Choosing the right Tools

The right tool is essential to making juices or smoothies. Investing in the right juicer and blender is a wise decision.

A juicer is a different from a blender. Simply put, a juicer is a machine that is used to extract juice from fruits and vegetables.

What are the types of juicers?

They may be manual or automatic. The manual kind is the one you use for juicing citrus fruits. You can't use that when you want to juice other fruits, especially vegetables. That leaves you with automatic juicer, which comes in two forms, centrifugal and masticating.

Let's take a closer look at these two juicers

Centrifugal Juicer - A centrifugal juicer is cheaper than the masticating kind. It is ideal for any fruit and vegetable, but it does not produce much juice from leafy greens. Using a centrifugal juicer, however, is a fast way to juice your fruit or vegetable. It is easier to assemble, use, and clean. Because it has a large chute, you may not need to cut the fresh produce in small pieces. But then again, a centrifugal juicer is noisy and does not extract as much juice, thus, the resulting pulp is a soggy mass. The juice it produces does not last long and is foamy. Note, however, that if you do not like the texture of the foam, you can strain it or scoop it out. If you are a busy person, you might as well go for the centrifugal rather than the masticating juicer.

Masticating juicer - A masticating juicer, on the other hand, works slower and produces more quality juice. You enjoy the health benefits of the fruits and vegetables more because it does not heat up the juice. It can juice leafy greens far better, too. Unlike the centrifugal kind, th masticating juicer is quiet and squeezes as much juice as it can. The evidence is in the very dry pulp. But because masticating juicers have small chutes, the fruits and vegetables need to be cut up in small pieces first.

Juicers come different shapes and sizes. The bigger difference, however, is the price. A masticating juicer is more expensive than it's centrifugal counter part almost double! Check the brand too, if you are looking for quality.

By the way, another factor to consider is the convenience of assembling, washing, and drying the juicer. If the juicer is too complicated, you may lose interest in juicing.

A blender - is an electrical appliance with whirling blades for chopping, mixing or liquefying foods. It is more friendly than a juicer. simply because all you need to do is throw in all your ingredients, add a little water, push the right buttons, and presto! Out comes your smoothie plus, you get to keep the fibers.

Blenders come different shape sizes, brands and prices. They even come in many colors and finishes. They look great on kitchen counters. But more than the blender appearance, buy one the suits your lifestyle and your budget.

For on the go smoothie enthusiasts, personal blenders are in circulation now. Smaller and very handy, they can double as travel mugs. So, if you love the smooth sensation that smoothies bring, go for blenders.

-Woba.