The two main types of juicers which you’ll have to decide on are centrifugal vs. masticating juicers.
Centrifugal Juicers
Centrifugal juicers are probably the most common juicers. This is because they are typically cheaper and easier to use. This type of juicer uses a high-speed spinning strainer that has a stainless steel blade disc at the bottom. When you drop the produce down from the top of the machine, the spinning disc shreds all the produce into a fine pulp. This releases the juice and then pushes it through the strainer. The high speed of the centrifugal force creates a lot of noise and tends to oxidize the juice more than a slower-moving masticating juicer. This process creates more foam and a shorter storage time.
While these conventional juicers are fairly efficient at churning out fresh fruit juices, they do present a drawback when it comes to juicing leafy greens such as wheatgrass and kale. So if juicing leafy greens is important to you, then you might want to consider a masticating or twin gear juicer instead.
Incidentally, if you are a purist juicer, leafy greens are your best friends and you may not like the fact that centrifugal juicers are not quite up to the task of juicing greens. We don’t own one of these juicers and do not recommend them because of the stated drawbacks listed above.
They are fast!
We only recommend this type of juicer if a short juicing time is your highest priority and let’s face it, sometimes it is. But if you are willing to put a little extra time into juicing, you are much better off with a masticating juicer which will produce a higher quantity and quality of juice that can be stored much longer.
The juice does not last very long
While they are fast at juicing, the juice that is made with these types of juicers typically does not last very long because the juicing process creates a lot of oxidation (the natural browning process that happens when you cut an apple and leave it in the counter) and this is bad for our food and our bodies. This high-spinning process adds a lot of air and therefore foam, which causes a lot of air spots and separation in the juice, so if you like crisp, nonfoamy juice then this is not your best option. If you use a centrifugal juicer then our recommendation is to drink your juice right away, this way it is less oxidized, and you can’t notice the foam and separation as much, some people store this juice for up to 8 hours, although it’s not recommended. In comparison, a masticating or twin-gear juicer will produce a crisp, less oxidized, nonfoamy juice that can be stored for us for 72 hours. So while masticating juicers do take longer to juice, you can make large batches and store them, kind of like meal prepping which can save time in the long run and is preferred by many.
Masticating Juicers
Masticating juicers are also known as cold-press juicers as their juice extraction mechanism does not produce heat. These juicers mimic the natural mastication or chewing mechanism of our oral cavities and use a screw-like auger to mash and chew the produce into the walls of the juicer, squeezing it through the strainer, separating the pulp and the juice. It is a slow-running juicer, which takes a little longer but creates less oxidation so it’s perfect for all kinds of produce, especially greens. The only downside it that the produce does need to be prepped before throwing it into your juicer due to the small mouth opening.
The auger chews on fruits and vegetables at slower speeds than centrifugal juicers. This slow speed significantly reduces heat and foam generation while increasing efficiency.
They take a little longer to clean and juicer
One of the few drawbacks of this type of juicer is it that they take a little longer to clean, not a ton longer, with some practice the cleaning routine will take about 2 to 3 minutes total. Because they are slow-type juicers, they don’t operate as quickly as a centrifugal juicer but they are still quick to juice. But even though they take longer to clean, you can juice store your juice longer which also has its benefits. But even though they take longer to clean and juice, you can store your juice longer which also has its benefits, which brings us to our next point.
Juice Cleanse
Our bodies are designed to naturally detox every day. It’s part of the self-regulating cleansing process our bodies have. However, we are exposed to a huge amount of toxins on a daily basis, through food, water, air, and even the products that we put on our bodies. And for some people, the detoxification process is slower due to higher exposure to toxins. Therefore, the detox mechanisms become slowed and sluggish causing a chemical imbalance that can throw off your whole body. Juicing is a great way to assist and speed up this process of elimination, and bring it back into balance.
Conclusion
Despite their drawbacks, these are very popular juicers. They work well for people that want to make a quick juice that they will drink right away, don’t really want to juice a lot of greens and prefer fruit juices, and don’t mind how loud they are when being used.
