Juicer

[bigred]

Not roids, sorry galap.

I'm interested in purchasing a juicer. While in London, there were a lot of of fresh juice places that I thought were pretty awesome and I'd like to buy one for my kitchen. I figure it will also help me live a little healthier. What should I expect for prices and any suggestions?

[BennyLaRue]

I figure it will also help me live a little healthier.

If you're talking about fruit, not really. Eat the whole fruit - you'll get more out of it.

[bigred]

If you're talking about fruit, not really. Eat the whole fruit - you'll get more out of it.

Meh, it's more like a good substitute for soda, sugary tea, etc. Plus its something I like.

[givememyleg]

If you're talking about fruit, not really. Eat the whole fruit - you'll get more out of it.

Yes but juiced fruit >>> no fruit. I bought a juicer in 2009 and love it. I make either a combination of juices or a smoothie every morning.

This is the one I bought - Walmart.com: GE Juice Extractor: Appliances

It's definitely worth the money, but not top of the line or anything. I've had it for over a year now and it still works great. If you're not concerned about money, and want to make sure you get no pulp and the most juice, chuck $100 for a better one. But I'm not disappointed at all with this thing.

Some of my favorite combos are mixing any of the following together - orange, kiwi, strawberry, apple, grapefruit and pear. So god damned good. Also, it's delic tossing the juice into a blender with some banana + ice. It's also interesting juicing veges like carrots, tomatoes (I know it's a fruit ldo), broccoli, and whatever else to make kind of a V8 type thing. There's tons of recipes online.

If you think 'orange juice' is good, as in the stuff you buy from the grocery store, you will be blown away having a glass of freshly juiced oj. No comparison.

[boost]

if you would like smoothies as opposed to juice, this is what you want:

Vitamix Vita-Prep 3 Commercial Food Blender

[flomo]

smoothie thread is that > way.
that blender is awesome.


i have a breville juicer that is 5 years old and i love it.(there are probably better ones available now)

beets, a little fresh ginger, carrots, apples, lemon---any combination
yum

[bigred]

My GF said breville's are the way to go. I was looking at this one: Amazon.com: Breville BJE200XL 700-Watt Compact Juice Fountain: Home & Garden

Not sure how it compares to GMML's (assuming this one is nicer) or others. I don't think I want to spend anymore than this but I want something that's quality and lasts.

Also, is there a juicing 101 web site? Are there good techniques such as removing certain parts of certain fruits before juicing, etc?

[flomo]

i got a juice fountain,


in my pants!

[boost]

my friend has that breville you posted, or a similar model. I really don't like it. It is great as a juicer, but cleaning it is a bitch. The screen is a bit of a pain, but it comes with a cleaning brush that makes it not so hard, or if you lose that just buy a toothbrush to replace it. The problem though is the spout is really hard to clean and near impossible to give a good scrub. This really scares me on something that is meant to be in contact with a highly perishable product. The sad thing is, that most kitchen equipment that is marketed to the home cook has this downfall.

[boost]

btw, this is the sort of juicer you find in a commercial kitchen:

Amazon.com: Champion Juicer G5-PG710 G5-PG720-BLACK Commerical Heavy Duty Juicer: Kitchen & Dining: Reviews, Prices & more.

I'm not sure if you can get this sort of style juicer for less, but I highly recommend finding something like this. Everything that comes in contact with the liquid is easy to disassemble, and easy to clean. If you can't find one closer to your price point but you plan to juice a lot then I say just splurge and get something that will save you cleaning time. Hell, even if you don't plan to use it a lot, just from a food safety stand point, I suggest getting something that can be easily cleaned.

[bigred]

my friend has that breville you posted, or a similar model. I really don't like it. It is great as a juicer, but cleaning it is a bitch. The screen is a bit of a pain, but it comes with a cleaning brush that makes it not so hard, or if you lose that just buy a toothbrush to replace it. The problem though is the spout is really hard to clean and near impossible to give a good scrub. This really scares me on something that is meant to be in contact with a highly perishable product. The sad thing is, that most kitchen equipment that is marketed to the home cook has this downfall.

I'm worried about the cleaning for juicers but most of the user reviews give high marks and go out of their way to compliment its ease of cleaning. This is a major reason why I'm leaning towards it.

[boost]

I'm worried about the cleaning for juicers but most of the user reviews give high marks and go out of their way to compliment its ease of cleaning. This is a major reason why I'm leaning towards it.

