There are two basic types of all-around fruit and vegetable juicers available today — masticating and centrifugal .
We’re going to take a look at what most hardcore juicing fans and professionals prefer; the masticating juicer. Also known as a cold press juicer. Created in 1954 by Champion (a company that still earns accolades for the juicers they make), the masticating juicer was designed to offer a way to maintain the flavor, nutrients and richness of juice without compromising yield and ease-of-use.
A masticating juicer works by gently breaking down, then grinding the juice out of whatever is chucked down its pipe, while simultaneously producing a dry tasteless pulp that has almost no nutritional value. Which is a good thing, because all the nutrients and taste are squeezed into the juice, rendering the pulp becoming essentially useless. A cold press juicer also has no sharp blades that rotate at high velocities( which can cause air to foliate with the juice and reduce its nutritional value).
Just like everything in life, there are pros and cons to the masticating juicer, so let’s take a look at them and figure out if it’s the right kind of juicer for you.
Probably the best quality of a cold press juicer is its yield, as the cold press method produces more liquid compared to other fruit and vegetable juicers. Thanks mainly to its construction, lack of any fast moving parts and sharp blades, masticating juicers are a perfect choice for anyone who wants maximize the liquid output of any fruit, vegetable, leaf or nut that needs to have the liquid squeezed out of it.
Cold presses are generally easier to pick apart and clean. Why? Well, because most are put together piece by piece and not screwed or melded shut like other electronic juicers. Meaning the machine can be cleaned very thoroughly, and almost all modern cold press juicers are five-minute cleaning jobs.
Although most juicers come with a 5 or 10 year warranty, good masticating juicers actually tend to outlive that warranty period quiet often, thanks to fewer moving parts in it.
Masticating juicers can definitely be passed down to one’s kids, assuming that it is well kept and the younger generation are into juicing too.
But, this story is not a pure pro-fest, so let’s take a peak at some of the cons of using and owning a masticating juicer.
Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not pricey enough to break the bank, but a good quality masticating should easily fetch around $250-300. Of course, prices range from $200 all the way up to $400, so it’s really on the buyer how much they wish to spend on a single machine and for what purpose.
The prices are reflective of several kinds of cold pressers, such as homestead, kitchen and professional kitchen varieties.
Yeah, the fruit grinder is not the easiest juicer to clean, but by no means is it an epic journey to getting a cold press juicer ready for a second round.
On average, it takes around 15-20 minutes to clean the rotary, dull blades, the chimney and various other parts. Depending on of course how dirty they are. Luckily, disassembly isn’t very difficult or technical, and specialized cleaning brushes are sold along with the juicer or simply packed-in.
So it just takes a bit of effort to clean in general, compared to the centrifugal juicers–which are essentially a blender.
Oh yeah, they weigh a lot more than your average blender, citrus juicers and at times centrifugal juicers. The motor housed in the machine’s center combined with the rest of its body, weighs around 18 pounds in general, with some types commanding around 20 pounds and others sporting a rather light 16 pounds.
So, keep the weight in mind, and it may or may not be a contributing factor in your choice.
Ultimately, it all comes down to this one simple fact: masticating juicers are for serious juicing folk. People who are following a diet plan, want to detox, lose weight or are simply serious about their health.
It’s an excellent machine for those committed to drinking nature’s abundant gifts fresh and often, and don’t mind a bit of weight, plus some cleaning duty afterwards.
