Inside Helana’s Kitchen: Juicing

To make this food blog just a little bit better, I’m creating a summer series that will allow me to include more than just recipes at Clearly Delicious, but cooking techniques, gadgets, and tips that I hope will aid readers in their search for culinary mastery (or at least offer some fun along the way).

Today’s post is my first on a list of gadgets that make certain kinds of recipes significantly easier—  

A Centrifugal Juicer spins fruits, vegetables, and spices (fresh ginger root, ahem, ahem) into pure delicious liquid bliss.  Many juicers of this variety are reasonably priced (about $35[1]) and can be found at your local Target, Walmart, or specialty food prep store.

In the past I’ve referenced this juicer during summer months with my Watermelon Juice with Basil[2] and during winter months when warding off illness with Alison’s Green Juice Detox[3].  These two juices are just some of many options for regular juicing habits and mark a wonderful way to make cooking more fun (feeding the fruit into the juicer is like feeding an angry monster. . . it’s kind of amazing).

Pictured: a standard 400-watt juicer from Black & Decker with brand’s custom juice cup.

Having recently been on a 7-day juice detox with Rhett, I found it absolutely necessary to share the one kitchen item I’ve been “cooking” with this week.  It’s easy to use, simple to clean up, and a wonderful asset to any kitchen where juicing may be involved.  Here’s why.

NOTE: I would like to clarify that I am not receiving moneys, promotional items, or any goods for this post.  The juicer I suggest is based purely on my own good experiences with it and my assurance that it works for these great recipes.

Juicer: Black & Decker 400-Watt Fruit & Vegetable Juice Extractor with Custom Juice Cup[4]

This gadget is just one of many kinds of juicers readily available online.  Ranging in price from an easy $35 to whopping four digit specialized machines[5], this machine offers a great starting point for anyone learning to juice at home.

Price: $37.96 + free shipping on Amazon In stock

Pros

-easy to use

-dishwasher safe

-large pulp holder for multiple juicing jobs

-lightweight (6 lbs)

-compatible with every fruit I’ve tried (berries, watermelon, nectarines, peaches, papaya, melon) and every vegetable I’ve tried (kale, spinach, broccoli, red peppers, peppers, tomatoes), and juicy roots and spices like ginger or radishes

-great custom juice cup that helps measure volume of juice (although it could be a bit larger….)

-had for over 1 year, have juiced a ton, and it still works as well as the day I bought it

Cons

-not good for citrus jobs (lemons, limes, oranges); for this task, you’ll need a simple handheld juicer[6]

-isn’t perfect: cleaning is easy with a dishwasher, but what about those of us who have to pull each piece apart and wash by hand? the juicing cylinder provides me the most grief during this process

-can stop mid-juicing if feeding too much product

-bottom plugs (the ones that attach to the counter) are always popping off and staying on the counter

-may need to re-feed the pulp to get more juice out of your product (especially with high-water fruits like watermelon and high-water vegetables like carrots)
So, if I had to rate it? I’d give it 4 out of 5 cookies, and I’d still keep this juicer (it’s great for the price).

–Helana Brigman[7]

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