Choose the Best Juicer for Your Family

If you've been considering buying a juicer, but you're overwhelmed by the choices and prices, we understand. A juicer is an appliance that's nice to have, but it can be a significant investment. Before taking the plunge, you should be sure to choose the best juicer for your home.

We'll cover some of the top considerations to keep in mind, as well as the differences between the two major types of juicers. We hope this information will help you make a more informed decision.

Choose the Best Juicer: Compare and Contrast

In our post about juices for kids, we presented this infographic that summarizes the differences between centrifugal and cold press juicers:

There are some definite advantages to both types. Centrifugal juicers cut, spin, and filter fruits and vegetables to separate juice from pulp. Centrifugal juicers are great if you're on a budget. They're also a good option for more casual, infrequent users who are primarily concerned with convenience.

Cold press juicers cost more, but they do a better job of breaking down fruits, vegetables, and even nuts. The mechanics of cold press juicers simulate the action of chewing by grinding and pressing food to extract juice. They're well-suited to juicing leafy vegetables and soft fruits that a centrifugal juicer can't handle.

Choose the Best Juicer: Recommended Centrifugal Juicers

If you plan to juice mostly hard fruits and vegetables, drink the juice right away and you have tighter budget constraints, a centrifugal juicer will work for you.

Breville Juice Fountain Compact ($99.95)

We can always count on Breville for excellent quality at any price point. This machine makes three cups of juice at a time and can hold a quart and a half of pulp before needing to be emptied. The 700 watt motor makes the blade spin at 14,000 RPM, which is why it can juice so quickly.

The Breville Juice Fountain Compact is a good buy if:

• You want to make juice for one or two people at a time
• You don't have much counter or storage space

Breville Juice Fountain Cold ($179.95)

This machine is larger, makes over two quarts of juice at a time, and can accommodate more pulp and waste before emptying. We like how the Breville Juice Fountain Cold offers variable speeds to juice different foods more efficiently for less waste. It has a high-powered motor (850 watts) to handle both low and high speeds, depending on what you're juicing.

The Breville Juice Fountain Cold is a good buy if:

• You want to juice a greater variety of fruits and vegetables
• You have more counter or storage space

Choose the Best Juicer: Recommended Cold Press Juicers

If you want to make nut milks, juice hard or leafy vegetables, and you have a larger budget, we suggest a cold press or masticating juicer.

Philips Masticating Juicer ($299.95)

The Philips Masticating Juicer is tall but narrow, so it takes up less counter space. Similar to the Breville Juice Fountain Multi-Speed, it makes up to a quart of juice and holds a quart of pulp at a time. But the mechanics of this juicer allow it to handle hard-to-juice foods like bananas, berries, and leafy greens. The feed tube is fairly narrow though, so you'll have to chop food into smaller pieces before juicing.

The Philips Masticating Juicer is a good buy if:

• You want a cold press juicer that fits in a small space
• You plan to juice an even wider variety of fruits and vegetables, and make nut milks too
• You don't mind chopping items into smaller pieces before juicing

We hope this guide has been helpful in making sense of which juicer could be the best choice for your family.