Juicers are a wonderful machine to have in your kitchen. In just a couple of minutes you're able to make a healthy, hearty juice drink packed to the brim with vitamins and healthy nutrients. There is no other way to get so much nutrition in so little time! Not only that but they also allow you to make use of all your leftover vegetable, fruit, and green scraps, so in this way, they actually save you money in the long run!
But what should you look for when your getting a juicer? What matters and what doesn't? Let's look at some tips that will help guide you through the rapidly growing sea of juicing machines on the market.
I personally think brand names matter when it comes to juicing. Because it's a machine that involves a lot of parts that need to run a lot, for years to come, it's not something that can be so easily copied and low priced. You want a brand that's associated with the long term in this industry. There are companies out there that have making juicers for decades and those are the ones you want to stick your money to - Breville, Jack LuLanne, Acme, Omega, and so on. This also means you have a company that will be around for years to come should you ever need to service or repair a part on your machine. I don't think you'd get the same thing from that flimsy juicer that you can buy at GNC or Sharper Image.
Another important consideration is to think about what you really will juice the most and buy a juicer that works best for this type of juicing. If wheat grass shots are you thing, then you might want to consider a specializing wheat grass machine. If juicing carrots is your main goal, then you definitely want a juicer that rocks at doing that. (Click here for some carrot juicer recommendations.) If you plan to do a lot of fruit juicing, then you want a machine good for citrus and pulpy fruits. And if you have no idea what you'll be doing then just go for a recognized all purpose machine and you'll be just fine!
Speed and sound are two issues that are also worth your attention. If you have small children in the house or just want to keep things on the quiet side of things, keep in mind that some of the motors can be a bit loud. You'd do best to get a slow motor that is also more quiet. (This can make the unit more expensive though, of course.)
Finally, once you decide what brand you want, what type of unit you want, and deal with the sound issue, you can pick out your juicer. At this point you'll want to keep in at a handy spot around the home. I used to keep mine in my bedroom - which is rather odd, I know - but the truth is I had a bathroom sink 5 feet from the juicer, so it was really easy and meant I didn't even need to go to the kitchen to get things done. Wherever you store it, you'll want to have a sink as close as possibly. Ideally this means within a foot or two of your juicer. Trust me, this will make cleaning it a lot easier!
