T6U” link_icon=”none” title=”Tribest GSE-5050 Greenstar Elite” /] as my top pick. Manual press juicers also produce very healthy juice, but they are not good at juicing leafy green vegetables or hard produce like triturating juicers are. What fruits and vegetables can you put in a juicer? It depends on the type of juicer you have. Centrifugal, masticating, and triturating juicers can handle almost any kind of produce, even harder foods like carrots. Triturating juicers are even good with leafy vegetables like make and spinach. Steamers and manual press juicers are generally only capable of juicing softer fruits and vegetables like berries, peaches, and citrus fruits. What vegetables should not be juiced? Broccoli and leafy green vegetables are both very healthy, but they are also hard to digest. So while adding just a little to your juice might be okay, adding a lot is a good way to get yourself some stomach cramps and maybe even some more serious long-term health problems like kidney stones. Can I drink green juice everyday? Yes! Drinking a glass a day is great, especially if it is consumed on an empty stomach before breakfast when your body is most able to absorb nutrients. That being said, green vegetables are often hard to digest. Consuming too much of their juice in one day will likely cause stomach pains and can even lead to long-term health problems like high blood sugar or kidney stones. Juice, Juice, Baby Owning a juicer is a fantastic way to stick to a healthy diet. Whipping up a cold glass of juice is a quick way to keep yourself fortified with essential vitamins and nutrients. It’s important, though, that you get the right kind of juicer for your lifestyle and know what that type can be used for. I hope this brief guide to the five main types of juicer will serve as your starting point.