You are talking about the breville? And if so, most users reviews are made by fucking retards. As you go up in the quality of a given device the user reviews tend to be more accurate and detail oriented since the users buying the higher end stuff are more experienced or have done more research; typically they are a smarter breed. With lower end user reviews you get a bunch of novices who generally don't have a clue. Yes, the breville is easily cleaned if you don't have a keen eye and are only focused on the pulp screen. As I said before, it is near impossible to scrub the spout of this juicer, you can use one of those bendy scrubbers to get in there, but still since its a 90° bend and not cylindrical it is not possible to get a good scrub. On the other hand, the champion has no tight crevices. Also read the long review (first one I think) of the champion... the guy has had one in constant operation for 30+ years...

edit: I know I come off as a "my way or you're a fucking retard" snob, but I have worked with quality commercial grade kitchen equipment and I have worked with home kitchen equipment. The latter just doesn't stack up. It is poorly designed with flashy gimmicky bells and whistles, but its always under powered, difficult to clean, easily broken, or any combination of these common home appliance pitfalls. If you really don't want to invest several hundred dollars in a juicer, I understand. I just don't want you to be misled by user reviewers who don't have a clue.

[donkbee]

if you would like smoothies as opposed to juice, this is what you want:

Vitamix Vita-Prep 3 Commercial Food Blender

omg yes

I am in love with this thing!!!



^I make this almost everyday. It has an orange, half an apple, half a banana, 5 strawberries, and a cup of spinach. It tastes so good and it's so healthy.



^This one has grapes, an orange, a carrot, half an apple and cucumber. Before I got this blender, I hadn't had a carrot for like two years.

My favorite smoothie is 3 cups of grapes, 1.5 cups of (frozen) strawberries, and an apple. It's enough for two ppl to have huge glasses, it tastes AMAZING, and it's a shitload of fruit.

It's hard to get fruit in your diet. This thing is like a dream come true. I've used it almost everyday ever since I got it and I don't think we've bought any juice since then either!

We make guacamole and soup in it too, both of which are awesome. I've also made pancake batter with its help a couple times.

[donkbee]

Ben if I were getting a juicer, I would spend a bit of money to get something high quality. You are more likely to use it if it's easy to use and easy to clean. No point in buying something that's annoying to use/annoying to clean because you'll never want to use it. That's why we spent $550 on the Vitamix blender, and it's the best $550 we've ever spent.

[boost]

btw Courtney, I think I (more accurately, me and my friend's business) is about to get a vita-prep. My brother wants me to cater an event for him and I said in passing "well for one of the hors d'oeuvres I'd like to make I would need another piece of equipment.."
"what is it"
"its called a vita-prep"
"how much does it cost"
"a bit over $500.."
"well, would you take that as payment?"

SHIP IT.

[donkbee]

haha nh sir! that's awesome. I'm really happy for you because I know how much you wanted one!

[bigred]

smoothie thread is that > way.
that blender is awesome.


i have a breville juicer that is 5 years old and i love it.(there are probably better ones available now)

beets, a little fresh ginger, carrots, apples, lemon---any combination
yum

Any advice for buying produce in NYC? It's generally super expensive.

[boost]

Any advice for buying produce in NYC? It's generally super expensive.

Have you looked into farmers markets? Chicago has an awesome network of them, a few of which go year round. Produce is actually often on par if not cheaper than the grocer. Also, the produce is ten times better than the crap you find at safeway or whatever your major chain is.

[flomo]

Any advice for buying produce in NYC? It's generally super expensive.

fairway markets, chinatown, those street dudes
and go away from nabes where the yuppies/hipsters are found

[Jack Sawyer]

Have you looked into farmers markets? Chicago has an awesome network of them, a few of which go year round. Produce is actually often on par if not cheaper than the grocer. Also, the produce is ten times better than the crap you find at safeway or whatever your major chain is.

Took the words right out of my mouth (ofc. i'm late to the thread). Yeah, the farmer markets own, when I was in NYC there was one happening pretty regularly near the Union Square Station. Find out the dates/times and you'll be set,

[bigred]

I go to the union square farmers market which is pretty famous but its really not that cheap

[oskar]

I have a juicer but due to the amount of cleaning up that is required afterwards I hardly ever use it, and I just do smoothies instead. There are 5 pieces that you need to wash, dry and put back in their place every time. You really have to use it a lot to make it cost effective as well.

And wtf @ the $500 blender. I have a $30 blender that works just fine that couldn't be easier to clean and well... it blends stuff.

[boost]

I have a juicer but due to the amount of cleaning up that is required afterwards I hardly ever use it, and I just do smoothies instead. There are 5 pieces that you need to wash, dry and put back in their place every time. You really have to use it a lot to make it cost effective as well.

And wtf @ the $500 blender. I have a $30 blender that works just fine that couldn't be easier to clean and well... it blends stuff.

