Juicer Upgrade
Why did I do it? Well, sometimes you need an upgrade. As many of you will know, I’m quite an avid juicer. Not as a full on juice only detox, but a healthy way to start the day. I like the process of choosing which vitamins I need and having a juice for all seasons. More root veg in the autumn and winter, with carrots, beetroot parsnip and apple. I’m growing a winter spinach this year so my alkalinity can be kept in check with green juices on alternate days, and I love using summer fruits such as peaches and apricots instead of apples to sweeten the beetroot based juices. The juices that I like, may not be your favourites – I can’t ‘do’ oranges as they give me rosacea. Know your body, but try everything!
So with juicing you have to find what works for you. That means the right juicer too! There are so many on the market these days. It’s a minefield. I started about four years ago with a Philips model recommended by my friend Ann-See Yeoh. I knew very little about juicing and she taught me a lot. When the juicer arrived, it came with a free book by Jason Vale. This was the first I had heard about him, and I’m now a huge fan. With clients continually asking about this subject, I am always referring them to the Juice Master website. Even Jason has evolved as time has moved on, and the industry has exploded with talk of juicing. New ideas and more testimonials. A global sensation that isn’t just a passing phase.
I’m not going to write lots of recipes here. If you are new to juicing, check my previous blog posts for easy inspiration, and sign up on the Juice Master website for regular emails. I did, and that’s how I found my most recent upgrade! At a bargain!
Juicers used to be slow, time consuming and difficult to clean. They wouldn’t take whole apples so more chopping was required, and so more time needed. As our lifestyles became faster, so did our need for quicker juicing in the mornings. So the fast centrifugal juicers were born. A reasonable price, easier to clean and FAST. Lots to choose from too. My original Philips model is still going strong after 4 years although the chute is a little broken due to an over zealous beetroot shove! I now lend it out to clients wanting to try the experience before purchasing. The next generation to hit the market was the Fusion. I purchased this last year, as it was a midway point between the slower masticating juicers that can be quite costly, and the fast ones I’ve just described. I wanted a drier pulp, more juice and a quieter motor.
I had seen Jason demonstrating it after christmas on some of his detox DVDs. It’s good. Quiet. It does what it says it will do, but it tends to get stuck if you are too quick pushing veggies through, and things like parsnips and beetroot do have to be cut up. You need to give the slower motor a chance! If you are used to a fast model, the change over can be frustrating.
Now comes the Retro!
I’m in seventh heaven! Right place right time as I saw it was on offer through the Juice Master website. Still a hefty £199.00 – and that was with £100.00 off. So it’s not for the faint hearted. Its for those who are serious about their juicing, and want the upgrade. Its SO worth it. 65rpm with little friction, it’s a cold pressed juicer.
It does spinach and kale all by itself! Normally you have to squish the soft leafy veg into a ball, or wedge it between an apple, but this just squeezes it. It’s a lovely thing to behold! It takes whole veg, turmeric and ginger and just…. quashes it. No bouncing around in the chute and the risk of lime pieces pinging out and hitting you in the eye.
I like watching it. Quite a mindful process…..
You get dry pulp. which means more juice. MUCH more juice for your money. Yes, it’s slow, but not so slow you have to get up earlier! From fridge to glass – for two people – 3 minutes. I don’t think that should be an issue for most of you. Yes, I won’t lie to you, the cleaning is bound to take longer than a centrifugal one as there are more parts… realistically…. 3 minutes. Yes, I have timed it. So if you haven’t got 6 minutes to spare in the mornings, or you can’t get up six minutes earlier to get some healthy vitamins inside you……
If you would like to see the juicer in a real kitchen – mine! – being used for spinach etc, check my video clip in a blog. Excuse the squeaky broccoli – it’s new remember!
