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Home » Kitchen » Juicers » Juicer Reviews

Juicer Reviews, Juice Extractor Reviews

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Juicers Efficiency.

The amount and quality of juice produced is a critical performance dimension. According to juicer reviews, many inexpensive citrus juicers, including the Black & Decker CJ525 and the Oster 3186, have a reamer that automatically reverses its spin to extract more juice. The Black & Decker CJ525 also has two additional features that affect the output: a stirrer that presses juice from the pulp sitting in the strainer and a control that regulates the amount of pulp in the juice. According to a juicer review by a satisfied user on Epinions, the Black & Decker CJ525 produces nearly eight ounces of juice from two naval oranges; the user parenthetically adds that she looks for the heaviest fruit when shopping.

Since some of us like pulp and others don't, pulp control can be very handy. Once again, the Black & Decker CJ525 scores with user reviewers on Epinions for its adjustable pulp control; by way of contrast, the pulp adjuster on the Toastmaster 1109 (starting at $11, Amazon) must be held in place and the grate rinsed several times while making a morning OJ, according to another juicer review on Epinions. Cheap citrus juicers that don't come with adjustable pulp control -- the Oster 3186, for example -- do include a strainer that keeps most pulp and seeds out of your juice. Either way, if you want more pulp, just scoop some out from wherever it collects.

Pulp ejection is more common in juice extractors, particularly expensive models. Having a juicer with automatic pulp ejection means you don't need to stop juicing to empty the pulp because it's removed from the juice and stored in a separate container; instead, you only need to empty the container once, when the juicing job is finished and you're ready for clean up. According to user posts on Pricegrabber.com, the Waring Pro JEX328, a centrifugal juice extractor, yields plenty of clear juice and leaves dry pulp behind. The Lexen Healthy Juicer, a masticating juicer, neatly separates the pulp from the juice but Lexen juicer reviews on Amazon differ regarding the amount of juice: some wheatgrass juice drinkers bemoan the small amount of juice while other users are quite satisfied with the output.

Generally speaking, the drier the residual pulp, the higher the quality and quantity of the juice extracted. Some experts say heat destroys the enzymes in juice and recommend that fruits and vegetables be exposed to as little heat as possible in the preparation process. Manual and low-speed juicers generate less heat than high-speed models, and the masticating juicers don't create as much friction as the centrifugal juicers. The centrifugal Black & Decker JE2050 lets you choose between fast juicing action and a lower speed/lower heat option that retains more of the food's nutritional value. A juicer review on Amazon suggests using the low speed for pulpy fruits and vegetables and the high speed for hard or fibrous ones.

Cheap Juicers Durability and Safety.

Most budget citrus juicers are made from plastic and have a few metal parts. The shell on some lower-cost models, like the Cuisinart CCJ-100, are a combination of plastic and stainless steel, and the motor is comparatively strong. Others, however, are relatively flimsy and may break on first use or from a small fall. Users of the Hamilton Beach 66332 Juicit Citrus Juicer (starting at $14, Amazon) complain on Amazon about the motor jamming and on Cooking.com about easy breakage. A juice extractors review of the Waring Pro JEX328 by one consumer on Reviewstream.com says the refurbished machine holds up quite well but for the pulp basket, which broke in the dishwasher despite instructions stating it was dishwasher safe. The Hamilton Beach 67800 receives low marks from two frugal juice drinkers posting juicer reviews on Epinions who complain about the plastic parts that broke, even when washed by hand.

Juice extractors should all have one indispensable safety feature: a safety lock that prevents activation unless properly assembled and securely closed. If the juicer does not come with this feature you might want to consider another model. Even with the heavier and stronger models, make sure the unit is equipped with a no-slip rubber or silicon grip to keep it from dancing and spinning while you juice; alternatively, you can place a cupboard liner under the juicer. This is especially useful with tall and narrow units, like the Cuisinart CCJ-100, that have a tendency to tip over, say juicer reviews on Amazon. The manual Lexen Health Juicer comes with suction cups and a clamp that attach to most any surface.

As an aside, the instruction manual for most low-cost electric citrus juicers tells you to let the motor rest a bit after each four to five minutes of continuous juicing. This is not much of an issue for most users, as it is a good time to slice open more fruit and empty the seed/pulp strainer.

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Cuisinart CCJ-100 Citrus Pro Juicer
Hamilton Beach 67800H Juice Extractor 350W
Oster 3186 Juice-n-Serve Citrus Juicer
Black & Decker JE2050 Juice Extractor
Lexen Healthy Juicer - Manual Wheatgrass Juice Extractor
Black & Decker CJ525 CitrusMate Plus
Waring Pro JEX328

 

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