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If you’ve been reading up on the health benefits of carrot juice, you’ll no doubt be aware that it is a fantastic source of Vitamin C and fiber.

But did you also know that it can improve your eyesight, control cholesterol levels, strengthen your brain function, and even reduce your chances of developing certain types of cancer?!

Carrot juice really is a super-juice and it’s delicious too! However, in order to start drinking fresh carrot juice, you’ll need an appliance that can make it for you.

Of course, the best appliance for this would be a juicer, but these can come at an expensive price and not everybody has the option of purchasing one. 

This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the flavor and health benefits of carrot juice, though!

Below, we’ll take you through a step-by-step guide on how to make carrot juice without a juicer. It’s much easier than you might think too and, unlike some other juices made without using a juicer, it’s ready to drink straight away. 

Ingredients:

• 675g (3 cups) fresh carrots
• 435ml (1 ¾ cups) water

Equipment:

• Paring knife
• Blender
• Mesh strainer
• 1-liter jar

Method:

1. Begin by washing your carrots to remove any dirt or organic matter. There’s no need to peel the carrots. In fact, it’s better not to do this as the skins contain a lot of vitamins and minerals. Just give them a good wash under a running faucet. 

2. If you’ve purchased carrots with their green tops still intact, chop these off. Don’t throw them away though, as they are perfectly edible. Save them and use them as an addition to a salad, or make a carrot-top pesto sauce with them. 

3. The smaller your carrots are, the easier it will be for the blender to blitz them into juice. So, take your paring knife and chop them into pieces that are around 1-inch in length. You can go smaller, depending on the power of your blender. 

4. Place your carrots into your blender’s jug along with the water. Whizz everything together at a high speed for a couple of minutes. You should be able to see tiny chunks of carrots floating in the water at the end of this time. If there are any larger pieces still, blend again for another minute. 

5. Take your mesh strainer and place it over the top of the 1-liter jar. Now, slowly and carefully pour the carrot and water mixture into the jar. The stainer will catch any pulp and ensure that only the juice flows through. As more pulp is collected, you’ll need to pause and remove it from the strainer so that the juice can continue to flow uninterrupted. 

6. Once the jar is filled with carrot juice, store it in your refrigerator and pour yourself a delicious glass whenever you want!

It’s worth noting that, depending on your personal preference, straining the juice isn’t always necessary. If you’re a fan of juices that have pulp in them, then you can simply pour the juice directly from the blender into the jar. 

Carrot Juice Recipes

One of the best things about carrot juice is that it is delicious all by itself. However, it’s also a great foundation for creating a range of delicious juice blends that are packed with flavor and vitamins.

Each of the recipes below can be made without a juicer by following the same chopping, blending, and straining process as above. Anything that is particularly juicy, such as oranges, can be squeezed into the blender before blitzing. 

Immunity System-Boosting Juice

• 4 carrots
• 1 orange
• 2-inches of ginger

Energy-Boosting Juice

• 4 carrots
• ¾ cup of beetroot
• 1 orange
• ½ cup of strawberries

Stomach-Soothing Juice

• 4 carrots
• 2 apples
• 1 cup of red cabbage

Healthy Virgin Bloody Mary

• 3 carrots
• 15 cherry tomatoes
• 2 radishes

The ingredient amounts for each of these juices are enough to make one glass of juice.

This means you’re able to find your favorite without having to make a whole batch, and they’re also a great way to use up any leftover veggies you’ve got in your kitchen. 

Summary

Carrot juice is one of the easiest juices to make without a blender and, as you can see from the recipes above, it can be made into a range of delicious variations.

However, before you start making your carrot juices, you need to make sure the carrots you’ve chosen are in good condition. 

Look for carrots that are firm and inflexible. These will be easier for your blender to process and they’ll be fresher too, which means they will have a higher number of vitamins and minerals. Don’t be afraid to use wonky vegetables either! 

Just because a carrot doesn’t look perfectly straight, it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with it. In fact, irregularly-shaped carrots are often marked down at grocery stores as they are considered ‘imperfect’. Buying these gives you the opportunity to save even more money!

If you are looking to buy a juicer, the two most common words you will find are “centrifugal” and “masticating”. These are the most popular forms of juicer and are both very different from one another.

Regardless, it can be quite confusing to understand the difference between the both if they seem to make the same product (juice). 

As both have their differences and work in different ways, it’s important to understand their advantages and disadvantages to know what is best for you.

You may be looking for a quiet juicer or a fast juicer - but which one is that? 

We have made the ultimate guide to deciphering the difference between centrifugal and masticating juices, from their benefits to their downfalls, and which is best for making the healthiest juice. 

Centrifugal Juicers 

Centrifugal juicers are the most commonly found juicers in department stores and online, as they are generally the most affordable type of juicer.

You are most likely to see these juicers on television ads due to the cost point.  

How Centrifugal Juicers Work

Centrifugal, by definition, is moving something away from the center. These juicers work primarily by spinning the produce using spinning blades.

These blades grind the produce by separating the juice from the pulp - the juice falls through to the cup as the pulp is pushed to the sides of the juicer (or moved away from the center, according to the definition).

