Juicers come in handy when you are preparing to start a juicing business. It could be from your kitchen, café, or even at a stall. Either way, you will a juicer strong enough to produce juice continuously. You need a machine that makes your work easier, either juicing or cleaning.
However, we understand that you are new to the field, and that is why you are here today, looking for more information on what a juicer does and what you need to know before getting one. Keep reading to find out more about juicers.
What is a Juicer?
You’ve probably taken juice at some point in your life. Well, the juice comes from fruits and vegetables at some point. The juicer is the appliance used to extract juice from said fruits and vegetables.
You can use herbs, leafy greens, and other succulent plants. Depending on the manufacturer’s settings, you can even use your juicer as a food processor.
How Do Juicers Work?
The first time you interact with a juicer, it can be intimidating. You have no idea where to press or what to put where. However, that does not need to be the case. Once you understand what a juicer does, you can easily maneuver around the appliance.
A juicer extracts juice from your fruits and vegetables in different ways. However, the baseline remains; a juicer crushes and shreds the vegetables and fruits. However, the process differs depending on the juicer you are using.
There are different types of juicers, which we will cover in a few seconds.
Types of Juicers
Juicing is the new norm among people looking to lead healthy lifestyles. You can make juice with only the components you want and avoid the sugar-added fruit juice sold in stores.
Different juicers work differently, depending on their make and type. Let us find out more together.
1. Centrifugal Juicer
The centrifugal juicer is the most popular in the market. A centrifugal juicer works similarly to a washing machine in the spin cycle. It comprises a chute and a shredder plate on the bottom.
So, when you want to make some juice, you drop your fruits/ vegetables down the chute. The fruits and vegetables then fall on the shredder plate, cutting the produce into smaller pieces. The shredding happens as the fruits move from one to another on the porous basket.
And like how clothes spin in the washing machine to remove excess water, the centrifugal force on the juicer extracts juice from the pulp.
2. Twin Gear/Triturating Juicers
The twin gear juicer uses two gears to crush and shred fruits and vegetables in an interlocking movement. The action pulls the produce in and chews it up.
The juicer then extracts juice by pushing the crushed fruits and vegetables through a sharp screen. However, you will require some manual work to push the produce down the chute.
Also, the twin gear juicer works best with leafy vegetables. It is not best suited for products like wheatgrass because they are dry.
One of the greatest advantages of twin gear juicers is their ability to produce juice with higher nutrient levels. They press the produce slower, sometimes even slower than slow masticating juicers.
3. Masticating Juicer
A masticating juicer is typical for making cold-pressed juice. It has a slow rotating auger, which helps crush the fruits and vegetables. The slow juicing process preserves the natural enzymes in the juice by keeping heat levels low.
A slow masticating juicer also results in less fruit and vegetable extract oxidation because oxygen circulation in the juice is minimal.
The masticating juicers also have a stainless steel mesh screen that traps the pulp as the juice flows into a bowl at the bottom of the juicer.
4. Manual Juicer
These are juicers that require you to crank the machine to extract the juice manually. They work well with dry produce like wheatgrass.
Manual juicers are best suited for the road or when you are going off the grid.
What Makes a Good Juicer?
Now that you know what a juicer does, you may decide to get one for your kitchen. When you choose to go for a juicer, you should go for the best masticating juicer. These are not only affordable and great savers of space but also preserve the nutrients in your produce.
Other properties of a good juicer include:
The juicer is easy to clean, which means they have fewer parts
The juicer produces minimal noise, something that centrifugal juicers struggle with. However, the slow masticating juicers are quiet, as well, as the twin-gear juicers
If you want high nutrient levels, juicers that run at slow speeds are the best. However, if you will be committing to large volumes, get a juicer with sufficient speeds
A juicer is the best when it saves you space.
Bottom Line
A juicer extracts juice by crushing and shredding the produce and forcing them against a sharp screen. The best of the juicers is a cold press that retains nutrients from the crop. So, get a slow masticating juicer when you want to enjoy all the benefits of a juicer.