*sigh*..

I'm sure your blender does work just fine for what you use it for, but it cannot make a foie gras pate, it will not do a great job of emulsifying fine powders such as sodium alginate into liquids, it will not make purees without the presence of a lot of liquid, and lastly its motor will burn out trying to do all of the above. Even the stuff that it can do, the vita-mix is better and faster at. Product will be smoother and more consistent.

cliff notes: sure your ford tempo gets you from point A to point B, but it doesn't do it nearly as fast or with all the perks of a bentley.

[oskar]

I thought we were talking about smoothies. But you have a point. Just yesterday I thought to myself: Oh, why can't I emulsify fine powders such as sodium alginate into liquid with my blender!

[pantherhound]

My JACK LALAINE POWER JUICER does the job, my friends at uni got it for me as a 21st bday present a while back when we used to get in drunk at 3am, and watch one shopping channel which seemed to feature nothing but the juicer.

[boost]

I thought we were talking about smoothies. But you have a point. Just yesterday I thought to myself: Oh, why can't I emulsify fine powders such as sodium alginate into liquid with my blender!

you asked what the deal was with a blender costing $500, and I explained why it costs $500. Am I missing something?

[oskar]

I get it. I could spend a grand on a coffee machine and I know I could justify that as well. Purees just aren't high on my priorities list.

[boost]

I get it. I could spend a grand on a coffee machine and I know I could justify that as well. Purees just aren't high on my priorities list.

fair'nuff

[BooG690]

Bigred, did you ever get a juicer? I'm now in the market for one.

If you got the Breville, how's the cleaning on that thing?

[JR9477]

Thanks for bumping this boog, I was thinking about getting a juicer or blender for purees. I love them and it's the only way I can get my daughter to eat fruits and veggies.

[BennyLaRue]

I thought this thread would be about Manny Ramirez. Fuck.

[bigred]

Bigred, did you ever get a juicer? I'm now in the market for one.

If you got the Breville, how's the cleaning on that thing?

Got that one. Cleaning sucks more than I thought it would but it's not bad for the price. From what I've seen, the higher priced ones are far more functional and easier to clean. I also find I don't use it as much as I had intended while on my current diet. Juice is kinda of seen as wasted calories. I'll use it a lot more when I finish losing the weight.

Also, learning to make juice with carrots or mix in club soda will lower expenses by a ton. I find throwing a lime in a juice can provide enough lime juice for two glasses of lime seltzer. Sure you could buy lime juice but it's not as good imo.

[bigred]

Honestly, the biggest issue I have with the juicer is all the excess pulp you get for so little juice. It feels like such a waste. I bet if I googled what to do with taht stuff (can't make a compost pile in nyc) I would feel a lot better.

[boost]

Honestly, the biggest issue I have with the juicer is all the excess pulp you get for so little juice. It feels like such a waste. I bet if I googled what to do with taht stuff (can't make a compost pile in nyc) I would feel a lot better.

I hope you are running the pulp several times... depending on what you are juicing you could be leaving the majority of the juice in the pulp after the first pass of the fruit/veg. Just keep running it until the yield isn't worth the effort. But ya, after thoroughly juicing the product, the pulp is mostly just cellulose. So your body wouldn't digest it anyways, you would just end up flushing it down the toilet after it came out your rectum had you eaten the fruit. And actually this is probably "good trash" since it is biodegradable.

[bigred]

I hope you are running the pulp several times... depending on what you are juicing you could be leaving the majority of the juice in the pulp after the first pass of the fruit/veg. Just keep running it until the yield isn't worth the effort. But ya, after thoroughly juicing the product, the pulp is mostly just cellulose. So your body wouldn't digest it anyways, you would just end up flushing it down the toilet after it came out your rectum had you eaten the fruit. And actually this is probably "good trash" since it is biodegradable.

Hmmmmmm, so scoop it out and put it back in...I did not think of this. Sounds like effort too...but good effort...maybe

[boost]

Hmmmmmm, so scoop it out and put it back in...I did not think of this. Sounds like effort too...but good effort...maybe

I mean, prepping and putting 3 pieces of fruit in as opposed to 1 is more effort.. how is this different than prepping one piece and putting effort towards running the pulp again? This method is also more cost efficient and "green" as there is less needless production/transportation/storing of food.

[bigred]

I mean, prepping and putting 3 pieces of fruit in as opposed to 1 is more effort.. how is this different than prepping one piece and putting effort towards running the pulp again? This method is also more cost efficient and "green" as there is less needless production/transportation/storing of food.

Your second point is valid and I agree. Your first point assumes I prep things..big mistake!