If you want to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet, juicing is an easy option. Sales of juicers topped 1.5 million last year. Consumer Reports tested more than a dozen to find out which are worth trying and which you should forget.
In addition to juicing performance, testers pay close attention to how easy the machines are to use and to clean. If they’re really difficult, you might not take them out as often.
In general, the tests found that the very inexpensive juicers, $50 or less, tended to be lacking. They fell to the bottom of Consumer Reports’ ratings. Most don’t extract as much juice as pricier machines. And the smaller feed tube on the $40 WestBend 75500 requires extra prep work.
But some expensive juicers aren’t the best choices, either. For example, there’s the $500 KitchenAid KVJ0111OB. It rated excellent for juicing, but it comes with so many parts you’ll be cleaning a lot after you enjoy your drink.
A better, less expensive option is the Breville 800JEXL for $300. It features professional touches like stainless steel, a wide-mouth feed tube, which means less chopping, and a container for juice. It’s also very easy to clean.
For far less, Consumer Reports also recommends the $100 Juiceman JM8000S. It delivers a pulpier juice than the Breville, and while it’s not all stainless steel, it has many of the same features, like a wide mouth and a juice container.
Another option is a blender. Consumer Reports tests those, too. The very best is also very expensive at $650. It’s the Vitamix Professional Series 750. However, the $200 Dash Chef Series Digital did a good job blending icy drinks and smoothies.
