Juicing packs a very powerful nutritional punch because it helps your body more easily absorb vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes and phytonutrients. It’s also a great way to help get your recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables.
Different Types of Juicers
Now there are several different types of juicers that you can use. For example, there are masticating juicers, single and twin-gear juicers and even special juicers for wheatgrass and other greens. The one I’m going to be using today is called a centrifugal juicer, and it’s probably the most common and affordable type on the market.
How to Set Up the Juicer
The good news is that all juicers work on the same basic premise. You put the fruit or vegetable in on one end and lo and behold, the juice comes out from the other. What you have left in another container is all the pulp, including the insoluble fiber. To assemble your juicer, make sure you use the manufacturer’s instructions. You want to be careful to keep your fingers away from the very sharp blades. If you want to make cleaning easier — and who doesn’t — use a plastic produce bag in the receptacle for the pulp.
Prep Fruit for the Juicer
Once your juicer is ready to go, gather your ingredients and make sure everything is well washed. As long as your fruit and vegetables fit into the chute, you don’t have to worry about cutting them into smaller pieces. However, apples are a good example of a fruit that’s usually too large to fit, so I just chop my apples into halves or quarters. Once you’re ready to start juicing, turn your juicer on and use the plunger to help you move things along. Don’t be alarmed if it gets a bit loud!
Tips for Using a Juicer
A good idea is to follow softer or more leafy fruit and vegetables with harder ones because it helps to keep things moving. Also, whenever possible, use fruit and vegetables that are less ripe, because the firmer they are, the more juice they tend to yield. Once you’ve finished using your juicer, pour the juice you’ve collected into a glass or pitcher and give it a good stir.
Clean Up After Juicing
Try to wash all the parts of your juicer that have been in contact with the ingredients as soon as possible. If you wait, it will make cleaning much more time consuming and this is especially true for the strainer basket, which you want to keep in good condition. The good news is that if you used a plastic bag in the receptacle, half your work is already done. Once all the components are dry, reassemble your juicer so it’s ready to be used next time.
And that is how you use a juicer. For more information about juicing, including delicious juice recipes, please visit About.com.