Serves: 5

CENTRIFUGAL JUICER
The centrifugal juicer consists of a straight-sided strainer basket with a grater or shredder disc on the bottom of the basket. When produce is inserted into the juicer, it hits the shredder disc at the bottom of the basket, which spins at 3,600 rpm (revolutions per minute). As the produce is being shredded, centrifugal action forces the pure juice through the thousands of side openings on the basket, while the pulp adheres to the sides of the basket.

The centrifugal juicer is not a continuous juicer, because after it makes about 1 to 2 quarts of juice, it must be turned off and the pulp removed. This type of juicer works equally well with fruits and vegetables. Examples of centrifugal juicers are the Acme 6001 and the Omega 1000.

CENTRIFUGAL EJECTION JUICER
The centrifugal ejection juicer is very similar to the centrifugal juicer except that the sides of the basket are slanted. This simple alteration allows the pulp to be ejected out of the machine into a collection basket or bin. Lining the basket with a plastic bag makes it easy to remove the contents. Another difference between the two juicers is that this variety spins at a higher speed of 6,300 rpm. This type of juicer is easy to operate and very easy to clean. Examples of centrifugal ejection juicers are the Juiceman II, L'equip 221, Miracle Ultra-Matic, and Omega 4000.

MASTICATING JUICER
The masticating juicer has a powerful, slow-turning motor that grates then masticates or chews the fibers of fruits and vegetables, breaking up their cell walls and finally mechanically squeezing the resulting pulp to extract juice. This kind of juicer works best with vegetables. Because the slow-turning motor causes less oxidation of vegetables, this juicer produces a high-quality juice with excellent retention of most vitamins and nutrients. An example of a masticating model is the Champion Juicer.

TWIN GEAR PRESS
The twin gear press is the kind of juicer I personally prefer. It can juice vegetables and fruits, as well as wheatgrass. This juicer contains twin gears that turn at a low speed of 90 to 110 rpm. Produce is pushed through a feed tube into the twin gears where it is first shredded and then squeezed. Juice flows out of one tube, and pulp is ejected out of another. Although this juicer can be used with fruits, it works best with vegetables because it relies on the fibrous cell walls to push the pulp through the machine. This juicer will produce the juice with the highest nutritional quality because the very slowly spinning gears minimize oxidation. Examples of the twin gear press are the Green Life Juice Extractor, Green Power Juice Extractor, and the Omega 8000 (the Omega will only make vegetable juice).

WHEATGRASS JUICER
A number of juicers are specially designed to extract wheatgrass juice. Manual wheatgrass juicers must be clamped on to a table or countertop before the wheatgrass is inserted into a feed tube. When you turn the crank, an auger exerts pressure on the blades of the wheatgrass and squeezes out the juice. Juice emerges from one opening while the pulp comes out of another. There are also electric wheatgrass juicers that have continuous pulp expulsion, are self-feeding, and are mounted on a self-contained base. Two popular manual wheatgrass juicers are the Miracle Manual Wheatgrass Juicer and the Back to Basics Manual Wheatgrass Juicer. Those who prefer electric wheatgrass juicers may want to consider either the Miracle (Exclusives- MJ550 or Professional-MJ475) or the Wheateena Marvel (Green or Red Label).

Once you have purchased your juicer, read the instructions that accompany it carefully. It is helpful to take the juicer apart once so you can become more familiar with its parts. You should also be certain you understand how to keep your juicer clean. Washing the appliance after each use prevents any of the pulp from hardening on the parts.

After you have familiarized yourself with your juicer, you can start on your exciting adventure into the wonderful world of juicing. I doubt that you'll ever want to turn back.

From ULTIMATE JUICING: delicious recipes for over 125 of the best fruit and vegetable juice combinations. Copyright © 2000 Donna Pliner Rodnitzky. All Rights Reserved.

More Recipes from the Cook'n Ultimate Juicing Cookbook:
_1 Preface
_2 Introduction
_3 Health Benefits of Juicing
_4 The Perfect Produce: How to Select, Prepare & Store Fresh Fruit A-Q
_4 The Perfect Produce: How to Select, Prepare & Store Fresh Fruit P-Organic
_4 The Perfect Produce: How to Select, Prepare & Store Fresh Vegetables
_5 Selecting a Juicer
_6 Glassware
_7 Nutritional Information Table
_8 International Conversion Chart