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What you should know before buying a juicer
A cold press juicer can juice greens such as spinach, kale and wheatgrass. PHOTO/www.istockphoto.com
What you need to know:
- It is best to choose a juicer with a wide feed tube to save time as whole or large chunks can be juiced without chopping or feeding small bits in at a time.
If you are the type of person who prefers a glass of freshly made juice, after a meal, then a juicer will put a smile on your face, as it is a quicker and more convenient way to prepare your juice. Juicing is also commonly recommended for people with chronic health problems.
Veron Bikamata, a nutritionist, says adding juice to your diet is a good way to provide the body vitamins from different fruits.
“Fruits help in the breaking down of food by speeding up digestion. The Micro nutrients in fruits are also important in the transfer of food to all body cells,” Bikamata explains.
A juicer is a kitchen appliance designed to extract juice from fruits and vegetables.
Primrose Nakanwagi, the proprietor of Primrose Juices, says juicers are usually confused with blenders, but the two are different.
“While blenders can be used to make smoothies and other blended drinks which retain all the parts of the fruit or vegetable, juicers only extract juice from a fruit or vegetable, leaving behind the pulp (skin, fibre of the fruit). The juicer produces juice that does not require sieving, just add water and sugar and your juice is ready for consumption. With a blender, if one wants juice and not a smoothie they have to out sieve out the pulp using a sieve,” Nakanwagi explains.
There are mainly two types of juicers; the cold press juicer and the centrifugal force juicer.
The cold press juicer
It is also known as a masticating juicer because it takes much longer time to juice. It uses a slow gear to crush fruits and veggies and forces them through a sharp screen. Although, masticating juicers are more expensive, they are known for producing higher-quality juice.
The juice is thicker, fresher, much less foamy and separates at a much lower rate. The fruits and vegetables are pressed so tightly, that every ounce of juice is excreted from the fruit or vegetable leaving behind very little pulp, which is why they produce much more juice than the centrifugal juicers.
The juice is also exposed to less air, during the extraction process, which means there is less oxidation. Oxidation determines the freshness of juice and how long it will last, before going bad.
The lesser the oxidation, the longer the juice lasts without going bad. This is why we are always advised to store juice in a steel tight containers or jars even when it is stored in the fridge.
Pros
It is not as noisy as a centrifugal juicer. They have a higher juice yield than the centrifugal juicers. Gives off more juice, as it shreds the fruit completely. Less oxidation during juicing process, so the juice tends to last longer.
A cold press juicer can juice greens such as spinach, kale and wheatgrass. It can also function as a grain mill so you can make peanut butter or baby food. They can also process frozen fruits for instant frozen treats. And most importantly, it is easier to clean, hence more hygienic.
Cons
They are more expensive and are slower as they take more time to extract the juice.
Centrifugal force juicer
A centrifugal juicer, is known as a fast juicer. Their biggest selling point with centrifugal juicers is that they are more affordable. A centrifugal force juicer has spinning wheel inside which shreds fruits and vegetables, pulp is extracted to one side and juice extracted on the other side, in centrifugal motion.
The juice is lighter with more form, form is an indicator, a lot more oxygen is exposed to the juice in the juicing process, and it therefore separates much quicker. Centrifugal juicers do produce as much juice, as it does not break the fruits or vegetables as much as the cold press juicer.
Pros
They are fastest at extracting juice from fruits and vegetables, especially if you have one with a tube that is wide enough to take on whole fruits such as small apples, cucumbers or oranges. They are affordable, making them the most popular in most households.
Cons
They can be quite noisy. More oxidation takes place, creating a foam on top of the fresh juice and causing it to separate quickly, the juice won’t stay fresh for very long it best to be consumed inn one day. There can be a lot of wastage, with a lot of pulp, because of how it juices, it doesn’t completely break down the fruit.
“The simplest way to tell the difference between the two when buying, is that with the centrifugal juicer, once you put the fruit into the juicer you have to push them down in to the blades manually,” says Juliet Nansanga, proprietor, Fruity Fest, a juice making business.
What to look out for when buying
Take the time to read reviews so you can find the model that is perfect for your needs.
It is best to choose a juicer with a wide feed tube to save time as whole or large chunks can be juiced without chopping or feeding small bits in at a time.
Choose a model with a separate pulp container, they allow more space for pulp and are easier to clean and do take up more work-top space.
You should also pay attention to how easy the juicer is to clean and store in your kitchen when not being used.
Where to buy Juicers
You can find different models in any supermarket close you. You can find them in Capital Shoppers, Carrefour supermarket, Quality Supermarket and Mega Standard Supermarket Down town. They usually range between Shs400, 000 and Shs900, 000. You can also find them at more friendly prices in household stores down town on Ben Kiwanuka Street. They are sold as a set of four, with a juicer, blender and two grinders and this set goes for between Shs250, 000, 000 and Shs270,000. The most popular brands are Kenwood and Phillips.