The speed of these blades is fast - often 3k to 16k reps per minute. If it wasn’t this fast, the food would merely be chopped and ground to a mushy consistency rather than juice. 

So, how do they get rid of the pulp? The pulp is moved to the sides of the juicer as the blades move. In cheaper models, the sides of the juicer will simply have a filter where excess juice from the pulp can be collected.

Some products will talk about how “dry” the pulp residue is, which essentially means how much juice has been drained from the pulp. With this in mind, cheaper centrifugal juicers don’t dry out the pulp enough just by the fast blades.

More pricey options will often have a pulp container which makes it easier to extract and remove the pulp.

The pulp is one of the main downsides to centrifugal juicers, especially if they don’t have designated pulp containers, as it makes the cleaning process slightly more tedious.

Centrifugal juicers with pulp containers mean that you don’t have to consistently stop the juicing process to remove any pulp that could be blocking the juice - especially if you are juicing a lot of produce!

Due to the potential pulp issues, centrifugal juicers are better suited for hard and dense fruit and vegetables. This is also because the fast-spinning blades can grind harder and larger chunks of produce than a masticating juicer (which we will discuss further later!).

One of the biggest advantages of centrifugal juicers is their ability to handle large produce, which is mostly down to its wide feed chute.

The feed chute is where the food is dropped or pushed down into the juicer. The narrower the chute, the more you will have to cut your food.

Although this isn’t exactly the biggest issue and it doesn’t take long to chop fruit and vegetables, it’s quite a nice bonus to simply drop your fruit or vegetables into a larger feed chute.

Feed chutes on centrifugal juicers can be up to 3-4” wide, which means you can drop entire apples, oranges, and other foods of similar sizes straight into the juicer!

This feed chute will come with a lid and, depending on the model, may come with an object to help push the food down if need be. 

Whilst larger chunks and whole pieces of fruit and vegetables are suitable for centrifugal juicers, they are not suited for leafy greens and soft produce such as wheatgrass or spinach.

This is because the pulp to juice separation isn’t as good as a masticating juicer, which means you will probably spend more time clearing away the pulp than waiting for the juice.

The fast blades will just spin and spin the leafy greens, cutting them into pieces, rather than press them into a juice. 

The simplest way to describe a centrifugal juicer is to imagine a washing machine. A washing machine will rinse and squeeze out the water from clothes at the end of its cycle by forcing a faster spin.

A centrifugal juicer works similarly to a washing machine, as they work quickly to release the juice from larger volumes of produce. 

Pros

• Generally more affordable as they are so common
• They can handle large chunks of produce and even whole pieces of food, which means they are great for large families
• They produce juice faster than other types of juicer
• The feed chute size and power of the motor means centrifugal juicers are best for dense fruit and vegetables 

Cons

• The pulp can get stuck if a model does not offer a pulp container, which can make the cleaning process more tedious
• The speed and power of the motor means they are noisy
• Fast spinning blades means there is more oxidation, which shortens the shelf-life of the juice as enzymes are destroyed
• Juice can often come out foamy or bubbly due to the speed of the spinning blades

Masticating Juicers 

To masticate is to chew food, which is the best way to quickly explain how masticating juicers work.

Like a human mouth, masticating juicers work to chew produce and separate the juice from the pulp.

Imagine you’re eating an orange: your teeth will chew the orange segments and squeeze the juice into your mouth, leaving the rest of the segment pulp behind. 

How Masticating Juicers Work

Masticating juicers are often also called slow or single-gear juicers due to the way they create juice. They slowly chew and grind the produce that is fed to them, and effectively separate the juice from the pulp.

The juice and pulp go into separate containers, which means there is barely any cleanup from the pulp as this is already sorted for you. 

This method does take longer than centrifugal juicers, which could be considered a disadvantage for those who want to create juice quickly. However, this is a hugely beneficial method for maintaining the nutrients and healthiness of the juice.

The chewing process takes away the cells from the fruit or vegetables and forces out the enzymes and nutrients that are closer to the core.

There is minimal oxidation as the speed is so slow (80-120 RPM), which means that all of the fresh enzymes from the original fruit and vegetables remain the same in the juice. This also means the juice can keep for up to 72 hours, as oxidation shortens the shelf-life of juice. 

In short, if you want your juice to be the ultimate liquid version of your favorite fruit and vegetables, a masticating juicer is your best option. 

Another bonus to this slow speed is that these juicers are virtually silent. Perfect if you want to make juice at 6 am without waking up the kids or neighbors! 

As masticating juicers offer healthier and more nutritious juices, they are generally more expensive and less common than centrifugal juicers. This can be a major disadvantage for those who are on a budget, or for those who don’t plan to use it daily to make the most out of their money. 

The feed chute is also significantly narrower than centrifugal juicers, which means there will be more prep time to cut up the fruit and vegetables into smaller chunks.

Mastication juicers also require the fruit and vegetables to be pushed into the juicer, so they are not as automatic as centrifugal ones.

This being said, they can suitably chew and grind juice out of dense foods as well as leafy greens and softer fruits and vegetables. 

