Juicer Parts and Accessories Guides

Juicers come in all different shapes and sizes. Don’t worry about getting confused. Different brands have different designs, but the basic parts are mostly universal.

Pay attention to these common parts.

Juice Cup

This is the piece of the juicer where you get the payout. The juicer will extract the juice into this cup, like a slot machine spitting out quarters. The bigger the cup, the higher your payout!

Juice cups should be large enough to make one serving of juice. If you have to empty the cup several times to make yourself enough, you need a bigger cup.

Make sure the cup is transparent. It’s important to watch the juice while being extracted. That way you can notice if there is any pulp getting into your juice. If your juicer operates incorrectly, you can tell right away – rather than waste costly ingredients.

Spout

This is where the juice enters the container. It’s important to note that a spout should put all of the juice into the juice cup. Cheaply made spouts can spray drops of juice all over the kitchen counter. This makes a big mess.

Some spouts come with a lid. This lets you mix different ingredients in the machine before releasing it into your juice cup. If you mix vegetables and leafy greens, this is an absolute must. Putting vegetables together in the juicing process is not the same as using fruit.

Strainer

Think of this as the filter. It allows juice to pass through while collecting pulp and fiber. Low quality strainers will break down, get clogged, and leak pulp into the juice. This means that strainer quality is a critical feature of any juicer.That’s why you should look for a strainer made from stainless steel mesh. These are easy to clean and rarely need replaced. Some cheaper models use paper filters – avoid at all costs.Important to note is how easy it would be to replace the strainer. Some designs are easy to find; others must be shipped direct from the manufacturer. Consider this when you’re looking at juicers.

Feed Chute

This is where you feed the juicer with your fresh fruits and vegetables. Larger chutes allow for whole ingredients to be inserted. This saves you tons of time! Aim for a chute that is 3 inches wide.

Many juicers come with a pusher. The pusher does exactly what it says – it lets you push the ingredients into the machine to juice faster. It also helps keep the juice from spraying back onto your hands. These can be purchased separately.

One last thing: it’s important to note that larger feed chutes must have more powerful motors. A big chute with a tiny motor is going to jam up really quick. Use your common sense when you shop around.

Blades (or Auger)

This is where the magic happens. This is where the rubber meets the road for your juicer. The blades of a centrifugal juicer rotate at extreme speeds to quickly slice apart plant matter. This releases the juice, which passes through the strainer.

That means motor power is all-important. After all, blade speed is simply a function of motor power. The more powerful motors spin the blades at higher RPM – some as high as 14,000! This leads to better juice extraction and quicker results.

Because of this, aim for a juicer capable of at least 800 watts and 6500 RPM.

Masticating juicers operate on a different principle. These more expensive juicers use low speed mashing action to squeeze fruits and vegetables. RPMs tend to be much lower, less than 100 on average.

The benefits of this are less exposure to air – which causes decay in important vitamins – and less heat, which damages the nutritional value of your food. As a result, these juicers cost more and take longer to extract – but they’re much quieter.

The blades should be of the highest quality. Cheap blades will cause you enormous headache and possible danger. Make sure to look for stainless steel or titanium. Also, the blades must be easy to clean – they will need it often. Augurs should be removable.

Don’t forget to consider this: If you’re like me, you want to watch the juice extraction. It’s a lot of fun to watch your food get chopped to shreds. So make sure you choose models that have transparent motor housing that lets you watch the action.

Pulp Bin

Pulp is the fibrous plant matter left over after extraction. It will be thrown into a collection bin for you to discard.

Bins, like juice cups, should be large enough to make several servings. If the bin is too small, you must clean it out before making more juice. Doing this frequently gets annoying.

Make sure the juicer deposits pulp into the collection bin. It should have a tight fit so that it doesn’t send pulp spraying all over your kitchen.

Don’t skip over this! A removable pulp bin is an important feature in a juicer. After all, why should you throw away the pulp? It makes excellent compost. There are many different uses for the leftover pulp – so save it!

Accessories

Along with the standard parts listed above, there are also accessories you can buy for your juicer. These range from better pushers, specially designed blades, bigger juice cups, etc, to attachments that allow you to use the juicer like a food processor. You can make sauces, chop up pasta, even process meats.

The most popular accessories are high quality strainers. These are designed to maximize juice extraction and eliminate pulp.

Look for cups that come with airtight lids. You can make juice, seal the cup, and put it in the fridge for later. This lets you make all the juice you need for the entire day in one sitting.

There are more exotic parts that belong to specific juicer brands. This basic guideline covered the parts you need to be familiar with before buying your first quality juicer.