For many months, a whole year actually, I’ve been going round in circles as to whether I should buy a juicer. I’m a loyal Thermomix lover that makes awesome smoothies so I felt like I was cheating on Thermie even looking at a juicer.
Juices vs smoothies I feel shouldn’t be a competition; it’s down to preference or just have both. Each have oodles of nutritional benefits. Smoothies make a filling & wholesome, fibre rich breakfast that generally quicker to make too. Pure vegetable juices are easily digested & a large variety of different vegetables can be mixed together in one hit. No chunky bits either to deal with.
A niggling voice & a gut feeling was telling me the time was right to get myself a juicer. I couldn’t ignore it any longer. I finally took the plunge a week ago & headed to the Good Guys for a look. I’ve done a lot of research on the different brands, trawled the blogs & read the reviews. There are a lot of juicers out there. The main difference I’ve found is the way the juice is extracted. Cold press is best as any heat from rotating blades & motors can reduce the nutrient value of the juice. It’s better to gently squeeze out the juice that vigorously chop & mash.
Here’s what I found. Again I am no expert, just an avid Googler, one must chose the juicer that is right for you. The path of self-discovery is the most rewarding 😉
The number one juicer seems to be the Norwalk. The Gerson Therapy only allows its programs juices (13 a day!) to be made in a Norwalk cold press. This is the shebang mother of all juice machines & rings in at US$2500. They aren’t available in Australia so add shipping & tax/import duty that could be anything up another $1000. Err no, sorry can’t afford that just for every day juice.
The second best one is the Angel juicer. This looks a little more compact & is shipped free in Australia. Again this comes in at nearly $1500. Sadly out of budget.
A similar model to the Angel is the Champion juicer. It looks like the same shape but is plastic instead of stainless steel. It’s a lot cheaper at $549.
I know a few people who have picked up second hand quality juicers from various websites that is always an option to save a few dollars. Breville Juice Fountains are highly regarded. The size put me off though.
After all my research I ended up going for a very entry-level cold press juicer that I found in the Good Guys. I’m glad I went to a shop as the size & weight of juicers varied dramatically. At the end of the day I’m new to all this, have a tiny budget & very little kitchen bench/storage space. I feel I made the right choice for me.
I went for the Aquaport Juice Pro Slow cold press juicer. It was on special for $230. It’s compact, not too heavy, and easy to clean. It does the job I require. I’m very happy with it. It also is great for making almond milk. Once I’ve soaked & grinded in the Thermomix instead of filtering the milk through cheesecloth my juicer does it for me. Separating the milk from almond pulp.
My first juice was a simple greens made with an organic Granny Smith apple, cucumber, spinach, kale & lemon. I chopped the veg up as recommended; it fed through without any drama & the juice tasted really good. I did find it foamed a bit as the juice filled up in the container. A quick stir eliminated most of it. The motor did get warm but not drastically & it didn’t affect the juice that was still cool. (I’d refrigerated my produce first)
I do have to say that I’m now a convert & haven’t had a smoothie since getting the juicer, sorry Thermie! Pure juice is so tasty. Even more it’s so energising. Apart from the green apple I haven’t juiced any other fruits yet as I’m loving the green vegetables. Green juice gives you energy. It’s true! You have to be careful with other fruits, as without the fibre it’s pure sugar, natural for sure but still it’s good to note if you worry about that sort of thing.
Fresh is best. Gerson recommends all juice be drunk no more than 20 minutes after pressing as the nutrient value diminishes. Some people freeze juice or keep it till later in the day & report they still taste good. I made double quantity juice the other day. I put the extra juice in an airtight mason jar in the fridge. However it was so good it couldn’t leave it sitting in the fridge & guzzled the second serve. A healthful craving for sure.
What’s your favourite pure juice recipe? Please share in the comments below.
Love K xx
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©Seren Holistic Lifestyles Blog 2014
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