Pros

• The best juice quality is produced due to the lack of oxidation - meaning all of the enzymes are fresh and haven’t been destroyed
• Juice keeps for up to 72 hours and doesn’t have to be drunk immediately due to minimal oxidation
• Silent due to lack of spinning blades and powerful motor
• Separate pulp and juice containers for easy cleaning
• Juice is not foamy

Cons

• Generally more expensive than centrifugal juicers
• Slower juicing time than centrifugal juicers
• Smaller feed chute requires more chopping of fruit and vegetables

Which Cleans Easier?

How well and easily a juicer can clean can be a huge advantage or disadvantage for some buyers. You don’t want to spend 10 minutes having to scrub the juicer after each use, especially if you plan on using it daily. 

Fortunately, the majority of juicers (both masticating and centrifugal) are made of BPA-free materials that are dishwasher safe.

Even if you don’t have a dishwasher, they can be easily rinsed and cleaned in warm soapy water - just make sure you do this quickly before any residue sticks to the juicer!

The majority of juicers also come with a small cleaning brush to get through to the small corners and edges as well as through the feed chute.

Despite this, centrifugal juicers tend to be the harder juicer to clean. If they don’t have a separate pulp container, not only will you have to scoop out the pulp during the juicing time, but this can also be a nightmare for cleaning.

It’s important to get all of the pulp and juice out of the juicer before you use it again to prevent any bacteria from growing on residue. 

Masticating juicers are generally easier to clean due to the pulp and juice separations, and the lack of spinning blades means there is less to remove and clean from the juicer. 

Nutritional Value and Oxidation 

One of the main reasons people want to buy a juicer is because of the nutritional value. Ideally, you’d like to get all of the nutrients from your juice as you would if you ate the fruit or vegetable naturally.

Juicing these foods can help people to have their 5-a-day in a fast liquid form rather than eating them all separately. So, you want to receive all of the nutrients from the fresh produce, right? 

Let’s discuss oxidation. Oxidation has come up several times in our guide, so we should explain this further. 

Oxidation occurs when fruit or vegetables are cut open and exposed to oxygen for some time. For example, an apple that has been cut in half will begin to turn brown as it oxidizes. This process destroys the enzymes and therefore decreases the nutritional value of the apple. 

Oxidation in a juicer occurs when the juice is exposed to too much oxygen. This is why centrifugal juicers are more likely to oxidize the juice, as the fast-spinning blade pumps so much oxygen throughout the juice.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the juice is already oxidized, but it means that it needs to be consumed within 24 hours to make the most of the fresh enzymes. 

Masticating juicers, on the other hand, don’t pump oxygen throughout the grinding process. This means that the enzymes are maintained and deep-seated nutrients are pushed out.

Juice from masticating juicers can last up to 72 hours when stored in the fridge, as they can withstand oxygen for longer.

This is highly beneficial for those who like to make large batches of juice to take to work or to drink throughout the day. 

Is Slower Better Than Faster?

As the main difference between masticating and centrifugal is the speed, you may be wondering whether one speed is better than the other.

In reality, it all comes down to personal preference. Some people may want a juicer to quickly make a juice before work, whilst others may prefer a slower juicer for the sake of less noise. 

This is where masticating juicers have their biggest downfall. The speeds at which they create juice are much slower, 80 - 120 RPM, compared to centrifugal juicers, which work between 3k - 6k RPM. Whilst this may not seem a problem to some people, others may require convenience over quality. 

However, if you are looking to make the most out of your juicer to consume all of the nutrients from fruit and vegetables, faster options aren’t always the best.

As we explained earlier, centrifugal fast-spinning juicers force more oxygen into the juice which shortens its shelf life and lessens the number of enzymes. Whilst it may taste great, it won’t offer the flavor that a slow juicer has to offer. 

Masticating juicers, whilst slower, do offer the best quality juice. There are no spinning blades to whip up the juice which can often create a foamy or bubbly texture (something that can happen with centrifugal juicers). 

However, it also depends on the type of food you intend to put in your juicer! Centrifugal juicers are fast and powerful for a reason: because they can grind larger and harder fruits and vegetables.

Masticating juicers, on the other hand, are the best for soft fruits and vegetables and leafy greens such as wheatgrass. This means that the quality of the juice will be different depending on what type of food you put in what type of juicer. 

A centrifugal juicer will grind hard produce better than masticating juicers which can juice softer produce better. 

Pulp and Waste

You will want to make the most of your money and your juicer, which is why it is important to understand which juicer leaves the driest pulp. 

The spinning design of centrifugal juicers pushes the pulp to the sides, which means that there is potential juice that has been pushed to the side.

This will all get chucked in the bin. If you are conscious about waste and making the most out of your food, a centrifugal juicer will not make the most juice. 

A masticating juicer, on the other hand, literally pushes everything from the fruit and vegetables. When the pulp is pushed into the pulp container, it comes out in a thick consistency that is fairly dry.

It is said that masticating juicers give around 20% more juice than centrifugal juicers due to the “chewing” design and process. 

Whilst masticating juicers are more expensive than centrifugal ones, they could be more worth your money in the long run as you won’t have to buy as much produce.

