Most people fully understand the value of fresh juice. Gone are the days when oranges were the staple of fresh squeezed juices, today any fruit or vegetable is a candidate for juicing. If you are about to become a “home juicer” you may be interested in knowing that juicers are available in two categories; centrifugal juicers like the Breville 800 juicer and masticating juicers.
Centrifugal juicers:
These machines are by far the most common and the least expensive. Centrifugal juicers stand in the vertical plane, the food is pushed onto a spinning disk in an enclosed chamber. The disk has numerous sharp teeth. As the food is ground it is pushed through a mesh via the centrifugal action, the mesh acts like a filter. The juice goes through the filter and is funneled out of the machine directly into the container. In the Breville 800 juicer, as with many others, the remaining pulp is sent to a separate collection chamber where it can be removed.
Centrifugal juicers wok best with both soft and hard fruits and vegetables but does not work as well as a masticating juicer for leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale or wheatgrass.
If you favor hard and soft fruits and vegetables than a centrifugal machine like the Breville 800 juicer is ideal as they are inexpensive, ranging in price from $50 to $500, good quality juicers that provide long life and excellent results are in the range of $150 to $200.
Masticating juicers:
A masticating juicer operates in the horizontal plane. There is a tube which has an internal auger device, the food is pushed into the tube from the top, it is then sent through the auger where it is crushed and squeezed. The juice comes out of the bottom of the tube and the pulp is forced out of the end of the auger tube. The masticating juicer is a superior design for leaf vegetables. It must be noted that juice derived from leaf vegetables should be consumed as soon as it is produced as it quickly looses the nutrients.
A masticating juicer is somewhat more expensive than a centrifugal juicer. Entry level models start at about $250 and increase in price from there.
