Want to join me in my next juice fast? Save the date for 1/11/2013 by RSVPing and start juicing for health! 

I’ve recently been going through a juice fast, and the most common question I received was: what kind of juicing system are you using or what kind of juicer do you recommend?  Juicing has been a big deal in our home for nearly a year now. There are many different ways that you can do the juicing process.

I’m going to talk about the two most common methods of juicing. One is more expensive than the other, but saves more money in the long run. I’m going to talk about both of these methods so that you can decide what will work best for you.

Types of Juicers

Centrifugal Juicers

The first type of juicing method I want to mention is using Centrifugal Juicers like this Breville. This is the type of juicer that most people are familiar with. It is the most inexpensive way to get started juicing, and is pretty easy to use. We used a centrifugal juicer for a long time.

The biggest frustration I had with using this juicing method is that it is messy clean-up. Now, that could have been the type of juicer we were using, I don’t know. We had a Champion that I found at a yard sale. It’s a fairly expensive juicer if bought new, but makes a big mess. I also tried a Juice Man Juicer, but that one was even worse when it came to the mess and clean-up.

Another drawback with a centrifugal juicer is that you end up with a very wet pulp leftover. There’s a lot of juice leftover in that pulp that doesn’t get drunk. And, I really dislike being wasteful. However, if you are using a centrifugal juicer, you can save the pulp to use in smoothies, or breads and muffins. The pulp freezes very nicely.

• Pros: Inexpensive, easy to use.
• Cons: Messy, doesn’t get all the juice out of the pulp. 

Juice Press

The second type juicer that I want to talk about is a Juice Press like this Welles. Using a juice press is the method that I use. It’s a lot easier to use and there is less mess to deal with.

If you’ve been juicing for a while, or you know that juicing will become a long-time habit for you, then I personally recommend that you get a juice press. I get nearly double the juice out of a juice press vs. what I was getting out of a centrifugal juicer, so it saves me money on produce in the long-run. When I use the juice press, the leftover pulp comes out sawdust-like in texture.

However, it’s not all roses with a juice press. If you use a juice press, then you will also need a way to break up and process the fruits and vegetables before pressing them in the press. This can be done with a food processor or a blender. Some people first use a centrifugal juicer and then will use a juice press on the we pulp leftover. So in this case, there is an extra step.

Juice presses also tend to be more expensive than centrifugal juicers. So you will need to weigh the odds. If you plan on juicing regularly for a long time, using a juice press will cut your produce bill by nearly half.

• Pros:  Gets out nearly double the juice, easier clean-up.
• Cons: More expensive up front, need a blender or food processer to process your fruits and vegetables before pressing. 

Now that you know the pros and cons of both types of juicers, you can make a good decision for your family. If juicing is something that you plan on doing regularly for a long-time, then getting a juice press will help you save money on your produce in the long-run. If you just want to make a few juices here and there, or do a juice fast once, then you may want to go with a less expensive, centrifugal juicer.

What type of juicer do you own or plan to get? Is there a particular brand that you recommend? Tell me about it!