The difference may only be the cost of an apple, but this will add up eventually!

Taste vs Health 

If we have confused you with all of the health benefits of juicers and you’re only interested in making juices from berries, a centrifugal juicer will work fine for you!

Fortunately, there isn’t a difference in taste between both centrifugal and masticating juicers. So, if you want a juicer to make sweet juices, a centrifugal one will work well - but remember that berries contain lots of natural sugar which isn’t necessarily healthy in excessive amounts! 

If you want a juicer to fit in your five-a-day, a masticating juicer will be your new best friend.

These juicers can squeeze the juice from healthy leafy greens (unlike centrifugal juicers). The slow-motion also limits oxidation, which means you get every benefit from the enzymes and nutrients if you were to eat the fruit and vegetables normally. 

Final Words 

At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference as to which juicer is the better option.

There are multiple factors why someone may prefer a centrifugal juicer over a masticating one and vice versa, which we hope we have explained in this guide! 

If you’re looking for speed, convenience, and taste - a centrifugal juicer is the best option. 

If you’re looking to improve your health and consume as many nutrients as possible - a masticating juicer will be your new companion. 

While the idea of cabbage juice may not sound too appetizing, it’s one of the best things you can drink if you suffer from stomach ulcers or any other type of stomach issue.

This is because it is a naturally-occurring source of L-Glutamine and gefarnate, which are fantastic minerals for protecting the lining of your stomach.

Cabbage juice also contains probiotics that help to keep your stomach’s good bacteria in great shape, and this helps you keep your digestive system working as healthily as possible.

But what do you do when you want to make cabbage juice but you don’t have the funds to invest in a juicer? Don’t worry, there is a solution! Below, we’ll take you through a step-by-step guide on how to make cabbage juice without a juicer. 

It’s easier than you think it is too and, while you may not get the instant results you can achieve with a juicer, you’ll have a supply of super-healthy cabbage juice in just a few days.

Ingredients:

• 675g (3 cups) green cabbage, chopped
• 435ml (1 ¾ cups) water

Equipment:

• Small saucepan or pot
• Blender
• 2 x 1-liter jars
• Plastic wrap
• Mesh strainer

Method:

1. Start by boiling the water. You need to do this in a small saucepan or pot and let it boil for 30 minutes, rather than simply boiling it in a kettle. Doing this will remove any chlorine and other chemical additives in the water. 

2. Next, put your chopped green cabbage into a blender. Fill the blender jug with the boiled water. It’s a good idea to use a large blender for this, as you’ll only want to keep the jug about two-thirds full. Any fuller than this and the cabbage may not blend properly. 

3. Select a low speed and blend the cabbage and water together. Keep the blending going until you notice a green-tinge to the water and there are still noticeable chunks of cabbage floating in it. This shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes at the lowest blending-speed.

4. Switch to the highest blending-seed and blitz everything together for 10 seconds only. Do not exceed this time, otherwise, you’ll end up with cabbage puree! At the end of the 10 seconds, you should notice that there are still some small pieces of cabbage floating in the water.

5. Now, pour your cabbage and water mixture into a 1L jar, leaving a 1-inch gap between the surface of the juice and the top of the jar. The liquid will expand as it sits and ferments, so it needs a little room to grow.

6. Take your plastic wrap and create an airtight seal across the top of the jar. If your jar has a lid, secure the plastic wrap in place using this, otherwise, you can place a rubber band around the top. 

7. You now need to let the cabbage mixture sit at room temperature, undisturbed, for around 72 hours. The ideal temperature for this is 72ºF, but be sure not to let it dip below 68ºF or get any higher than 78ºF. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to keep it out of rooms that have fluctuating temperatures, such as a kitchen. 

8. Be patient! While 72 hours may seem like a long time, the cabbage will be fermenting and growing the cultures that will help your digestive system, so it’s worth the wait. 

9. Once the 72 hours have passed, take your mesh strainer and place it on top of your second 1L jar. The strainer should have really small gaps, as this will let the juice flow through and catch any solids. Now, carefully pour the cabbage mixture through the strainer into the empty jar, pausing to remove any solids that collect in the strainer while you pour. 

10. Once the second jar is filled with cabbage juice, cover it with plastic wrap and secure it in place. Store the jar in your refrigerator and it’s ready to drink whenever you like!

Restocking Your Cabbage Juice

When you notice your cabbage supply juice is running low, you can use the existing juice to make more and speed up the process!

To do this, simply follow the steps above, but add 125ml (½ cup) of cabbage juice to the jar before you start the fermentation process.

This speeds up the process dramatically and, rather than having to wait for 72-hours for your cabbage juice, it will be ready to use in just 24-hours!

This is because the cultures already exist, so it’s easier for them to grow at a rapid pace within the new batch.

Summary

Making cabbage juice without a juicer may be a time-consuming process, but the actual hands-on work is pretty minimal.

The main issue is waiting for the cabbage to ferment and produce the cultures that give the juice its amazing health benefits. 

But, it’s certainly worth practicing a little patience as, in the end, you’ll get a digestive-system boosting juice that will work wonders for any stomach issues. And, you can do it all without having to invest in a juicer!

