BEFORE YOU BUY

Centrifugal juicers mimic a blender by shredding fruit or vegetables with spinning blades, before straining them against metal mesh to separate seeds and pith from juice. As well as being speedy, centrifugal juicers are well suited to handling hard fruit and veg, such as ginger, apples and carrots. They’re also good for cutting down on food prep time as many have large feed chutes that can accommodate whole apples and veggies. However, as the process adds more air into the juice, you may find that it doesn’t store for more than a day or two.

Masticating juicers, also known as slow juicers or cold press juicers, work by ‘chewing’ fruit and vegetables before crushing or squeezing out the juice at a gentle rate. This provides a high yield and maximum nutritional content plus the juice may have a longer shelf life. Many ‘slow’ juicers have almost caught up with centrifugal juicers in terms of speed and they’ll also be quieter while in use.

Citrus juicers are the most basic they are suitable only for those who want freshly squeezed oranges, grapefruit and lemons, with a spinning reamer that takes all of the hard work out of making fresh juice.

If you’re opting for a centrifugal machine, its wattage should be at least 400W so that any fruit hitting the blades won’t slow it down. More than one speed, or automatic adjustment, will also be useful as centrifugal juicers handle hard fruit at high speed, but still need a slower one for softer fruit. Masticating machines will be lower wattage, usually between 150-240W as the slower juicing process doesn’t require the extra power. One speed should do for all, with a reverse to clear blockages.