Masticating Juicers
How do they work and which is best?
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Masticating juicers are great. Have you ever used one? Ever tasted the amazing juice that these little guys make?
If you have, you’ll know that it’s amazing.
To masticate means to chew, grind or knead into a pulp. Think of when you chew up food at the dinner table. You have a masticating machine in your mouth – your teeth and jaw are its parts and it does a fantastic job.
After you swallow, the digestive process kicks into gear and begins to extract the juice from your food. In a similar way, a masticating juicer does exactly the same thing to fruits and vegetables.
And because masticating juicers work at low speeds with no spinning action, they tend to make better juice and juice of a higher quality.
How do masticating juicers work?
Inside the shell of masticating juicers (also known as single-gear juicers), you’ll find a single auger (or gear) which grinds fresh fruit and vegetables into pulp.
It then pushes the pulp against a conical screen to extract the juice and send it into a glass, while the pulp is expelled out another exit.
Pros
- They have a higher juice-yield than centrifugal juicers. This means you’ll get more from your produce, meaning you save money.
- Tests have shown that the juice they make has a higher nutritional content also, with less oxygen so you’ll experience more of the benefits of juicing.
- Superb at juicing all the important leafy vegetables, such as wheatgrass, spinach, and parsley.
- These juicers produce very little friction which means less heat and therefore less damage done to the juice.
- Usually easy to clean.
- A LOT quieter than centrifugal juicers such as the Breville Juice Fountain Elite Juicer.
- They break the fiber effectively and extract an extremely high amount of nutrition.
- Slower operation means less oxidation and longer shelf life.
- You can do so much with them, including making baby food, flour, and soy meals.
- They make very little foam.
Cons
- They tend to be more time-consuming, so aren’t suited to people who are in a hurry.
- Expensive to purchase, however you get this money back when you get so much more from your produce.
- They can be very heavy when compared to centrifugal juicers (6 – 10 kg). However, you might think of this as an advantage as it makes these juicers quite stable. They aren’t exactly going to bounce off your bench top.
Best Rated Masticating Juicers
See my reviews below of four of the top juicers in this category.
At the end of the day, we don’t have much control over the quality of our juice. We can improve our chopping and peeling techniques as well as making sure we buy organic produce, but we’re at the mercy of our juicers… read more >
The Lexen Healthy Juicer is a great juicer… depending on who you talk to. As a masticating juicer, it does its job well. It’s fairly versatile and can juice pretty much all fruits and vegetables. It can also handle…. read more >
If budget is your most important point when considering which juicer to buy, then the Miracle Juicer is a great choice. It’s designed for the budget conscious shopper while still offering considerable value-for-money… read more >
The Omega 8005 Juicer is a superb machine that will spin out amazing juice. It tastes delightful and is also rich in nutrients. And thanks to the wonderful engineers over at Omega, it’s going to last you a while. Many people have… read more >