We all know that drinking freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juice gives your body a boost of vitamins and minerals.

However, once you’ve extracted all of the delicious, flavor-packed juice from your chosen ingredients, you’re left with one tricky problem; how do you clean a juicer?

Let’s face it, juicing is a messy business! Trying to scrub at the pulp left behind is time-consuming and it takes a lot of effort to get your juicer looking as good as new again.

Factor in your busy lifestyle and, by the time you actually get round to cleaning your juicer, the job becomes even harder. 

But don’t panic, we’re here to help! Below, you’ll learn how to clean a juicer the easy way.

We’ll take you through each step, what equipment you need, and show you how to keep your juicer ready to use whenever you need it. 

Types of Juicer

First things first, let’s take a look at the three basic types of juicers available. This will help you determine which type you have if you don’t already know.

It’s also useful to know the different types if you’re looking to buy a juicer, as you’ll be able to see which are the easiest to clean. 

Centrifugal Force

With this type of juicer, fruits and vegetables are shredded by super-sharp blades spinning at a high speed. The blades are surrounded by a mesh strainer and, as the ingredients are shredded, centrifugal force pushes the juice through the mesh into the collecting jug.

The leftover pulp is collected in a separate container. These are the easiest of the three types of juicers to clean. 

Masticating

This type of juicer works by mimicking the action of chewing. A single-spiral auger masticates the fruits and vegetables and the juice is extracted into one container while the pulp is separated into another.

This type of juicer is the best for extracting juice from leafy ingredients, such as kale or grasses. These are fairly easy to clean, but the difficulty level will depend on what you’re juicing. 

Triturating

A triturating juicer grinds fruits and vegetables into a very fine pulp in order to extract as much juice as possible.

This is the type of juicer that you’re most likely to find in juice shops, and it’s also the hardest type of juicer to clean. 

How Often Should You Clean a Juicer?

Whichever type of juicer you’re using, it’s important to clean it after each use. If not, the tiny particles of fruits and vegetables can easily become trapped and begin to rot.

This leads to bacterial and mold growth and, ultimately, could cause food poisoning or other serious health problems.

You might think that giving your juicer a quick rinse under the faucet would be enough to clean it, but it isn’t as simple as this. If you miss any bits of pulp, they can quickly harden and cement themselves to the juicer.

This makes them much harder to clean later on, so it’s worth doing it properly each and every time. 

The easiest way to make sure you’re cleaning your juicer thoroughly is to factor an extra five minutes into your daily juicing time.

It’s not a lot of time, but it’s enough to make sure you’re doing the job properly. You should also take some time to deep clean your juicer once a week.

Daily Juicer Cleaning

Let’s take a look at how to clean your juicer after each use, to begin with. Here’s a list of all the equipment you’ll need:

• Non-abrasive sponge
• Soft-bristled brush
• Spatula
• Dishwashing liquid

Note: It’s worth checking if any of your juicer’s components are dishwasher safe. If they are, remove them, rinse them under hot water, and place them in the dishwasher.

This is the easiest way to clean a juicer. However, if this isn’t an option or if your juicer only has certain parts that are dishwasher safe, follow the steps below.

1. Turn your juicer off and unplug it from the electrical outlet

2. Remove both the juice and pulp collection containers, then disassemble the other components. This includes the grinding mechanism, strainer, lid, and plunger. 

3. Take your spatula and scrape as much pulp out of the container as possible. This can either be composted or placed into your food recycling bin. 

4. Fill your sink with hot water and add a couple of drops of dishwashing detergent. Place all of the disassembled components in the sink and leave them to soak for a few minutes. 

5. Take your non-abrasive sponge and clean the collection containers. Then take your soft-bristled brush and clean out the other components. Rinse them under hot water, and leave them to air dry.

6. Now you need to clean the juicer’s base. To do this, simply dampen the non-abrasive sponge and wipe it all over. Do not submerge the juicer base in water!

7. Once everything is dry, reassemble your juicer and it will be ready to use again. 

Weekly Deep Cleaning

To keep your juicer in great condition and to get any of the bits that you might have accidentally missed in your daily cleaning, it’s essential to give your juicer a weekly deep clean. 

To do this, you’ll need the same equipment as usual along with some baking soda and distilled white vinegar. Once you’ve got all of your cleaning gear together, follow these steps:

1. Fill a sink with hot water and add a few drops of liquid detergent. Add all of the components to the sink and leave them to soak for 15 minutes. This will help loosen any hardened-on bits of pulp.

2. Take your non-abrasive brush and dip it in baking soda. Scrub the components, covering every inch of them, then rinse them under hot water. The baking soda will act as an abrasive agent and lift off any stubborn pulp.

3. Fill the juice and pulp collection containers with distilled white vinegar. Allow them to soak for 15 minutes, then pour the vinegar out and wipe with a non-abrasive sponge. Rinse them well, then allow them to air dry. Doing this will remove any streaks or water spots that have formed on the containers.

Conclusion

As you can see, cleaning a juicer is a really easy job. It also doesn’t take as much time or effort as you might think.

