Is it Worth It to Buy a Juicer?
Juicing has long been touted as a way to get more fruits, vegetables and micronutrients into your diet. But is a juicer really worth it? The truth is, it depends on how often you plan to use your juicer. If it’s going to sit on your benchtop gathering dust or breaking within a year, you may be better off buying a blender or investing in a stack of fresh, leafy greens that you can work into salads and smoothies.
However, if you’re committed to making juice at home on a regular basis, it can be well worth it to invest in a high-quality model. The more expensive ones tend to have wider feed chutes and multiple speed options, while many come with dishwasher-safe attachments to make cleaning easier. Some are more compact than others and take up less space on the worktop, while some even have vertical designs so they can be tucked into back corners of cabinets below wall cupboards.
The best juicers are easy to put together and clean, as time spent on assembling and cleaning can be a major reason for not using a machine regularly. Look for those with quick release parts and a handy brush for cleaning hard-to-reach areas, as well as dishwasher-safe attachments to make it faster and easier to clean between uses. You’ll also find models with wide chutes to save time by allowing whole apples and chunky vegetables to be fed in without pre-chopping, as well as ones that have separate pulp containers so you don’t need to empty the contents of the collection bowl every time.
You’ll also find some juicers are designed to do more than just extract juice, allowing them to process frozen fruit into ice cream and make nut milks and sorbets too. The best ones are typically masticating juicers that can be used to make all the above as well as soft, leafy vegetables and nut butters. Some also have additional filters that can be used to make blending smoothies or to make purees and chutneys.
Another thing to consider is whether you’re planning to make more than just juice, as some of the best juicers are able to process whole fruits and veggies into pasta, breadsticks or soy and almond milk too. These are called multifunction or whole-food juicers and tend to be more versatile than standard centrifugal machines that have a limited range of functions.
If you are looking to add a juicer to your kitchen, remember to store it in a spot where you will see it on a daily basis and be inspired to use it. Otherwise, it might end up like the treadmill you bought but never got on to or that extra kale that languished in your crisper for weeks until it was forgotten about.
