Blender/juicer Suggestions?
- Thread starter Jennifit
- Start date
story1267
Cathlete
Try this here awesome Vitamix thread......
http://www.thecathenation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=260245&highlight=vitamix
http://www.thecathenation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=260245&highlight=vitamix
hiitdogs
Cathlete
I have a Breville juicer, absolutely love it!! http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku6662662/index.cfm?pkey=celectrics%2Dbreville&ckey=electrics%2Dbreville It is a little spendy but well worth it. I had two cheaper ones before and they did not at all measure up to this one.
As to blender I don't even know the brand, I bought it for $ 50 at Target a few years ago. It works fine for smoothies but I would love to have one of those Vitamix blenders. I need to save up some money though because they are around $ 400 +
As to blender I don't even know the brand, I bought it for $ 50 at Target a few years ago. It works fine for smoothies but I would love to have one of those Vitamix blenders. I need to save up some money though because they are around $ 400 +
babindy
Cathlete
I have a Breville for juicing. It works fine. I rarely use it because I hate dumping all that terrific fiber. Now I just blend everything in my Vitamix. Do check out that thread.
I think the Blendtec is comparable to the Vitamix but I only have the Vitamix so I can't compare. I CAN tell you my Vitamix is years old (10??) and I use it multiple times a day and I've not had a single problem. I only have the wet blade and mostly use the compact size container as it fits under my counter.
Enjoy!!
I think the Blendtec is comparable to the Vitamix but I only have the Vitamix so I can't compare. I CAN tell you my Vitamix is years old (10??) and I use it multiple times a day and I've not had a single problem. I only have the wet blade and mostly use the compact size container as it fits under my counter.
Enjoy!!
kathryn
Cathlete
If you're looking for the best, and intend to use both a lot, here's what I'd recommend:
For a blender, a Vitamix or a Blendtec or K-Tec are the best (most other ones don't have the power to be able to blend greens and fibrous fruits and veggies well enough). I have a Vitamix, and use it daily at least once. (caveat: also buy a pair of sound-damping earmuffs or ear plugs to use with these: with power comes noise! I've been wearing my earmuffs--the sound-damping kind, not the winter-wear kind!---when I use my Vitamix, to prevent hearing damage).
For a juicer, a Green Star or Champion are better choices than centrifugal juicers, as they squeeze more juice from the pulp (the Green Star has the driest pulp, meaning it gets the most juice from your produce, but it takes more work to juice carrots with it. It also has magnets inside that do something to the juice that make it last longer. You can keep the juice for a couple of days in the fridge, whereas most juice has to be drunk ASAP after making). Another advantage to this type of juicer is that you can make nut butters, or banana/frozen fruit sorbets/ice creams, or bread dough by runninig ingredients throught the juicer with the blank screen in.
The disadvantage is speed. The Green Star is slower than the Champion, and both are slower than centrifugal juicers (but that's because they treat the produce with more care and get out more juice).
Centrifugal juicers (like Breville, or Acme, or Jack Lalanne's) not only don't remove as much of the juice from the pulp, they also make juice that oxidizes quite quickly.
The Vitamix/Blendtec and Green Star/Champion are pricey, but I think you definitely get what you pay for with them.
For a blender, a Vitamix or a Blendtec or K-Tec are the best (most other ones don't have the power to be able to blend greens and fibrous fruits and veggies well enough). I have a Vitamix, and use it daily at least once. (caveat: also buy a pair of sound-damping earmuffs or ear plugs to use with these: with power comes noise! I've been wearing my earmuffs--the sound-damping kind, not the winter-wear kind!---when I use my Vitamix, to prevent hearing damage).
For a juicer, a Green Star or Champion are better choices than centrifugal juicers, as they squeeze more juice from the pulp (the Green Star has the driest pulp, meaning it gets the most juice from your produce, but it takes more work to juice carrots with it. It also has magnets inside that do something to the juice that make it last longer. You can keep the juice for a couple of days in the fridge, whereas most juice has to be drunk ASAP after making). Another advantage to this type of juicer is that you can make nut butters, or banana/frozen fruit sorbets/ice creams, or bread dough by runninig ingredients throught the juicer with the blank screen in.
The disadvantage is speed. The Green Star is slower than the Champion, and both are slower than centrifugal juicers (but that's because they treat the produce with more care and get out more juice).
Centrifugal juicers (like Breville, or Acme, or Jack Lalanne's) not only don't remove as much of the juice from the pulp, they also make juice that oxidizes quite quickly.
The Vitamix/Blendtec and Green Star/Champion are pricey, but I think you definitely get what you pay for with them.
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kathryn
Cathlete
One tip: you can also use the Vitamix for making juices by straining blended fruits and veggies through a nut-milk bag (about $8 or less) or cheesecloth, so save on getting a juicer until/unless you really feel you need one.
I personally have not used my juicer much at all since buying my Vitamix. I want all the nutrition of my produce, including the fiber.
hiitdogs
Cathlete
I have to disagree with that! The pulp of my Breville juicer is very dry and there is no difference to the pulp that my friend gets out of her Champion juicer.
Some articles have said that Champion and Green Star juicers contain less air bubbles in the juice and therefore the shelf live is slightly longer but we are talking maybe half an hour, if at all, not days! Fresh juice has to be consumed fairly quickly and should not be kept in the fridge for long no matter what juicer you use. Just like precutting vegetables and fruit will lose some of the vitamins and enzymes fairly quickly.
I am just curious how the magnetic plates inside the juicer would make it that the juice can be kept in the fridge for several days. On a scientific level this makes no sense at all.
Anyone interested in buying a juicer should read this article. http://www.discountjuicers.com/bestjuicer.html There are pros and cons to every juicer.
kathryn
Cathlete
The magnets in the Green Star are supposed to make the juice last longer (the Champion doesn't have them, and won't last longer than centrifuged juice).
hiitdogs
Cathlete
I still don't understand how magnets make juice last longer. Unless you seal your juice in a vacuum it is susceptible to oxidation, magnets or not.
Both the Green Star and Champion juicer are a pain in the rearend to clean, as . I think the best juicer will be the one that you use. If it is a pain to clean it will sit in my cupboard. I make a lot of juice and it takes less than a minute to clean mine.
kathryn
Cathlete
I don't understand the science of it, but I've seen the results (carrot juice takes longer to oxidize).
According to them:
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Magnetic and Bio-ceramic Technology[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Green Star uses strong magnets and a bio-ceramic material in its Twin-Gear system to produce fresh juice which can be stored for a longer period of time; up to 48 hours in the refrigerator by delaying oxidation.[/FONT]
I agree that clean-up is an important consideration. I used to have an Acme juicer, and until I got some disposable liners for it, it was a real PITA to clean. If the Breville is both easy to clean and produces a very dry pulp (thus getting the most juice out of the produce), I'd say it would probably be preferable to the others if it will be used only for juicing (and not making nut butters and such).
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