Making sure you follow the steps above will keep your juicer clean and ready to use every time you need it, as well as making sure that each cup of juice you create contains nothing but healthy, vitamin-packed juice. 

We’ve always been into juicing. It’s one of the things that my wife likes to do. She’s a vegetarian, so she loves to juice. And I’m a big health freak - well, when I feel like being it - Demetrious Johnson

Everywhere you look, it seems like the whole world is going crazy about, and for, juice and has embraced the idea of juicing like it was a long-lost sibling who has finally returned to the loving embrace of their family.

It doesn’t seem to matter where you are, the gym, the health-food store, or your local coffee shop, everyone is talking about the benefits of juicing and how good they’re feeling now that they’ve signed on the dotted line and joined the ever-growing legions of its fans. 

While you’re probably eager to try juicing for yourself if you don’t have a juicer to make your juice with, it can seem like a huge step to make, especially if a juicer isn’t high on your list of financial priorities.

But just because you don’t own a juicer, or you can’t see one taking pride of place in your kitchen for the foreseeable future, it doesn’t mean that you can't make juice or join the increasing numbers of juicers that you know.

It is possible, and in fact, it’s incredibly easy, to make juice without a juicer and we’re going to explain how you can start juicing with a normal-sized strainer, a fine mesh strainer, and a blender. 

Preparation

One of the more appealing aspects of juicing is the way that it welcomes and encourages its practitioners to employ as many different types of fruits and vegetables as possible.

The more you use, and combine, the healthier and more nutritious, and filling your juice is going to be. So, when you choose the ingredients that you’re going to use for your juice, go wild and let your imagination guide you. 

However, we would recommend that you attempt to evenly balance your chosen ingredients, and use as many fresh (and if possible, organic) green vegetables as you possibly can.

Personally, we’ve found that mixing spinach, kale, broccoli, pineapple, and strawberry, with an added dash of lime for taste works best, but as we’ve already said, the choice of ingredients is entirely up to you. 

Cleaning

Before you start preparing your juice, you’re going to want to make sure that all of the fruit and vegetables that you’re using to make it are as clean as they possibly can be.

The easiest way to clean your fruit and vegetables thoroughly is by putting them in a large pan, or similarly sized container and adding enough water to completely cover them.

If you have access to and can use filtered water it’s a good idea to use it instead of tap water, but if you don’t, it isn’t a problem and tap water will do just fine. 

Prepare, peel and slice and dice your fruit and then add it to the same pan as your vegetables and mix your fruit and green vegetables together and add the water.

Gently stir the vegetables and fruit to loosen any debris, such as soil particles, that might have wormed its way between the leaves of your green vegetables and leave everything to soak for a couple of minutes, which should allow enough time for the debris to settle on the bottom of the pan. 

The Little Extras

It may sound crazy, but you’re going to need some water to make your juice with.

So, the first ingredient that needs to go in your (already clean) blender, is three tablespoons of (filtered if you have it, but don’t worry if you don’t) water, and if you’re partial to it, a little freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice - half to a full teaspoon (according to taste) is enough as any more might make your juice a little too sour to enjoy. 

Blending

Pour your pan of ingredients through the strainer, and separate the fruit and green vegetables. Put the vegetables in the blender first, as they’ll only need a quick blitz at full speed on your blender to reduce them enough to add your fruit.  

Twenty to thirty seconds should be more than enough to pulp them thoroughly, and when they’re ready it’s time to add your other ingredients to the blender.

As soon as the fruit and pulped vegetables are in your blender, put the lid on and securely fasten it. Then turn your blender up to its highest setting and turn it on for two minutes or until you’re completely satisfied that its contents have been totally blended.

This is where we usually start to get really excited, as we know that it’s almost juice time, and it’s at this point that we have, on a couple of occasions, let our nerves get the better of us and have fallen at the final hurdle.

So take a deep breath and calm down, you’re almost at the gates of juice heaven. 

The Juice 

Make sure you have a sufficiently sized receptacle (and by that, we mean glass or cup ready) and place your fine mesh strainer over the top of it.  

Carefully remove the glass / plastic container with all of your pulped fruits and vegetables in it from the blender and slowly and carefully start to pour it through the fine mesh strainer. Be patient, as it may take a couple of minutes for all of the juice to filter through the strainer and the pulp that the blending process left behind.

Put your blender to one side, empty the fine mesh strainer into the food recycling and take a minute to savor the spectacle of your own homemade juice that you didn’t need a juicer to make.

And whenever you’re ready, you can start drinking and enjoying the fruits of your labor. Congratulations, you’ve just joined the juicing world and you’ll soon start to understand exactly what your friends were talking about when they were talking about how much better, healthier, and more active they felt after they started juicing.

One last piece of advice. As much as you might be tempted to try and store your juice in the fridge to drink later, don’t do it.

Because you’ve made your juice in a blender, as soon as it’s ready, it’ll be at the point of maximum oxygenation, and even though it might still be a little warm from the blending process, there’s no better time to drink it. So as soon as it’s ready, raise your glass and enjoy your juice. You earned it.

