Type of juicer or juicing machine:

Juicers range from basic juice machines to the more expensive high tech sophisticated ones. Buy a juicer which has a big opening to fit even larger fruits and vegetables. Buy  a juicer suited to your juicing requirements. Here are some types-

Citrus Juicer:
This is the simplest type of  juicer and is ideal for extracting the juice from oranges lemons and other citrus fruits. When shopping for a juicer, there are many issues to be considered so that you can make an informed purchase. Many people are tempted to buy a cheap juicer to start out because they are not sure they are going to like juicing and they may not be sure they will stick to a juicing regimen. My suggestion would be to visit a health foods store, spa or grocery where you can purchase fresh, raw juice from a juice bar and try some of the juices first. If you find that you like fresh fruit and vegetable juice, then you’ll probably be more likely to enjoy making your own juice at home.

Assuming that you are ready to begin your quest for a juicer, the first thing to know is that there are different types of juicers depending on what it is you want to juice. For example, citrus juicers are typically designed exclusively for juicing citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits and possibly pomegranates. Some models are manual and some are electric. Some brands are constructed of plastic while others have stainless steel components. 

When shopping for a citrus juicer, here are some popular features to consider. Many come with a large reservoir to catch the juice and pour directly from the container. Many have a variable pulp control so that the juice can be made to be more or less pulpy. Some electric models will spin the juicing cone in forward and reverse directions in order to get the most juice from the fruit. Some come with different sizes of juicing cone to accommodate different sizes of fruit such as small limes and large grapefruit. Citrus juicers can range in price from around $20 to over $100.

Twin gear juicing machine:

This juicer takes up too much time to clean up but if you are dealing with a health challenge and want the highest quality juice you could buy this one. Twin gear juicers can also be used to make baby foods, sauces, nut butters, banana ice creams and fruit sorbets.

Centrifugal juicer or juicing machine: 

The Centrifugal juicer first grinds the fruit and vegetables then pushes the extracted juice through a strainer by spinning at a very high rpm . The pulp from the produce is disposed of out the back of the juicer into a container.It is easy and fast to use a centrifugal juicer. Centrifugal juicer separates the pulp from the juice with centrifugal force. These are commonly available. The juices however need to be consumed right away because of oxidation. With the centrifugal juicer, less juice is usually extracted from the produce and the pulp tends to be fairly moist with moderate juice waste. Most juicers sold on the market are centrifugal. Centrifugal juicers do an okay job with greens but will not juice wheatgrass. 

Masticating Juicer or masticating juicing machine: 
This juicer pulverizes the fruits and vegetables and pushes them through a wire mesh with force.The Masticating juicer uses a single gear. It has a spiral rotating motion. This juicer extracts a large amount of juice and therefore nutrients. This juicer does not use blades therefore it avoids overheating and preserves the nutrients in the juice especially if you use low speed units. The oxidation is also much less with low speed units. The masticating juicers will homogenize making sauces, baby foods, sorbets,  nut butters or may have a food mill to make pastas. Some will also make wheatgrass juice. 

Hydraulic press: 
These make highly nutritious juices but are more appropriate for commercial uses.

Portability of the juiicng machine or juicer:

Buy a juicer which is easy to carry off the shelf. If you buy a heavy juicer try finding a permanent place for it on your kitchen counter. 

Other uses of the juicing machine:

Buy a juicer which can juice wheat grass or other medicinal plants like neem.
Some juicers can also grind/mince and chop (seasonings, coffee, frozen produce and ice), make nut butter, deserts (sorbets) and act as a food mill (make bread sticks, pasta, noodles, cookie dough).

Reliability of the juicing machine:

Buy a juicer  with a reputable brand name and a good warranty and availability of parts.

Blenders vs Juicers or juicing machines:

The difference between blenders and juicers or juicing machines is that blenders do not separate the juice from the fiber whereas juicers or juicing machines do. Use your Blenders to make smoothies with milk / yogurt and fruit and use your juicers or juicing machines when you need the juice from vegetables or fruit. A blender works by using rapidly rotating blades to cut and break down the produce. However when fruit or vegetables are put into a blender the output contains everything that went into the blender, i.e. the fruit and vegetable fibers including skin, seeds, pith, flesh etc. A powerful blender is wonderful in making smoothies with fruits like bananas, pineapples mangoes. A juicer or juicing machine will separate the juice from the fibers.  What you drink will be pulp free and your body receives the maximum nutrients in minutes. This separation is fundamental to the juicing process and its associated health benefits. The separation of juice from fiber helps the body to easily digest the juice without expending much energy as there are no fibers to breakdown. It also means that the body can easily absorb the nutrients present in the juice extracted by the juicer as they have all been released from the fibers and are freely available. A blender therfore liquefies the food into pulp while a juicer or juicing machine extracts the life giving juice from the fiber.  

When using a blender the fruit pulp nutrients may be oxidized faster and the pulp needs to be consumed immediately. In a juicer or juicing machine the juice can be refrigerated for at least a short period of time.
Juicing Machines - The Jack Lalane Power Juicer, Breville Juice Fountain Elite, Vita Mix

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