Anyone who wants fresh fruit or vegetable juice to go with their meals or to take to work will definitely like the features and benefits provided by a masticating juicer. This is a food preparation device that works by ‘chewing’ fruit and vegetables into a juicy pulp. Also known as a single gear or single auger juicer, a masticating juicer produces more juice for every cup of veggies or fruits compared to a centrifugal juicer. It does this by chewing and breaking up the plant fibers in order to get the most fiber, water, and enzymes. Single gear juicers are perfect for getting the juice out of leafy greens as well.
How a Masticating Juicer Works
A masticating juicer mashes and extracts juice with the auger, which is the part of the machine that pushes the fruit or the vegetable-forward in slow, rotating motion. The action breaks down the fibrous cell walls of veggies and fruits. The torn pulpy mass is then pushed through the fine screen mesh strainer, which removes the pulp from the extracts. This produces a thicker juice with more pulp and fiber, which contains the most amounts of nutrients.
Pros and Cons of a Masticating Juicer
Masticating juicers have a number of advantages over your regular fruit and vegetable juicers. For one, masticating juicers work quietly and are less prone to overheating. They work at slower speeds and this translates to a minimal amount of foam and heat, unlike other juicers that produce loud noise and heat during operation. Less heat means that there is a lesser risk of deactivating essential plant enzymes extracted during the juicing process. The lack of heat also helps prolong the shelf life of the juice, so that you can store extracted juice for days without the fear of the juice becoming bad. Another great thing about masticating juicers is that they can be used for preparing baby food as well as delicious fruit sorbets and butter. You can also make homemade peanut butter and even mill seeds with a masticating juicer.
The main disadvantage of a masticating juicer is the slow extraction speed. Clean-up may also be a tad complicated the first time you use a masticating juicer, and the clean-up time is longer compared to clean up with other kinds of juicers. If you live a busy life and need to prepare your meals and drinks in a matter of minutes, this may not be the juicer for you.
Things You Should Know Before Shopping for a Masticating Juicer
With the numerous options for masticating juicers, it can be difficult to zero in on the model that will best suit your needs. The best way to go about choosing a juicer would be to look at the features you need the most, and choose the juicer that has all of these along with a reliable track record and at least the style and size that you can work with. Durability is one of the main things you look for in a masticating juicer especially if you plan to juice fruits and veggies on a daily basis.
Top Masticating Juicer Brands and Models
There are various name brands that produce excellent ranges of masticating juicers but there are models that simply perform better than the rest. These include:
- Omega J8006HDS Masticating Juicer
- Green Power Twin Gear Juicer
- Healthy Juicer
- Samson GB-9001 Multipurpose Single Gear Juicer
- Lexen Electric Healthy Juicer
Omega J8006HDS Slow Speed Masticating Juicer
The Omega J8006HDS is perfect for those who need quick and efficient juicing. Designed for the most optimal juice extraction as well as excellent heat and noise reduction during operation, the Omega J8006HDS comes in a compact design and Powerful motor dual-stage juicing system. The motor is more than enough for quick and thorough juicing to extract the most amount of juice from the fruits and veggies that you have. The unit is also designed for making baby food. An older model, the Omega J8006 is a cheaper unit although it has a wider design since the gear mechanism is on the side and not vertically along the top of the unit. However, it still works slowly and does not generate too much heat that can destroy healthy fruit and vegetable enzymes.
You can read more and find out the current price of this model in my in-depth Omega J8006HDS Juicer review.
The Green Power KPE1304 Twin Gear Juicer stands out from the rest since it uses magnetic and bio-ceramic technology. It is perfect for juicing wheatgrass and fruits at a low 160-rpm speed, which also produces minimal noise. The powerful twin gear impeller does most of the work with minimal risk of overheating.
The Healthy Juicer is a hand-powered juicer that does its job without any fuss and without the risk for breakdown that electronic juicers often encounter. It comes in a sleek and clean design and the receptacle is big enough to handle large fruits.
The Samson GB-9001 comes with an auger design which makes it the perfect machine for wheatgrass juice. It is also suitable for juicing other green leafy vegetables, as well as your favorite fruits and vegetables. Users love this juicer for the ease of use and the fact that clean-up can be done in a matter of minutes. The unit also comes with a 10-year motor warranty and a 5-year warranty on operational parts.
The Lexen Electric Healthy Juicer juices wheatgrass, fruits, and vegetables, and can make pastas, fruit ice creams and sorbets. It is also suitable for making soymilk and baby food. Slower than other models, the Lexen Electric Healthy Juicer works at 76 rpm, a relatively slow speed that enables it to preserve valuable nutrients. The unit comes with an 8-year warranty on the motor.
A masticating juicer comes with many benefits that you cannot find in other kinds of juicers. Low heat, high yields, and the variety of healthy food options you can get from just one machine are some of the many benefits you can have with a masticating juicer. If a healthy lifestyle and a healthy diet is one of your main goals, a masticating juicer should be among the appliances that you have in your kitchen.