Juicing is a handy way of getting your greens into your diet quickly, but the outcome is only as convenient as the process of cleaning your appliance afterwards. 

If your juicer is hard to clean, the effort it takes to wash it could begin to put you off your juicing, which will compromise your new lifestyle choice and improving your health. 

You don’t want to waste hours of your time in your kitchen cleaning your juicer, you’d rather a convenient machine that you can disassemble and wash in a flash!   

So, what’s the easiest juicer to clean? 

In summary 

To conclude, the Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer Extractor is the easiest juicer to clean on a regular basis. Aside from the top pick, all of the juicers in this article are relatively easy to clean and maintain.

As they are all excellent juicers all-around, whichever juicer you opt for, you’ll be getting an excellent product to fulfil all of your juicing needs and recipes. 

Experiment with different vegetables and fruits to create your perfect juice at home!  

Frequently Asked Questions 

Do I have to clean my juicer after every use? 

The answer to this question is yes – you do have to clean your juicer after every use to ensure no mould can grow on the inside of your machine and affect the taste of your juices or, even worse, cause bigger health issues down the line.

No one wants to be drinking mouldy juice! This is why it’s very important to find a juicer that is right for your lifestyle and that you won’t struggle to clean and maintain properly. 

As mentioned earlier in this article, the wet pulp is much easier to clean than dry pulp.

To make sure that you keep your juicer in the best possible condition you will need to wash it with warm soapy water to make sure that no bits of fruit or veg pulp get stuck and go mouldy over time.  

This will ensure that you keep your juicer as fresh as you possibly can, whilst making sure that it doesn’t need replacing sooner than you had anticipated.  

What is the difference between a slow masticating juicer and a centrifugal juicer?  

Masticating juicers are also known as slow juicers, or auger juicers, and the produce is crushed at a slow speed. When using this juicer, the produce is crushed at around 80-100 RPM, then pushed through a sharp screen.

Since the juicing process is much slower and does not introduce as much heat and oxygen as with a centrifugal juicer, it provides you with a more nutritious juice as it is not affected by the heat like a centrifugal juicer is. 

On the other hand, centrifugal juicers, also known as fast juicers, are a very common household appliance.

The way that they work is that this juicer takes fruits and veggies through a feeding tube and crushes them against a fast-spinning metal blade where they will be cut against a sharp screen at a high speed of 6,000-14,000 RPM.

They often have two speeds for hard or soft fruit and vegetables, however, certain ingredients such as leafy greens and soft fruits are not juiced as well in these types of juicers.

Whenever you go to make juice, the automatic thing to do is to peel them. This is also the most natural reaction for people who are cooking or using fruits and veggies in general. But, the peel of lots of fruits and vegetables is not only delicious but it is also full of amazing nutrients.

Just think of how many times you have eaten a certain food and someone has told you that the peel is the healthiest part? This is usually the case with foods such as potatoes, carrots, and cucumber. It’s a little like eating your crusts on a sandwich. 

So, first of all, should you eat the peel of all fruits and vegetables? This is definitely not the case. But there are loads of foods that will be great if included in a juice. Juicing the peel might be a little bit of extra effort. But trust us, it will be worth it.

Best Fruits to Juice with the Peel On

Fruits are more commonly used in juices than vegetables. So, let’s start with the best fruits to juice with the peel on.

There are loads of fruits that can be eaten with the peel on. But here are the best fruits for juices:

• Apples
• Pears
• Grapes
• Lemons
• Limes
• Watermelon
• Cranberries
• Raspberries

Best Veggies to Juice with the Peel On

There are fewer veggies that can be used in juice. This means there are even fewer veggies that can be juiced with their peel on.

Here’s our list of the best veggies to juice with the peel on:

• Cucumbers
• Carrots
• Beetroots
• Ginger Root
• Radish
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Celery

You might not consider adding vegetables to your juices as we are all more used to fruit juice. But there are so many great and nutritious vegetables that will be delicious added to a juice. This can be by themselves or mixed in with some fruit.

Green juices are especially popular. These primarily include a wide variety of vegetables including celery and ginger. They also often include fresh healthy spices such as ginger. Ginger is great in juices. But not in its dried and ground form. The peel of fresh ginger isn’t very nice but it does have some nutritional benefits.

But don’t let this put you off. Lots of fruits and vegetables have peels that don’t taste that nice and would otherwise be difficult to chew. But, when you juice the fruit or vegetable with the peel on, your juicer will squeeze out the nutrients and still discard the larger pieces of the peel.

So you shouldn’t have bits of peel floating around in your juice. All you will get are the nutritional benefits. So it’s a win-win.

Fruits That You Should Peel

Although we have been talking a lot about the benefits of eating the peel of fruits and veggies, there are some peels that you definitely shouldn’t eat.

Here is a quick rundown of the fruits that you should keep on peeling:

• Mango
• Papaya
• Cantaloupe
• Honeydew melon
• Pineapple
• Banana
• Kiwi

Honeydew melon and kiwis are the main fruits to avoid eating the peel of on this list. Their peel is essentially inedible. You probably don’t need to be told that as you likely don’t have much of a desire to eat their peels. But it’s worth saying, just in case.

