A new breed of juicers has emerged, the slow juicer or upright juicer. This type of juicer has an upright design similar to centrifugal juicers, but operates similar to the masticating juicer, with the auger or gear that crushes the food and presses out the juice. While pricey (around R4000), these slow juicers are said to extract even more nutrients and juice than existing masticating models, and have the advantage of taking up less of a footprint on the counter than either of the other types of models. Hurom and Omega are among the brands making an upright, or slow, juicer.
Masticating
Masticating juicers, meanwhile, typically have a horizontal design in which a tube containing the auger extends out of motorized base. Pieces of fruits and vegetables are pushed into the top of the tube, and they are crushed and squeezed by the auger. Juice drains out of the underside of the tube, while the pulp is squeezed out at the end of the tube. Because of the slower crushing and squeezing action, masticating juicers can process leafy greens and wheatgrass, and the juice that they produce will last much longer than juice made in a centrifugal juicer, which should be consumed right away as it starts losing nutrients nearly immediately. Masticating juicers are pricier than centrifugal models; starting at around R3000 for most models. Some of the brands to look for are Champion, Omega, Oscar, Hurom and Green Star
Centrifugal
Centrifugal juicers are more commonplace, and in general, more affordable. They typically have an upright design in which food is pushed into a rapidly spinning mesh chamber with sharp teeth on its floor. The teeth shred the food into a pulp, and the centrifugal motion pulls the juice out of the pulp and through the mesh filter, where it is funneled out of the juicer via a spigot. In most centrifugal juicers, the pulp, once most of the juice has been pulled out, is ejected into a separate collection chamber. Centrifugal juicers work best with soft and hard fruits and vegetables, but not quite as well with leafy greens like kale or spinach, or with wheatgrass. Inexpensive centrifugal juicers can be found for as little as R400 or as much as R5000, with most good-quality models ranging in price from R2000 to R5000. Popular centrifugal juicers include Breville, Hamilton Beach, Juiceman and L’Equip.
