Kitchen equipment · Juicer

Juicer

An appliance that separates juice from the pulp of fruit and vegetables, leaving fibre behind.

Specialist · Electric · 5 recipes

Photo: Claus Ableiter, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

What it is

Centrifugal juicers grate produce against a fast-spinning mesh basket that flings the juice out; masticating or cold-press juicers crush produce slowly with an auger. Both eject pulp separately. Unlike a blender, which keeps all the fibre, a juicer gives thin, clear juice. Simple citrus juicers are a separate tool (citrus press).

What it’s for: Extracting fresh juice from hard fruits, vegetables, leafy greens and herbs.

How to use it

Wash produce and cut it to fit the feed chute; remove hard stones.
Place a jug under the spout and a container under the pulp outlet.
Switch on and push produce down with the pusher.
Stir and drink the juice soon after making it.

Good to know

Tasks: juicing carrots, apples and beetroot, juicing ginger and greens, making sugarcane-style or mixed vegetable juices
Cooking methods: Raw, No-cook
Materials: plastic body, stainless steel mesh
Care and cleaning: Rinse all parts immediately before pulp dries; scrub the mesh with the supplied brush.
Limitations: Wastes fibre; lots of parts to clean; centrifugal types handle leafy greens poorly.

Safety

Always use the pusher, never fingers.
Wash produce well, as juice is not heated.

If you don’t have one

Blender — Blend with a little water and strain through a sieve or cloth.
Citrus press / reamer — Ideal for oranges, lemons and limes.

Equipment guide

How it works: Centrifugal juicers shred produce on a fast-spinning grater disc and fling the pulp against a mesh basket, so juice passes through. Masticating (slow) juicers crush and press produce with a slowly turning auger, which handles leafy greens better and incorporates less air and heat.