The other peels on this list can technically be eaten. But we wouldn’t advise it. The peel of, for example, a banana can be eaten. But it is incredibly tough and won’t taste very nice. It won’t juice at all and will be very difficult to digest.

The same goes for mango. The skin can be eaten but it won’t juice well. The skin is too tough and sharp to be properly digested.

Veggies that You Should Peel

So, now you know which vegetables have a delicious and nutritious peel that you should be juicing.

Just so you don’t accidentally juice something that won’t be as tasty, here are all the vegetables that you really should be peeling before you juice them.

• Garlic (This might seem like an obvious one but just in case!)
• Avocado

If you are the type of person who likes to live a healthy diet and lifestyle, then you may have heard of juicing, and of people making their own juices at home.

This may sound like a newfangled trend that you don’t want to hop on, but if you are looking for your next health kick, then you will want to try using a cold press juicer. 

Cold press juicers are part of the newest wave of home appliances that can give you a healthy option, with a range of nutritional benefits.

What is a cold press juicer?

A cold press juicer basically uses a lot of pressure to juice up the ingredients added into it. In order to extract the juice, the cold press juicer will not use any sort of heat, hence cold press. 

A cold press juicer simply produces juice that is actually completely cold pressed, which is believed to have much greater health and nutritional benefits than other types of juicers.

These types of juicers are a simple and great way to introduce much more fruits and vegetables into your diet, through tasty juices and blends.

What is the difference between a cold press juicer and a normal juicer?

If you are new to the world of juicing, then you will want to know which juicers are which, and which one is best for you, and your needs. A cold press juicer is different from other juicers as it specifically utilizes no heat to press or mix up your ingredients. 

These types of juicers are also known as masticating juicers, as they use a narrow vertical chute to feed fruits and veggies into another chamber, where they are pressed by a rotating auger. The result is then pushed through a strainer, whilst the leftover pulp is dispensed through a separate spout. 

Another type of juicer is the centrifugal juicer, which works in a similar manner, but will work at a much higher speed. These are great for those of us in a rush, as centrifugal juices have fast blades that can slice, cut and juice an entire apple in seconds. 

Although the centrifugal juicers are quicker and produce results really fast, they do reduce the amount of nutrients in your juices, and cold press juicers are considered much better for you. 

This is mainly due to the fact that the fast spinning blades of a centrifugal juicer will tear apart produce such as fruit and vegetables, but this will also expose them to oxygen and heat during the process. However, this can also kill some of the great, healthy nutrients. 

The cold press juicers avoid this by using a masticating juicer that simply crushes and squeezes with no heat, for no loss of nutrients in the process.

Best cold press juicers

If a cold press juicer sounds like a kitchen appliance that you definitely need to incorporate into your morning routine, then we have a few favorites for you to choose from:

Cold Press Juicer Buying Guide

Health benefits of cold press juicers

There are so many benefits to using a cold press juicer. One of the main draws to a cold press juicer is that it is an easy and quick way to get more fruit and veggies into your diet. 

If you are the type of person that really wants to eat kale and spinach because of their health benefits, but really struggle with the flavor eating them, then you can mix them into a homemade cold press juice. That way, you can get all of the nutrients from them, without physically having to eat them. 

Cold press juices are also a great alternative to drinking energy drinks or fizzy sodas when you are thirsty or need a boost. Homemade is always better, and if you simply blend up some fruits and veggies, you are getting not only a great influx of vitamins and minerals, but also that energy boost that you need. 

Cold pressed juices are all so much better for you than store bought juices, as these can sometimes have preservatives or additives in them that are not great for your health or diet. 

In addition, the method of cold pressing retains so much more vitamins and nutrients, and actually intensifies the flavor of your favorite fruits and vegetables. What is even better is that cold press juicers produce more juice than centrifugal juicers, so that you get so much more out of your produce. You can then make batches of your favorite cold pressed juice, and store it to enjoy another day. 

How to make a cold press juice

Making your own cold pressed juice is actually really simple, especially if you have a cold press juicer at home.

Most juicers do not require you to chop up your veggies before using the juicer, but you may want to cut large produce items into smaller pieces to make the process a little quicker.

In addition, you should peel items like oranges, or remove the tough outer layer of a pineapple before adding to your juicer. Then, select your favorite fruits and vegetables for your juice, and place them in the cold press juicer.

Then, all you have to do is turn on your juicer and wait for the magic to happen. Make sure that you follow the instructions that came with your specific juicer to get the best results. 

Cold press juicers will often make the juice much thicker than other juices, so it feels more like a smoothie. If you prefer more of a juice, then you can always add a dash of water to get the consistency that you like! 

Pour your cold press juice into a glass and enjoy your homemade juice!

Summary

In conclusion, a cold press juicer is a great way to get more nutrients in your diets, and increase your fruit and vegetable intake, in a quick and easy way.

Cold press juicers utilize a masticating juicer to press and crush the produce, to retain all of the nutrients and health benefits from the fruit and vegetables.

These types of juicers are the most beneficial for your health, and the most popular.