Update 3/10/20. I get a lot of questions about what's the best juicer to use. To be honest, I didn’t think I'd ever start juicing. I always knew there were benefits but I just didn't want to take the time to do it. I've changed my mind. I’ve found a juicer that’s not only easy to clean but also makes juice fast. Here is my review of the Breville Juicer and I’ve also included the juice recipe I drink practically every day. I've also tried to answer questions about juicing too just in case anyone else is wondering about this and having a hard time finding an honest answer.
What's The Best Juicer?
For those who may not up to speed with juicing (I wasn't when I started looking into this) there are basically 2 different types of juicers out there:
1. Cold press juicers. Also called masticating juicers.
2. Centrifugal juicers
The Breville juicer is a centrifugal juicer. This means the juice is extracted when the food hits the juice extractor disk which spins a a high rate of speed.
Masticating / cold press juicers basically grind/chew up the food. These tend to be slower than centrifugal juicers and they don't make as much noise. An example of a cold press juicer is the Omega Juicer. I know people who have these juicers and love them.
People often debate as to which type is best. Those who like cold press juicers (like the Omega) often say they are best for preserving the enzymes and other nutrients in the food. They say that centrifugal juicers (like the Breville), heat the food up a bit, thus destroying the enzymes and other nutrients.
I've looked into this stuff and I can say this about it:
1. I've never seen a study comparing enzyme or nutrient content in juice made with different types of juicers. If anyone has please share it and I'll update this review.
2. I'm skeptical if the enzymes in food can make it through the digestion process in the body. If I'm right, then all this talk about enzymes being destroyed by centrifugal juicers is pointless.
3. In the Breville juicer I have, the juice comes out at basically the same temp as when it was in the refrigerator. So, even if enzymes do survive the juicing process, they are likely the same as in cold-press juicers.
As I was writing this, I became curious about how cold the extracted juice came out. So, I made some juice with the recipe I share below, and put a digital thermometer in the juice after I poured it in the glass.
As you can see from the picture, the temperature was too low for the thermometer to read. The glass was also cold to the touch, which is another reason I don't think there is a difference in the type of juice between centrifugal juicers and cold-press juicers. I think in the end, it all comes down to what you like best.
Why I Picked The Breville Juicer
I didn't start juicing to “cleanse” my body but rather as a way to get more plant nutrients that I might not be getting. I’ve had my Vitamix since 2002.So if you want a great blender, that's
A few months ago I saw a documentary called Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, which told the story of a guy who lost a lot of weight juicing. It was the juicer that I noticed the most. Whatever this guy put in the juicer, the juice shot right out immediately! I've never seen a juicer do that before. That's the Breville Juicer and it's what I purchased.
How Fast Does Breville Juice?
The model I have is called the Juice Fountain because it’s almost like a soda fountain – the juice shoots out of the machine as soon as you put fruits or veggies into it. When I saw it, I called it “The Vitamix of Juicers” because it juiced fruits and veggies so quickly.
How Powerful Is The Breville Motor?
The motor is 1000 watts and has 2 speeds: low and high. I put it on high for everything and it has no trouble juicing whatever I toss into it. When it's on high, the motor moves at 13,000 revolutions per minute. When it's on low, it moves at 6,500 RPM.
How Loud Is Breville?
I wont lie, the Breville juicer is loud. It's about the same noise level as my Vitamix. For what I use it for -see my recipe below – it's only on for about 30 seconds at the most.
The Juice Jug
The Juice Jug is what collects the juice that you make. It’s made of plastic and can hold 1.1 quarts. It’s unique in that it's designed to separate the froth from the juice. That’s a selling point for me as I don’t like the froth.
Is There Pulp?
I've made juice that contained carrots, spinach, celery, red cabbage, kale, beats and more. I've never seen any pulp or chunks of fruits or veggies in the juice I've made.
Is Breville Easy To Clean?
VERY easy. This was one the main reasons I bought this Juicer. I can clean my Breville in about 1 minute. There are only 3 things to clean and they come apart in under 5 seconds. All 3 main pieces are top of the dishwasher safe. Cleaning it by hand takes only about 1 minute. I like to clean the juicer as soon as I’m done so none of the food hardens on it.
The juicing disk filter –the middle thing in the picture above that actually extracts the juice – is made of titanium. Breville says it extracts 30% more juice and 40% more vitamins than other juicers. The juicing disk takes about 30 seconds to clean and they provide a cleaning brush to do this.
Is The Breville Juicer Messy?
No. When I make juice the pulp shoots into the pulp container, which is located in the back of the machine, without making a mess.
Tip: I put a plastic bag inside the container to make it easier to clean. So when I’m done, all I do is pull the bag out of the pulp container and toss it in the trash. No cleaning needed.
The Plug
The plug of the Breville juicer is actually what surprised me the most. It has a hole in the middle to make it easy to remove from a wall socket. I know that doesn’t sound like much, I thought that was just the neatest innovation I've seen in a long time.
American companies could take a lesson from Breville on this unique design.
Is Juicing Right For You?
Juicing fruits and vegetables can increase the sugar content (and glycemic index) of the juice. This might raise blood sugar levels and as such, be a problem for diabetics. Adding more vegetables to juice might reduce the sugar content of the juice as veggies tend to have less sugar than fruits.
My Breville Juice Recipe
The Breville Juicer comes with a recipe book. I tried a few and they actually tasted pretty good. Now I experiment on my own. Heres a quick
- 1 apple
- 3 cherry tomatoes
- Handful of spinach
- 2-3 carrots
- 2 celery sticks
I like to add the tomatoes first then spinach and then the apple. I usually alternate between the celery and carrots.
This juice tastes good! I pour the juice into a glass with ice and let it chill for a minute while I wash the juicer. It only takes about 1.5 minutes to clean everything.
Breville Juicer vs. Vitamix
Both the Vitamix and the Breville juicer are good machines. As I said before, I LOVE my Vitamix. It gets used pretty much every morning to make a breakfast smoothie. Both are great machines that help people significantly increase fruit and vegetable intake. In the end, it comes down to what you like. The table below outlines some basic differences and similarities between both machines.
| Breville Juicer | Vitamix |
|---|---|
| Easy to clean | Easy to clean |
| Quicker absorption of nutrients | Slower absorption of nutrients |
| extracts fiber/pulp | Includes fiber/pulp |
| Increase fruit /veggie intake | Increase fruit/veggie intake |
| Not as satiating (due to less fiber) | More satiating (because of more fiber) |
| Loud | Loud |
| Lot's of nutrients | Lot's of nutrients |
| 1 year warranty | 7 year warranty |
Because I'm somewhat space limited in my kitchen, before I bought this, I wanted to make sure both were about the same size. In case you are the same way, here is a side by side comparison of both machines:
Juicing Benefits
For me, juicing is not about cleansing the body. Our bodies are very good at cleansing themselves naturally. I started juicing
